London is one of the most green cities in the world. Across the capital,
the 3,000 registered parks cover more land than all its roads and railways combined.
So that’s why, visiting at least a couple of these is essential during any trip to
London. In this video, I’ll be giving you the ultimate guide on my personal 13 favourite parks,
interesting historical stories such as why there are no flowers in Green Park, some genuine hidden
gems right in the West End, where exactly are the must visit spots within these massive open spaces,
along with the best routes for a Sunday afternoon stroll. Filmed over 5 years and multiple visits,
this video will be covering all seasons for one big London park picnic. If you’re new here,
then welcome. We make travel movies from around the world as well as our home town of London. This
is Suitcase Monkey, giving you everything I’ve got on how to experience London’s best parks.
So let’s start with a big one, Hampstead Heath. We’ve spent numerous weekends
visiting this vast woodland in the north of London and still enjoy a revisit.
Stretching over 800 acres,
this was the green space that inspired CS Lewis to write the Chronicles of Narnia.
Arriving into Hampstead station treats you to a lovely town vibe, especially along Flask Walk
and its surrounding streets and neighbourhoods. We always enjoys window shopping for houses in
this area, trying to figure out which is the best one that we can afford least. 2 cafes
I’d recommend along Flask Walk specifically are Olive and Sage and the Boulangerie Bon Matin,
both of which do a great mixture of cakes, pastries and snacks.
Our favourite path within Hampstead Heath then takes us to the Hill Garden and Pergola. A unique
and somewhat abandoned landscaped garden that is great to walk around and take in the views.
Next to this, the area opens up further and offers countless benches for a picnic or rest.
Then, we usually head back East into the dense forestry of Hampstead, getting lost and
always still somehow finding our way towards Parliament Hill with its views of the city.
There are numerous sites in Hampstead for swimming, from natural bathing ponds to a Lido.
Or as common people call them, a swimming pool. I’ll link more information in the
description if you think you can survive this unheated English dip.
London has a total of 8 Royal Parks,
meaning they’re owned by The Crown and managed by the government.
Of these, Richmond Park is easily the largest, sprawling 2,500 acres.
Created by Charles I in the 17th century as a deer park, for me,
it’s still this parks local residents that sets it aside from the rest. You have a pretty good
chance of seeing any of the 650 deer throughout the year and time of day, and before you do,
it makes for a fun trip, just keeping an eye out for them. Visiting earlier in the morning tends
to give the most reliable results, when the park is relatively quiet. I’ll link a good website in
the description which goes into great detail about where and when to spot deer throughout the park.
The other place to highlight when you’re here is Isabella Plantation.
This 40 acre woodland garden is in its peak late April into May but is still worth a visit anytime,
as its immaculately kept, throughout the year…
Richmond Park is so large, there are multiple entrances and exits so it depends on where you’re
coming from as to the best route to take. But I’d suggest a nice way to end the trip
is via the town of Richmond itself and specifically the Petersham Nurseries.
This restaurant and teahouse is spread over a rather large area of inside and outside dining,
and is perfect for a summers day. They do get booked up, but there’s usually the option to wait
as a walk in, or even a wander around its garden centre if you haven’t had enough greenery yet.
Now lets focus on more central London spaces, specifically the 3 most central, easy access
parks. St James, Green Park and Hyde Park, all Royal Parks, which if you walk from one end to
the other is the longest stretch of greenery in zone 1 and would cover a couple hours at least.
St James is probably my favourite super central, park. It’s definitely going to
be next to somewhere you’ll be visiting, is small enough that it’s easy to walk around,
has enough character and unique spots to rest, and hosts a number of places to grab a snack or drink.
From here, you can make an easy walk to Buckingham Palace, before stepping into Green Park.
This is probably the least visually interesting park on this list,
in that its mostly just a big green space, hence its name I guess. Compared to the
flowerful St James Park, there is actually a story that explains this lack of petals.
It was the 1600s when the wife of King Charles II demanded that they all be removed from this park,
after she caught her husband picking some flowers for shock and spoiler, another
woman. And 600 years later, we are still dealing with the actions of this man. So thanks Charles.
Hyde Park probably has the most activity going on around it. Over the festive period,
there’s the Winter Wonderland, which I always personally enjoy, although it’s quite popular
to look down on it, I’ve noticed. The Serpentine is the largest landmark here
and you can’t go wrong looping around. Then there’s the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain
which kids enjoying splashing in, a nice view of the Royal Albert Hall, The Italian Gardens,
Kensington Palace which is the birthplace of Queen Victoria,
which is nice to walk around, even without paying to go inside, and the worlds easiest hedge maze.
One thing to note with these central parks, is that during the summer months, especially
on sunny weekends, they will get incredibly crowded with long waits for amenities.
It’s not a massive issue if you have that expectation in mind, but consider bringing
a picnic or visiting other parks on this list if that’s a problem.
Also, it’s worth noting, that in most Royal central Parks, there are deck chairs available
for a small fee. You might also note here that you can actually follow them on Twitter for
some fascinating updates, such as Spring is Here, we are closed today and Deckchairs are
coming out this week. Which unsurprisingly, even my own followers couldn’t get behind.
After St James Park, my other favourite central London park,
is Regents Park. The place we always enjoy stopping for a picnic, is the very South
East side, in a Victorian style corner that feels insulated and safe, like a baby in the womb,
enjoying some Pimms and strawberries. There is a toilet nearby, which often helps I find,
and the Board Walk Cafe if you want something a bit more official to sit down and refill.
Otherwise, the best entrance is probably Baker Street tube station
that brings you right into the boating lake which is the park at its most picturesque.
Also, if you’re after something unique, check out the website for the Open Air Theatre,
the oldest permanent outdoor theatre in the UK. We’ve been a couple of times
and as long as the weather’s good, it’s fun watching a musical with some actual legroom.
Next to this, is the Regents Bar and Kitchen which has inside and outside seating.
Also, just to say, none of these park eateries will win
awards for their culinary skills, but they at least do the trick as an overall package.
Our exit is then usually along Regents canal, which I know I bang on about
in most of my videos, but it really is one of our favourite things to meander.
This either takes you west to Little Venice, which I talk about in my London Gems video,
or East to Camden Market, which I talked about in my Markets video, and fortunately,
I made a London playlist for these, so do check them out at the end for more info.
While we’re here, just a quick shoutout to Primrose Hill.
A popular spot for locals that’s worth the trip for the elevated views of the city.
Next, a proper hidden gem that is the self proclaimed Oasis of Calm,
right in the middle of London’s crowded West End. This is a community run, registered charity,
that’s shaped in such a way, it’s really easy to feel you’ve been transported out the city.
Since it’s managed by a small team, do please respect this place, there’s no bins for example,
but it is perfect to relax with a coffee and take a breath so keep it in mind if you’re nearby.
A 20 minute walk along Kensington height street from Hyde Park will bring you to the
relatively small Holland Park. What makes it truly stand out is its Japanese garden,
donated by the Kyoto Chamber of Commerce in 1991. A real gem that during the time of editing,
is probably about as close as I’ll get to being in Japan. So, do as I do, buy some sushi from Wasabi
and tell yourself it’s exactly the same as being in Tokyo. It’s exactly the same as being in Tokyo.
Speaking of local parks, Victoria Park in the East, is right up there. It was first proposed
in 1840, as a living memorial to the reigning Queen, and acknowledged the cities expansion
into the suburbs. Again, we often arrive here after a long canal walk coming from the West
but it’s a pretty spacious park with a number of things going for it.
The densest part is the south west corner, where the Chinese pagoda dominates the skyline…
There’s also a food market here every Sunday between 10 and 4pm so this is probably the
best time to visit. If we’re feeling really energetic, we usually then continue walking East,
where highlights include this incredibly elaborate drinking fountain, English Gardens, wetlands and
then out of the park, again along the canal, into the Olympic Park, home of the 2012 Games.
There are some cool bars in this area where the canal turns into a T junction and it’s worth a
walk up and down to see what takes your fancy. All in all this is a long route, but great if
you’ve got an afternoon and are happy to go with the flow for whatever you bump into along the way.
For another area that falls under the “will you stop banging on about it” category, it’s
Greenwich Park, another Royal offering. My third favourite London park, it’s a short train journey
from central London, but somewhere I’d really recommend. I’d suggest arriving into Blackheath
and walking north into Greenwich Park and then down into Greenwich village, or vice versa. This
gives you a really nice local perceptive of things and starts you off with my personal favourite
areas which are the Park Pond and Flower Garden. Perfect for a picnic spot, this well kept area has
lots of space and in the Summer and Spring months, hosts a plethora of well maintained bloomage.
Right in the centre is the Pavilion Cafe and, for the purpose of completion, the Royal Observatory,
Planetarium and boating pond, which is tiny and safe enough to let your kids drive their own boat,
where the outcome is definitely not your fault.
OK, so we’re all probably getting a little bit tired now with all this walking so I
have just 3 more to go I’ll cover the next 2 relatively fast. Another local favourite is
Battersea Park. Again, I’d focus your time around the boating lake, and the Pear Tree
cafe is pretty good for park standards. 2 things that make this park unique is the mini golf in
the South West corner and also Go Ape. This is a fun for the family, treetop challenge,
rising overhead, where you can truly be your inner superhero and step ever so carefully to victory.
Now for something totally left field. Have you ever considered visiting the gardens in Buckingham
Palace? The gardens are actually an add on after you buy a ticket for the Palace itself, but if
you want to visit this world famous building, it’s a unique garden that’s worth a look in.
The best, most picturesque part of the gardens don’t actually allow any filming so
you’ll just have to settle for images of the regular royal gardens in this video.
For the part I can’t share, you’re accompanied with an expert guide who shows you around
the Queens private garden, giving some insightful stories around its history,
the 350 types of wild flowers and immaculate designs that run throughout.
Only open during the Summertime, again I’ll link below so you can check availability.
I’ve left Kew Gardens to last as it’s a top 5 for me and we usually make one trip
a year. This paid-for park is the furthest out on this list and will take up most of your day. But
this World Heritage Site is home to 50,000 living plants, making it the Disney Land of nature.
Temperate House is an enormous warm greenhouse,
home to 1,500 species of tropical plants from all over the world.
Palm House, the iconic building of Kew, is a living science lab dedicated to rainforests, with
leaves that are bigger than your wife. Rainforest plants only cover 2% of the worlds surface but
contain over 50% of the worlds species and you’ll get to explore them here, up close and personal.
Then there’s the Prince of Wales Conservatory, a glassy labyrinth leading you through a series
of exotic ecosystems. This is where the recent discovery was, for the worlds largest waterlily,
and now also newest species, that’s been sitting here in plain site for years.
Then there’s the treetop walkway, the Great Pagoda, afternoon tea at the Botanical Brasserie
and during the winter months, Christmas at Kew. But hold that thought about Christmas
as I’m planning on releasing a festive London video, so we’ll revisit Kew Gardens this Winter.
As mentioned, if you’ve gotten this far, I’ve made a London playlist covering Londons most
popular things to do so feel free to check that out. Please give this video a thumbs
up and comment below, to help spread word, which then encourages me to make more guides like this.
Which park is your favourite and why? Also, what ultimate guides would you be interested to hear
about next? Subscribe if you aren’t already as YouTube often likes to forget about me,
so this’ll keep you in the loop as we have our epic trips to Jordan and Canada coming soon.
So until the next one, thanks for watching Suitcase Monkey.