Visit London’s Parks

London, England has done a wonderful job of incorporating green spaces into their highly populated city. You really do not have to go far to find nature in all its glory.

So here is a quick primer (based on the observations of a tourist who loves open spaces and the colour green!)

1. Many park areas are private…for residents only. 

Think of the movie Notting Hill where Anna Scott and William Thacker (Julia Roberts and  Hugh Grant’s characters) climb over a fence and into a beautiful park.)

These park areas can be accessed from residences and/or through locked gates. However…anyone walking on the public sidewalks beside these areas can enjoy the greenery.

 For example, this is outside the private gardens of Cadogan Square residents.

2. Most neighbourhoods have a town square or green common area within easy walking distance of the homes and hotels. Think Berkeley Square.

This one is near the British Museum.

3. There are  many public parks (some huge and some tiny) operated by the City of London.

One such huge park is Hamstead Heath. It holds wonderful memories for me for several reasons…

• the stunning views of London as seen from this high area
• the evening concert we attended there a few years ago (concerts in parks are very common in London so do check to see if any will be on when you are there).
• the movie Notting Hill has a segment where they are filming in Hamstead Heath (do you get the idea that I love that movie!|)

Hamstead Heath is not a park you would not just walk to if you were staying in Central London so check out their official website for directions.

4. Royal Parks

Royal Parks are the ones most tourists would think of when they think of London Parks. Most Royal Parks were once (long ago)  part of Royal Hunting Grounds surrounding royal estates. Now they public property managed by a special Foundation..The Royal Parks.

There are 11 parks classified as Royal Parks. (I know some websites quote a different number but I took this number from the official Royal Parks web site  www.royalparks.org.uk )

 

Hint: Click on any photo to enlarge it.

Four of them are all in the same area so I think of them as one…Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, St. James’s Park, and Green Park.

This map found on a sign during the London Olympics may be easier to read to make my point.

Green Park is the smaller park you can see just beyond these gates to the right of Buckingham Palace.

St. James’s Park is the green area all along The Mall.

Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens are one big park divided into two by water…Long Lake and The Serpentine.

Let’s focus in on these two as I suspect these are the ones most tourists would think of when asked “Did you visit the parks in London?”

The area these two parks cover is immense. (In my opinion they are immense. My hubby enjoys walking from one end to the other and back again every chance he gets…so I guess immense is a relative term.)

However, to support my opinion…note that sign posts are put up throughout the park so tourists won’t get lost and be wandering through the park for days on end!

One is very likely to see horses when in these parks.

including ponies and children

Next to a pedestrian walk way (below: on left, paved) there even is

a special horse path (on right, packed dirt) where one can ride horses.

On the right hand side of the horse path you can see a water trough inscribed  Metropolitan Drinking Fountain & Cattle Trough Association.

So this traffic sign is not a witty statement, it is a functional sign.

 There are statues tastefully placed throughout the parks.

A modern statue, named The Pan,

guides and welcomes families to the park. You will find it at the Edinburgh Gates entrance to Hyde Park.

Aside: The Pan is not to be confused with the more traditional statue of Peter Pan.

This gorgeous modern statue frames one of the few bridges that crosses over the water in the park. Long Lake is on one side of the bridge; The Serpentine is on the other side.

Note I said “one of the few bridges”. Be aware of this as you can not cross just anywhere and it is a long, long body of water.

There are strategically placed benches along the pathways. Here we stopped in Hyde Park  to admire The Albert Monument with Royal Albert Hall beyond it.

Aside: Royal Albert Hall is a wonderful destination…attend a concert, take a tour.

Check out their website for details…Royal Albert Hall

Some park seating is not free. These chairs usually have a fee attached to them (an attendant will sometimes approach you) but I believe the money collected goes towards the Royal Parks Foundation charities.

5. Princess Diana Memorial

The Princess Diana Memorial Walk winds through the four royal parks this website focuses on. The trail is 11 kms (7 miles) long and is marked with plaques like these set into the ground.

The Princess Diana Memorial Fountain is along this trail in Hyde Park.

When it first opened there were no fences around the fountain. Now it is supervised and only open during certain hours. 

The fountain covers a fairly large area with the park.

and with the help of sign posts is easy to find.

One could spend many a day in the Royal Parks (and I am not teasing about how “immense” the parks are).

There are is so much to do and see. You can even row your boat (rented) on the Serpentine.

(we sat and had lunch at the cafe along the lake and just watched.)

Every visit will be relaxing, energizing, educational…whatever you make it. And it will be a day filled with the beauty of nature at every bend of the path.

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