Frequently Asked Questions

At Creekside we offer a range of activities - both on land and in Deptford Creek. If your child is attending a high-tide activity then they will not be going into the river. In this case they should wear weather appropriate clothing and shoes as some of the activities will be outdoors.

If your child is attending a 'Rivers' session then we will provide all the necessary wading equipment. We recommend comfortable outdoor shoes like trainers, as waders can get cold wearing them for a long time. An additional pair of socks is useful, especially during winter and spring months, and other weather appropriate clothing is recommended. 

If you are unsure speak to your child's teacher and they will advise you which type of session they are attending!

Creekside Discovery Centre is a great place for all children! We ask school teachers to fill in a detailed booking form before each school visit with names and needs of any children with learning and emotional needs. If your there is any information which could help us make our experiences more accessible to your child then please share this information with their teacher and ask them to pass that onto us. We find that the fresh air, interesting objects on display and walking in a tidal creek is a great adventure for all!

We ask school teachers to fill in a detailed booking form before each school visit to make us aware of any children with mobility needs. All of our high tide activities are wheelchair accessible.

If the group is going into the river we assess before the day and on the day with the class teacher whether the child is able to enter the river. If your child cannot enter the river they can experience a great view of Deptford Creek from the footbridge with one of the accompanying adults, and they will also be able to take part in the classroom-based activities. 

We offer a range of different learning activities. For details on the different programmes for each age group please take a look at our education section here. 

You can make a school booking enquiry here. Please ensure you provide sufficient detail on your enquiry so that we can assist you effectively. Please include - Name of school, programme of study or preferred activity, year group of the students, number of classes, and your preferred month of visit.

Yes, we do offer some programmes for secondary level. If you are interested in discussing this with us please contact us using the form here. Please include as much detail as possible in relation to what objectives you would have for any potential visit. 

Yes! To enquire further about we can do for your group, please fill out the form here. Please include as much detail as possible in relation to what objectives you would have for any potential visit. 

It is possible to find interesting artefacts in Deptford Creek and we point out anything of interest. However, in order to mudlark you do need a license from the Port of London Authority. We do ask that any artefacts are left at the Creekside Discovery Centre so other visitors can enjoy them too

We encourage all visitors to come by public transport. We are five minutes from Greenwich DLR/ mainline station. If you are disabled or of limited mobility, there is enough space for two disabled parking spaces - Please contact us in advance. 

We do not allow any dogs on site or into Deptford Creek.

Creekside Discovery Centre is the only place on Deptford Creek to have a sloped access point into the Creek. We only allow people into Deptford Creek with a guide – either on our low tide walks or school visits. Deptford Creek has a huge tidal range plus deep mud which you could get stuck in. If you wish to arrange a private walk or commercial visit please contact us.

We provide all equipment include waders (thigh length wellies), a walking stick and raincoat.

During term time we have school visits most days and our site operates as a closed site between 10 until 2.30. In 2020 we plan to have a regular pop-in day. If you wish to arrange a visit or meeting, it is best to email in advance.

You can donate, volunteer or promote our low tide walks to friends and family! 

Please check your junk email filters! We use an automated email system to send out the confirmation emails. Sometimes this email will go to your junk email filters since it is an automated email. As we say on the booking form always check your junk inbox as soon as you have paid for your walk. Unforunately as a small charity using an automated email is one of the best ways for us to manage our low tide walk tickets and events as we do not have the resources to respond individually to each email and booking. 

Please read our Low Tide Walk Essential Information page here 

Yes we do! We aim to advertise these 3 weeks before each event. Check out our events page here and keep an eye on our social media accounts to stay up to date!

There is a small fee for our family learning activities. The cost of each activity is mentioned on the booking page for the event. This helps us fund resources used during the learning activities. We always aim to keep any costs as low as possible.

If you live in the local area you can request a voucher on the booking page of any of our family learning activities. This will allow you to attend the activity at no cost to you. We offer this option in good faith to ensure that no one is excluded from experiencing what we have offer - Cost should never be a barrier to engaging with our activities here at Creekside!

We offer activities for a range of different age groups during the school holidays. Each activity is designed for a specific age group - this will be mentioned on the event page and any other advertisements. We recommend age groups to ensure that everyone who attends the activity is able to engage with the materials and learn something new!

Our Family Learning activities are designed to incorporate all members of the family, allowing parents and carers to spend some quality learning time together with their young ones, in a safe, interesting and fun environment. For this reason we recommend that you don't leave your children unattended at a Family Learning activity. If this is a particular difficulty for you and you would like your child to be able to take part in the activity, please contact us in advance and we will discuss what we can accommodate with you. 

There is a limit of 6 tickets per booking. For some activities (for example a river walk) the ratio of children to adults will need to be lower for safety reasons. If this is the case, this will be mentioned on the event page and any other advertisements. 

No - each ticket to an activity is for one person. Any accompanying adults will also need to purchase a ticket. As we have limited space, staff and resources, places on Family Learning activities are limited and we do this to ensure we know how many people will be attending in advance. 

It must be winter! Creekside Discovery Centre is based on a brownfield site which is multi-habitat and known for being really good for wildflowers and hence wildlife. Brownfield sites were really common in London following the bombings of the Second World War and it was found that small wildflowers would grow on the rubble. This is because wildflowers do not like nutrient rich soil and have shallow roots. Flower and plants that require nutrient rich soil tend to be larger. According to the charity Buglife, over half of the Thames Gateway’s wildlife-rich brownfield sites have been destroyed in just six years.

There are over 300 species of wildflower on site. Every week our conservationist and team count each species of plant to monitor changes including impact of climate change as well as how our site is developing and changing over the years.

In 2018 we found two clusters of the Small-flower catch fly (Silene gallica) which is on the Red - Endangered & Critically Endangered list.

First of all ring the RSCPA and give your and the swans specific location. If it during the week, we will try to help out but often we have schools or other visitors. Stay by the swan and try to encourage members of the public to walk a fair distance from the swan while the RSCPA comes. If it is during working hours we will try to help out by herding the swan into a quiet place in our grounds. During the weekend our staff are not usually on site. Please do ring the RSCPA to report the incident and they should come and pick up the swan. It is common for young teenage swans to fly into telephone wires.

Our site is managed for maximum diversity of wildflowers - there are over 300 species on site. We focus on wildflowers because these are what we have lost during the development of the local area. Planting trees at Creekside would not improve diversity as they would compete with our existing species for sunlight, water and nutrients.

Come and experience a low tide walk! This will give you a first hand perspective of the dynamic environment and the constant changes that happen in and around the Creek. 

Yes! "Deptford Creek - Surviving Regeneration" and "Deptford Creek - Life On the Edge" both give detailed accounts of the historical and modern changes in and around Deptford Creek. They include case studies, detailed accounts of the wildlife and engaging discussions on the past and future of the area. Both publications are available at Creekside Discovery Centre for £5 and £3 respectively. Please contact us if you would like a copy!

Please read our Safeguarding Policy here

Creekside Discovery Center could not manage without our amazing volunteers! This include volunteers who help out on low tide walks, in the office or else helping to managing our wildlife site. We also welcome corporate volunteers for a charitable donation. Find out more here.

For more information about private venue hire please click here. We do not offer our site for party hire at the moment. We can offer private low tide walks for groups which can be a lovely celebration for a birthday, anniversary or any other event - for more information contact us here. 

Our site is wheelchair accessible but you will need some assistance on our rough surfaces outside. We are fundraising to improve these.

We regret that the Creek itself is a wild river and is not wheelchair accessible, but we will try and give you the best experience we can on dry land.

Our building is fully accessible.

It is recommended that all our visitors use public transport as we have no parking on site (unless by prior agreement for specific bookings only).

There is free parking on nearby Frankham Street. Local rail and DLR stations are Greenwich and Deptford and there are several local bus routes to Creek Road and Deptford Church Street.

Dogs are not allowed unless they are for disability assistance.