We’ve been finding it helpful to get outdoors and in nature, especially since the social distancing and lockdowns began. There are so many benefits to spending time outdoors, including helping improve one’s health and wellbeing. With everything that has gone on in 2020, going on walks and hikes have been our outlet to help us feel better.
To help keep things interesting, we have tried out many different parks in London. These are our five favourite places to go on walks in South & West London:
Richmond Park
Richmond Park is a fantastic place to walk around as it is so large, and there are so many different trails and places to go. There is so much open space as well as some forest areas which are also fun to explore. Our children particularly enjoy going here because of the deer that roam around. There is Pembroke Lodge as well as several other cafés.
Wimbledon & Putney Common
Wimbledon Common is a beautiful place to go for walks. Much of it is forested, but there are some open areas as well. It’s a popular place for dog walkers as well as families with young children. There are many different trails to take, and it can be fun to walk from Putney to Wimbledon Village or make a loop. We enjoy stopping in at the Windmill Tearooms for a tea break on our walks!
Battersea Park
Battersea Park has a lot of wonderful things to offer. It’s more manicured than the previous parks, and most of the paths are paved, but it is still a beautiful place to go on walks. There are also many exciting things to do. There is the boating lake, gardens, adventure playgrounds, as well as the Battersea Children’s Zoo, so it’s a particularly nice place to get out with children.
Holland Park
Holland Park is a smaller park in west London, but it is a lovely place to go on shorter walks. Some areas of the park are highly manicured gardens while there are also some more ‘wild’ areas. The Japanese gardens are also a beautiful place to explore.
Chiswick House & Garden
Chiswick Gardens are a beautiful place to go for a walk. There are many different gardens all over the grounds as well some woodlands to explore. It isn’t too large, and there are walls surrounding most of the grounds making it an ideal place to go with children.
For ideas for getting outdoors with children, visit the author’s website, PlayoftheWild.com.