Discover bats after dark, using bat detectors, on this guided wildlife walk.
Join Dr. Iain Boulton, Lambeth’s Borough Ecologist, for this one hour walk around Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, where you’ll have the chance to detect and (hopefully!) spot Pipistrelle bats. Common Pipistrelle and Soprano Pipistrelle bats are well adapted to life in the city, where they forage for insects in gardens, open spaces and around street trees – which are all abundant in Vauxhall.
Your walk begins just after sunset and runs for around an hour. Meet at the entrance to Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens on Kennington Lane, just next to the Royal Vauxhall Tavern. From there, you’ll be guided around the area past Lime trees, the new Small Pleasure Gardens wildlife site, and along Cherry Tree Walk. The tour ends at the basketball courts next to Goding Street.
The route is on paths and level grass surfaces (where appropriate and safe), and is therefore suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs. Please dress appropriately for outdoor weather conditions, wearing sturdy footwear and waterproof outer clothing.
About your guide:
Dr Iain Boulton has worked in the London borough of Lambeth for over 25 years as the ‘borough ecologist’. He is responsible for leading on or supporting delivery of a wide range of ecological, landscape and heritage projects across over 80 public parks and open spaces, as well as ensuring the protection of Lambeth’s biodiversity as part of any developments or activities across the whole borough.
Iain is an active bat surveyor and member of the London Bat Group and Bat Conservation Trust. He works to increase the public’s awareness and appreciation of bats and conserve and improve where they live and feed, including protecting the insects and pollinators that are the food source for bats and other wildlife.
Big Vauxhall Tree Week (10–17 May)
This event is part of Big Vauxhall Tree Week, which celebrates the trees, wildlife and green spaces that shape this unique London neighbourhood. Across the week, local organisations, artists and environmental experts come together for a programme of walks, talks, creative workshops and wildlife events exploring Vauxhall’s urban nature.
From bat walks and tree tours to sketching sessions and a special film screening, the week culminates in the vibrant Vauxhall May Fair in Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens — a weekend of plants, performances and family-friendly activities. See the full line-up of events at beinvauxhall.com/tree-week
Big Vauxhall Tree Week is funded by Vauxhall One, in partnership with London Borough of Lambeth and Vauxhall City Farm. All events are offered free of charge, but if you are in a position to do so please consider a small donation to Trees for Cities – a charity working to improve lives by planting trees in cities.
