From Saturday, the Friends of the Parkland Walk have a bumper set of events planned as part of the city-wide London National Park City Festival.

On Saturday experts will take visitors through first the birds of the longest linear nature reserve in London (between 8 and 10am) before former Haringey conservation officer David Bevan explains the flora and fauna of the area at 2.

Sunday sees 'forest bathing' - meditation in the woodland at 10 and a guided tree walk from 2.

Talks about bugs and bats will take place at 6 and 8.30pm respectively.

Members of the Friends will be at the Holmesdale Road end of the reserve - where the events will take place - for the majority of the weekend too, and it's a perfect chance to begin the summer holidays by exploring the newly unveiled wildlife trail there.

Cathy Meeus, who chairs the FoPW, told this newspaper: "It's a fantastic opportunity to explore. We're one of a kind and a really wonderful green space and we've got so much planned."

A number of green spaces in north London feature during the National Park City Festival.

Other events include: A class about wildlife habitat management in Waterlow Park on Tuesday (between 10.45 and 2) and an eight mile (and three and a half hour) walk through some of central London's parks starting at Swiss Cottage on Sunday morning at 10.

For more info see nationalparkcity.london.gov.uk