by Katie Isham.
Did anyone else know there’s basically a jungle in town? Rollesbrook Greenway is a stretch of woodland running through the terraced streets of The Polygon in Southampton’s city centre. A mere stone’s throw from the immaculately manicured lawns of the city parks, here grows the absolute contrast: a cutway through nature as a battle blooms between the suburban streets and the vegetation in full summer flourish.
Start wandering on Wilton Avenue, near to where it merges with Milton Road. Not too far from here echoes the memories of Southampton’s hallowed football ground: The Dell. But we’re looking for new growth. A giant, psychedelic mural on a local garage catches the eye and beckons walkers towards the expression of colour.
Toadstools and frogs break the terraced landscape. A small garden lies next to this painting alongside the road. It’s a beautiful addition to the concrete and brick, and it leads seamlessly into the greenway (mild) adventure.
Enter the gate and the pavements and parked cars immediately fade away. A cascading veil of greenery lies ahead with the most inviting footpath cutting a route through. Head onwards into the jungle as the crisscross canopy gives a very welcome relief from the summer sunshine.
Amongst a city setting, it’s always a delight to find the cool, shady areas to retreat to. Use this as a diversion from the oppressive concrete routes to and from the urban hub of the city. As the summers get increasingly hotter, we might be glad of any respite we can nurture. This is a real artery of oxygen coursing through the city streets.
Follow the path through whilst pausing to ponder at viewpoints dipping down to the stream that provides water to make this greenway so green. It must feed the allotments to the left so sneak a look through the fence at the crops of bamboo masterpieces and beloved sheds.
Breathe in the lush green air. The foliage is so deep and dense here that is cocoons you away from the traffic and hectic ways of the outside world. Savour the nature.
The path twists and turns a little as you dip below overhanging vines and creeping ferns at your feet. But before long, a gate appears to the left. The allotments are more clearly visible and to the right, a playground offers a place for children to grow. It may not be the most modern of playgrounds (the slide alone would cause a health and safety exec a coronary) but it has a place at the heart of this community.
Take the path ascending beyond the park and it’ll deliver wanderers to the most revered of mild adventure features: a boardwalk!
Trot along the wooden slats with joy in your veins and air in your lungs. It soon ends and spills you out onto a cutway leading to the epicentre of the Polygon, mere minutes from the city centre. There may be ivy creeping through the cracks, but it shows the resilience of nature to hold it together. There may be metal fencing bordering the boards, but this isn’t the location for a postcard photo.
If you want pure scenery, this isn’t the place. This is an unexpected slither of nature in a corner or commerce. This could be an asphalt path like countless other, but instead, a stream has carved its route and the trees have stood their ground.
There are many ways to get from A to B in the city, but this is the greenest and the most hidden jungle route of them all. Take a wander under the trees for your next city stroll.
Cost: Free to explore. Cost for any onward adventures.
Accessibility: Found in the Polygon area of the city centre, the greenway is within a short walking distance of many bus routes and half a mile from the central train station. Pavements surround the area, sandwiching both ends of the greenway. Rollesbrook Greenway itself is mostly gravel path with a cheeky boardwalk at the southern end.
Facilities: A small, somewhat health and safety exempt playground is attached to the greenway. No other facilities in the immediate vicinity but the whole expanse of the city centre not too far away.
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