One of the smaller royal parks but undoubtedly one of London’s most inviting green spaces, St James’s Park stands surrounded by regal elegancy. Buckingham Palace lies at one edge, Horse Guards Parade at another and the Mall runs along one side. Within the park itself, pelicans roam free, a lake teems with life and the Tiffany Fountain, shooting a plume of water 20ft into the air, serves as a pleasant feature throughout the seasons.
St James’s Park in a heatwave (Photo: Getty)
Jesus Green
This small triangular park remains quiet even when the flower market on adjacent Columbia Road is in full flow each Sunday. For a summer treat before the return of the working week, pick up a clutch of fresh blooms from next door, get some snacks from nearby Brick Lane’s various food stalls and then retreat to Jesus Green to give thanks for a heavenly Sunday.
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Temple Gardens
Within the Inner Temple, one of the four Inns of Court in London, this three-acre garden is an unexpected city-centre oasis. Opening times vary, but the public can typically access the grounds from 12.30pm to 3pm each weekday, so it’s a popular spot with nearby office workers and frayed shoppers.
Inner Temple Gardens (Photo: Alamy)
Victoria Park
One of London’s oldest, most popular and largest (at 86.18 hectares) parks, Victoria Park caters to most interests. It holds various sporting events annually, hosts a number of large-scale festivals, offers rowing on its lake and caters well to families.
Victoria Park (Photo: Getty)
Lee Valley
A lovely, leafy spot from which to watch canal boats pass, Lee Valley, and particularly the area around Lee Valley Rowing Club boathouse, is a hive of activity most weekends.
Wandsworth Park
River views are one of the main selling points of this suburban park, but plenty visitors also make time for a go at Putt in the Park, a putting course that caters to all ages and abilities.
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Victoria Embankment Gardens
Offering a tranquil retreat just over the water from the bustle of the South Bank, this dainty park features a bandstand that hosts events year-round, well-tended gardens and a number of curious statues that pay tribute to characters associated with the area.
Victoria Embankment Gardens in the sun (Photo: Getty)
Telegraph Hill Park
A residential park with great views of the city, this expanse caters to the locality with a children’s playground, tennis and basketball courts and designated areas for dog walkers.
Wanstead Park
This park once served as the pristine grounds of long-gone Wanstead House and grade II-listed ruins can still be found by those who wander the site. Bird watching, walks and fishing in the lake are popular too, and the park makes a particularly good picnic spot when bluebells burst into bloom each spring.
Streatham Common
Abundant with woodland, grasslands and wild flower meadows, Streatham Common provides plenty of lush spots for those planning a leisurely picnic, as well as much more besides. The Rookery is its refined formal garden, sports facilities are available and it includes a network of jogging and walking routes.
Green Park
Though without the mass of colourful flower beds and leisure facilities found in other royal parks, Green Park is an enduring popular spot due to its central location – it stands in Westminster and is moments from Piccadilly Circus and Regent Street.
Green Park (Photo: Getty)
Waterlow Park
Bequeathed to the public as a “garden for the gardenless” by Sir Sidney Waterlow in 1889, this 20-acre site near Highgate Village caters to all with facilities including terraced gardens, ponds, tennis courts, a play area and even an arts and exhibition centre. The views of the city make up for the slightly boggy ground.
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Battersea Park
Sure to grow in popularity even more as the area continues to develop, this long-standing park includes multiple gardens and is also popular with birds – watch out for herons, cormorants and grebes should you visit. There is also a peace pagoda, for those seeking quiet contemplation.
Brockwell Park
A picnic here is well-deserved after a swim in Brockwell Lido. The park also includes formal flower beds, a walled garden and 19th-century clock tower.
London Fields
Better since barbecues were confined to a designated area of the park, London Fields attracts masses of visitors on any sunny day. Things are particularly lively on Saturday, when crowds crash out on the grass after picking up provisions from nearby Broadway Market, but the Olympic-sized lido and cricket grounds provide points of interest on other days.
London Fields in Hackney (Photo: Alamy)
Holland Park
Head to the benches north of the Kyoto garden or the grass south of Holland House. Holland Park may be in one of London’s most exclusive neighbours, but it is open to all and has plenty to offer. Alongside facilities for football, golf, cricket and netball, it provides a base to Kensington Chelsea’s Ecology Centre, so with forward planning you could hold your picnic on the same day that the venue hosts special events or educational visits.
Holland Park (Photo: AP)
Italian Gardens, Kensington Gardens
Though you can’t picnic directly within Kensington Gardens’ 150-year-old ornamental garden, it provides a beautiful backdrop for gatherings on the grass nearby, and is well worth exploring after you’ve eaten your fill. Features include rosettes carved in Carrara marble, the white marble Tazza Fountain and an old pump house that features the initials of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in one of the walls.
The Italian Gardens in Hyde Park (Photo: AP)
Primrose Hill
Great late in the day – perhaps for a picnic version of afternoon tea – when the crowds who come to admire the London skyline have fallen away. Bring an acoustic guitar and few of your cares.
People admire the view from Primrose Hill (Photo: Getty)
Postman’s Park
Tiny but full of character, this park in the City of London was named as such because of its popularity as a lunch spot with workers from the nearby old General Post Office. It has a sundial, fountains, and is home to the Watts memorial, built in 1900 by GF Watts, the Victorian painter and philanthropist.
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Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
The Olympic Park – a public area with lovely landscaping since London hosted the world sporting competition in 2012, brings back happy memories of a time when athletics was still something you could love. There is also a cutting-edge adventure park for kids.
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Londoners relax next to the London Aquatic Centre in the Olympic Park (Photo: Getty)
Hampstead Heath
This may not be a secret, but Hampstead Heath is so vast that finding a quieter spot is not diffucult. One good option is the grounds surrounding the Pergola, in the west of the park.
Hampstead Heath (Photo: Getty)
Cannizaro Park, Wimbledon
This part of Wimbledon is known for its ornamental landscaped gardens, dotted with pools and flowerbeds. Explore the rhododendron dwell before settling down to your al fresco feast. Unlike at the tennis tournament held nearby, it is not just strawberries, cream and champagne, although we would not criticise anyone for limiting themselves to such a snack.
Cannizaro Park (Photo: Alamy)
Richmond Park
There’s bike hire available in Priory Lane in the north of Richmond Park, so escaping the crowds with your wicker basket or Tupperware tubs in a rucksack is easy enough. Just don’t spread your rug anywhere near where the park’s resident herd of red deer might congregate.
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