London, England – May 2001

It's Springtime! The birds are singing, the sun's shining and the rain stops, sometimes even for whole hours at a time. It's a time when us Brits come out of hibernation, abandoning our customary attire of fleece jumpers and woolly hats (and that's just in the house) and head out to play in the sunshine.

Contrary to the traditional image of London as a grey, bleak metropolis – the city is scattered with parks, gardens and heath. The parks of Central London link many of the main tourist attractions and provide a much more scenic, and indeed serene, route than the tube. So, whilst the rain holds off – get out and explore the greener side of this city.

Kensington Gardens
(Lancaster Gate or Queensway tubes)
One of London's number one tourist attractions, due to the enclosed Kensington Palace, the scenic Kensington Gardens are worth a visit in their own right. Aside from the palace, numerous other attractions are here – including the absurd pomposity of the Albert memorial, and the Royal Albert Hall across the road. Even with my natural aversion to all things pertaining to the monarchy, I still love the tranquillity of Kensington Gardens. Water features, monuments and sculptures are dotted across the gardens, providing more interest than neighbouring Hyde Park.

To the west you'll find the trendy (read 'expensive') Notting Hill and Portobello Road Market. To the south is the borough of Kensington and some of the best museums, including The Natural History and Science museums.

Hyde Park
(Hyde Park Corner or Marble Arch tubes)
The most famous of this city's parks is surprisingly dull. Much of Hyde Park is really just a big field with the occasional ornamental garden thrown in for interest. The main feature of Hyde Park is the picturesque Serpentine Lake, which flows through to the Long water of the adjacent Kensington Gardens. Here you can hire rowing boats whilst the greedy geese will steal your food. In the northeast corner, you can experience the hilarity of Speaker's Corner, assembly point for some of the city's more colourful characters. Across the road on a traffic island and almost impossible to reach is Marble Arch, the site of the original Tyburn gallows.

Green Park
(Green park tube)
It's a park. It's green. It links Hyde Park to Buckingham Palace.

St James' Park
(St James Park tube)
Directly opposite Buckingham Palace, St James' Park may be small, but it is exceptionally pretty. A nice alternative to Birdcage Walk if you're en route from The Palace toward Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and The Houses of Parliament.

Regents Park
(Baker Street or Regents Park tubes)
Though less frequented by tourists, Regents Park is certainly one of my favourite spots in the city. Home to innumerable ducks, as well as swan and geese – for me, the Boating Lake is this park's best feature. But then, I really like ducks. Much of Regents Park is field and great for energetic antics – whether that's joining in one of the numerous football matches, walking the dog or just throwing a frisbee.

The inner circle encloses the immaculate Queen Mary's Rose Gardens and the open air theatre, where plays and opera are performed throughout the summer. The grandiose architecture of the outer circle is apparently the real interest here, though to me, it's just a row of pretty buildings.

An alternative way to see the area is to take a canal boat trip along Regents Canal, from Camden Lock to Little Venice, passing through Regents Park. Smelly, but nice.

To the south of the park is the much over-rated Baker Street, home to the legend of Sherlock Homes and associated tourist traps, as well as Madam Tussaud's and The London Planetarium. To the west in St Johns Wood is Lords Cricket Ground and to the north, London Zoo.

Primrose Hill
(St Johns Wood tube)
Across the street from Regents Park, Primrose Hill is pretty much a big hill really, but it does offer one of the best views of the city. The adjacent Regents Park Road is one of the prettiest areas of London, with that quaint English village feel, much more in line with the American perception of England. Cross the bridge at the end of Regents Park Road and you'll be in Chalk Farm, the northern end of Camden Town and the Camden Lock markets.

Hampstead Heath
(Hampstead or Gospel Oak tube)
Beautiful at any time of year, Hampstead Heath is undoubtedly the best of the North London Parks. Wilder and less manicured than the rest, the Heath has a natural unkempt beauty that I can never tire of. The diversity of landscape is the real draw here – from the dense woodland of the Western Heath, to the secret gardens of Child's Hill or simply the great views of the city from Parliament Hill.

Across the heath, particularly to the east, you'll find a series of ponds, including three bathing ponds. Though, since it's barely a couple of months since they were iced over, I'd give that a miss until the height of summer. The Heath is huge and you can easily get lost, as I frequently do, but that's a very nice feeling in the middle of any city.

The nearby Hampstead Village is definitely worth exploring. Throughout the area you'll find small museums, historic pubs and great restaurants – great for Sunday afternoons.

Richmond Park
(Richmond Park tube)
In the deep south of London, you'll find the vast, wild expanse of Richmond Park. Famous for its wild red deer and stunning woodland, this, the largest of Europe's city parks, is undoubtedly the most beautiful in London.

Kew Gardens
(Kew Gardens tube)
The Royal Botanical Gardens of Kew Gardens are simply incredible and justifiably take a day to explore. Probably the best tourist attraction in London.

Wimbledon Common and Putney Heath
(Wimbledon tube)
Putney Heath may be less scenic than Hampstead and less green than neighbouring Richmond Park, but it is still attractive all the same. Really nice on a hot summer's day, for a hunt to find the Wombles of Wimbledon Common.

The above are merely a selection of London's more famous or my personal favourite parks, but there are numerous dotted across this green city. There's something quintessentially British about them – the unkempt moorlands, the tea in the park, the omnipresent ducks – these parks are more than an escape from the city, but a charming representation of the rest of England.

Go, explore. Just don't forget the waterproofs.

Tips for finding your way around London

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