With the cherry trees beginning to blossom, the nights slowly getting lighter and the rumours of a scorching Easter heatwave on the horizon – it’s time we started to whip out the shorts and skirts and get ourselves outside. Luckily for us Londoners, our beloved capital is full to the brim of landscaped green parks and flower-filled gardens for us to make the most of that vitamin D. From scenic views to Instagrammable-wonders, we’re pretty lucky with our green spaces it has to be said. So best slap the suncream on and get yourself to one of these lovely gardens and parks in London:
Parks in Central London
1. Hyde Park
4. Soho Square
8. Green Park
9. Russell Square (check out the red telephone box serving tiramisu next door to the park!)
13. Sky Garden (which may be indoors, but it has garden in the name so we’re having it)
15. Victoria Embankment Gardens
17. St James’ Park (don’t miss the daffodils in springtime)
18. Postman’s Park
19. Queen Elizabeth Hall Roof Garden
Parks in North London
20. Alexandra Park, which has a panoramic beer garden this summer
21. Finsbury Park
22. Paddington Recreation Ground
23. Sunny Hill Park
24. Queen’s Park
25. Gladstone Park
26. Regents Park
27. Hampstead Heath
29. Arnos Park
30. Trent Country Park (which helpfully answers the question, “what is there to do in Cockfosters?”)
31. Waterlow Park
32. Hampstead Hill Gardens and Pergola
34. Canons Park
35. Primrose Hill
36. Grovelands Park
37. Barnard Park
38. Parkland Walk
Parks in South London
39. Vauxhall Park
40. Barnes Common
41. Brockwell Park
42. Richmond Park (and the Isabella Plantation)
43. Tooting Common
44. Putney Heath
45. Wimbledon Common
46. Morden Park, not to be confused with…
47. Morden Hall Park
48. Greenwich Park
49. Blackheath
51. Streatham Common
52. Crystal Palace Park (featuring dinosaurs!)
54. Beckenham Place Park, now home to a wild swimming lake
55. Battersea Park
56. Floating Gardens, Bermondsey
57. Belair Park
58. Mitcham Common
59. Bushy Park
60. Southwark Park
61. Kew Gardens
62. Burgess Park
63. Dulwich Park
64. Ham Lands
66. Clapham Common
67. Stave Hill Ecological Park
70. Jubilee Gardens
71. Kennington Park
72. Deptford Park
Parks in East London
73. Victoria Park
75. Wanstead Flats
76. Clapton Pond
77. Weavers Fields
79. West Ham Park
80. Barking Park
81. Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
82. Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park
83. Hackney Downs
85. Springfield Park
86. Woodberry Wetlands, recently voted the most tranquil place in London
87. Clissold Park
88. Abney Park
89. Haggerston Park
90. Millfields Park
91. Mile End Park
93. Claybury Park
94. Dagenham Chase Nature Reserve
95. London Fields, also home to a heated lido
Parks in West London
96. Gunnersbury Park
97. Osterley Park
99. Hounslow Heath
101. Pitshanger Park
102. Ealing Common
103. Dukes Meadows
104. Wormwood Scrubs Park
105. Holland Park (and the incredible Kyoto Garden)
107. Ravenscourt Park; make a beeline for the cute garden centre next to it
108. Bishops Park
109. Eel Brook Compton
110. Brompton Cemetery
111. Syon Park, which hosts a beautiful winter lights trail each year
Also published on Medium.