Park life: London’s best green spaces for summer

Climb to the crest of the hill adjacent to the Royal Observatory in the 183-acre Greenwich Park and rest a while to take in the sweeping views over the city.

One of the best vantage points in the Capital, the elegant Royal Park was awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in 1997 for the area’s rich seafaring history.

This South East swathe of green is home to meadows, flower and herb gardens, a boating lake and splendid Georgian buildings like the Queen’s House art gallery and the National Maritime Museum, where you can discover tales of pillaging past at the Pirates exhibition.

A minute’s stroll from Crystal Palace train station is the Grade II-listed park - a vast, Victorian pleasure ground that’s named after the glass structure moved here from Hyde Park after the 1851 Great Exhibition of culture and arts.

The Crystal Palace itself burnt down in 1936, but the park’s Italianate terraces and giant model dinosaurs are eccentric remnants of what was the world’s first theme park.

Perhaps most charming about this urban park are its country pursuits – a 49-metre maze, free community farm with pigs, alpacas, goats and Shetland ponies, and a fishing lake where members can cast for a catch in peaceful serenity.

Beyond Kensington’s pretty, mews lined streets lies the urban oasis of Holland Park. Take a stroll under the sun-dappled canopy of oaks and you’ll happen upon the Kyoto Japanese garden.

A meditative haven, it was a gift from Japan to honour the friendship between two nations and features cherry and maple trees, stone lanterns, cobbled pathways, a tiered waterfall, koi carp filled pond and resident majestic peacocks.

Take a seat under the canopied auditorium in the grounds of the park’s Holland House to enjoy a summer production of Opera Holland Park.

Whether working out or winding down, the sprawling Tooting Bec and Graveney Commons have provided locals with a place for lively pursuits and pastoral peace for generations.

The park’s well maintained paths feature a network of 1k, 3k and 5k running routes, while All Star Tennis has six outdoor courts and Tooting Bec Lido opens at 6am for an open air splash.

There’s plenty of lawned areas for a picnic, and the park’s fields and woodland offer on and off leash adventures for your pup.

A Victorian community garden, North London’s Finsbury Park opened in 1869 to offer the working classes a place for rest and recreation.

The park is still delivering stellar entertainment today, including a family fun fair and circus, concerts by major artists, and the annual Wireless Festival.

There’s plenty more park life to be had, including boating, basketball, netball, tennis and a scenic 4km Parkland Walk that follows the course of the old Finsbury Park to Alexandra Palace railway.

Is there anything more quintessentially English than a spot of rowing on a balmy sunny day?

There are calm cruising conditions to be had at the Regent’s Park boating and children’s lakes, where you can while away an hour on a row boat or pedalo under the gaze of Mallards, Grey Herons, Osprey and a pair of Little Owls.

When you’re back on solid ground, catch feeding time at the London Zoo, settle in for a bandstand concert or outdoor theatre performance, or brave the zip line in the Gloucester Gate Playground.

Also, Hyde Park is a central London playground of music concerts, boating, cycling and running routes and the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain.

Just south of Brixton, Brockwell Park’s hilly landscape of open meadows, ancient oaks, ponds, paths and Georgian buildings plays host to a diverse line-up of summer activities.

Treat your toddlers to an outdoor swim at the Art Deco lido, a ride on the miniature railway, a sandpit session in the playground, or a splash in the paddling pool.

For older kids and adults, there’s a BMX track, tennis and basketball courts, and creative writing and woodworking workshops in the community greenhouses.

Perched along the south bank, Battersea Park is a scenic section of the Thames that boasts a wonderful hoard of historic features.

It’s home to an immaculately laid out formal garden by 20^th century landscape architect Russell Page and a sub tropical paradise designed in 1863 by the park’s first superintendent John Gibson.

Promenade the 200-acres and take in The London Peace Pagoda’s bronze Buddhas, sculptures by artists Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, and multiple memorials and monuments.

Commanding panoramic views over to The Shard from high on a hill in North London, Alexandra Palace presides over 196 acres of leafy park.

Designed as the ‘People’s Palace’ in 1873, it rose from the ashes in 1875 after a fire, and its lush grounds have been entertaining us ever since.

Experience high flying thrills at Go Ape’s Treetop Adventure, perfect your pétanque skills, pick up artisanal produce and crafts at the Sunday Farmers’ Market, and join the festivities at the summer music and food festivals.

Once the haunt of legendary highwayman Dick Turpin, the 790 acres of wild woodland, grassland, lakes, ponds and streams in Hampstead Heath make it one of the largest wildlife habitats in London.

Just under four miles from the West End, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’re in the countryside. After all, the heath is home to moles, hedgehogs, deer, bats, and multiple species of birds and butterflies.

Enjoy a ramble on the heath, followed by a pint at the historic Spaniard’s Inn, take in the epic views from Parliament Hill, and brave a wild swim in one of three swimming ponds.

Travel south west and you will find Richmond Park the largest parkland in London, this nature reserve is a haven for wild red and fallow deer that roam freely among the oaks and grasslands.