Two things I love. Travelling back in time and old stately homes. Until my DIY TARDIS is ready I…read morehave to make do with Forty Hall Museum - and it's not a bad compromise. Forty Hall is a manor house that was built in 1620's for Sir Nicholas Rainton, one time Lord Mayor of London. It's an imposing pile set in acres of public parkland. The collections concentrate on the history of Enfield, with a particular focus on everyday objects. So there's an incredible amount of pottery and ceramics from the 17th and 18th centuries. Of particular interest to me are the Roman pottery and glass from excavations in the borough. Now to some people Enfield is the back end of nowhere, but this fantastic borough has some seriously enthralling history and it's well reflected in the museum. Romans once probably stomped their way through places where I now get stuck in traffic, and Queen Elizabeth 1 was partial to the occasional visit. It's believed she stayed at Elsyng Palace; its site is located within Forty Hill. Excavations from that site can also be seen in the museum. As much as I love poking my nose round museums they can become a little tiring after a while. There's only so much information that my tiny brain can absorb. But at Forty Hall I've toured the collections in two halves - with a healthy interval spent strolling round the beautiful grounds. It really is a superb place to visit.

What a lovely park to host a 5k race. It features hundreds of acres of maintained woodland…read moreinterspersed with fields and streams, making for a great trail run experience. It's easy to get lost even with a well-marked race route! A little-known bit of history about the park is that the Georgian hunting lodge was used as a POW camp for German officers and was heavily bugged. The British were able to learn all the Nazi plans, but were unable to act on many of them due to the various levels of military intelligence involved, and subsequently the Cold War. It was as important as Bletchley but receives none of the prestige as it was all ordinary translation and not high-tech codebreaking. I'd really love to go go back and try the Go Ape high ropes course - looks a blast but we were exhausted from the race!

Had a wicked time at 51st State festival here. Real close to Cockfosters station too.read more

This is a really lovely park. And thanks to cash injection from the national lottery, there is a…read morelot of positive development happening here. It takes about an hour to walk the whole circumference. However you can just go directly tho the areas that interest you. There is a beautiful duck pond with an enormous willow tree overhanging in to the water. Sometimes you can spot turtles in the water too. They have a little cafe in the park that sells great coffee. I am told that they are building a better one nearby. This park is popular with kids on bicycles during the summer and can get quite busy. The only thing that Cedars Park lacks is a forest area. Much of the park is open grassland with trees scattered here and there.

I have been in this park many times and I love it... it is very clean and you don't see any trouble…read moreteenagers ..... people are very friendly.... lovely cafe in the middle of park if you want grab a cup coffee or sandwich... I always let my dog off the lead as it is fairly secure .... my favourite park in the area by far !!

This is such a great park with so many corners and areas tucked away for you to discover…read more There are three lakes on which you have geese, ducks and coots nesting (and the odd visiting Egyptian Goose popping in to say hello) as well as a very well tended walled garden tucked out of the way with its own conservatory that is open for a few hours to the public every Sunday. The big open green spaces give way to tennis courts and basketball courts that are all open and (seem) free to use by the general public. These are right next to the much slower paced bowls pitch and just across the pond you have a new and well frequented outdoor gym. Behind the gym there is crazy golf course (could do with a little spruce up but still a good laugh and very reasonably priced) which then leads out into 2 big football pitches. This big area often welcomes fair grounds and summer fetes. Very easily accessed, is just opposite the Palmers Green train station. There is also a burned out stately home on the grounds that has planning permission to be turned into a cafe and a few other 'visitor centre' type things. I for one am looking forward to this going ahead and getting completed to bring more people into this particular part of the park as it feels a little abandoned and neglected. A fantastic place to go running and exercise, or simply to grab a picnic basket and do something much less energetic on the beautifully tended grass.

This is my absolutely favorite park in London. Mostly because I live right by it so its the one I…read morego to the most! It has a large field type area, with a few benches, and a few trees, but the highlight is a fallen tree, that is a great place to sit on/lean against and read a book. It also has crazy golf, and large pond complete with permanent little boys with boats, and an adventure playground. It is deceptively massive, and even has a house, that is now very run down, that I am reliably informed used to James I hunting lodge!

This park rocks. I used to bike over here over the summer from Whetstone…read more Oak Hill is lush and large with a bike path and a mote. There is also a neighbouring golf course. There was nothing like riding through this park with the summer sun streaming down. There aren't many places to bike but the park is large with flower beds and benches. This park is a hidden treasure, not a treasure of the deep, just a treasure of East Barnet.

This used to be one of my local parks and now sadly I live too far away to visit. It's a great huge…read moreexpanse of greenery with childrens playgrounds, golf course and a cute little tea shop. At the northern end there is a woodland area which is a beautiful contrast to the manicured greenery of the rest of the park. It's not to be missed if you're already in the area.

It's easy to forget that some of London's suburbs are home to glorious sights. The New River Loop…read moreis a pretty 2 km stretch of land by the New River. There's a wonderful old bridge, well-maintained lawns and some attractive wildlife. The New River Loop sits just outside Enfield Town and though bordered by main roads, the noise is not too intrusive. On those rare occasions when the sun makes an appearance I find this a perfect spot to gently bake under the afternoon sunshine. If you want to do something more energetic, there's a nice walk to be had by the river and through Enfield Town Park. You may even be followed by some of the local wildlife that doesn't seem too bothered by the presence of so many chilled-out humans. Coots, mallards and Mute swans are amongst the area's many visitors.

Lovely, spacious, and diverse neighborhood park. The park has a number of entrances and a diverse…read moreecosystem ranging from small woodlands, a wetlands area, a lake that you can walk around, a children's playground, mini golf, and open spaces to relax or play sports at. Great for people of all ages and fitness levels. Nice to have a green space like this in the local community. Well maintained and clean. It's sad that the cafeteria has fallen into disrepair and had to close down as well as the toilets. The council should get into action to fix those issues.

Four! Well actually it took me 8 attempts to sink a ball on the first hole, but I improved as the…read moreafternoon wore on. This is an excellent pitch and putt course in Grovelands Park. It's well maintained and the greens look immaculate. The nine holes are quite challenging and the course is nestled amongst some beautiful parkland. The prices are reasonable, about £4.00 for a round, which lasts for as long as you want it to, depeding on your standard and how many of you playing. If you don't have your own club you can hire one. The staff good fun and always willing to offer some advice, if you're a novice player like me. I've played here a few times, and always found it to be a very enjoyable way of killing a couple of hours on a slow Sunday afternoon.

This is a terrific place to think and get away from it all. It's a beautiful, quiet, walled garden…read morein the heart of suburbia. Anyone expecting it to be full of flowerbeds bursting with colour though, will be disappointed; it's mainly bushes and trees. The real attraction and focal point is the ancient pollarded oak tree. It's more than 800 years old and thought to be a remnant of the ancient forest of Middlesex. In the19th century it was reputed to be the largest in England. Access to the garden is down four shallow steps, but the paving surface is quite uneven and therefore not very wheelchair-friendly.

My local sanctuary. Sits next to the cemetery which forms part of the church next door. Very…read morepeaceful. Usually empty or with one or two people in there when I visit. Occasionally there are mothers and children there after school which are not the most peaceful times to visit but Inlike it that children can enjoy playing there. I'm sure it evokes all sorts of imagination games! There are four benches in each quarter of the garden. The 800 year old Oak is the dominant feature. It stands surrounded by a little fence and there's an information board explaining its history, age and size. You can see that there were once structures in the garden which are now just remnants of its former glory; mini ruins, if you like. It's the sort of place that has a charm in all seasons! The glowing warmth of Spring and Summer, the golden decay of Autumn and the skeletal trees of Winter. A summer rain gives the garden a certain peaceful melancholy. I feel very lucky that this is so close to where I live.