Hello there, this is a message to the members of the Holland Park Tennis Club. I am a tennis player…read moreand I would love to have a chance to play on grass one day! Since I am not a member myself and I am only going to be in London for the next 5 weeks, I was wondering whether I could play with one among you and so fulfill this little dream of mine. Thanks for your kind attention, Nino

This place is so much more than a tennis club; it's my second home. Tennis clubs and I have known…read morea few can be elitist, cold places, full of cliques and rules. Take Hurlingham, where if you're not wearing 87% white, some haughty octogenarian will shuffle over and delight in ticking you off. And where despite the fact they boast dozens of often deserted, pristine courts, you can't book for more than an hour. And don't get me onto the 10-year waiting list. HPLTC is infinitely friendlier with far more sensible rules. What makes it special is the fact it's small enough to encourage a community feel, but not so small as to feel claustrophobic. The grounds are also wonderful. If you don't have any outdoor space at home as I don't you can while away summer days with a few sets on grass courts, before collapsing with a newspaper and Pimms in a deckchair on their generous lawn. The club, tucked away in Holland Park, has a unique atmosphere and is the type of place where you can turn up alone and find someone to chat to and probably play with. There's a club night on Wednesday with a dinner afterwards, a singles league, tournaments, barbecues in the summer and a dedicated core of regulars. Really, if you're tennis-mad, as I am, there's no better place to be on a sunny day...and no better tennis club in London.

I recently stayed with my friend who is a member here…read more The facilities here are fantastic with an indoor and outdoor pool, a steam room, a sauna, a kids training pool and a jacuzzi. It was very lively too, with lots of people making use of the facilities. One weird thing is that a one day guest pass was £12 yet a 5 day one was £10 - go figure!

In our child-free days we were members here and should we be able to afford it in the future we…read morewill rejoin. It is one of the more expensive gyms in the area but you do get what you pay for. There are two gyms (general and women only) along with a separate free weight area, and one studio. There are two pools, one of which is outdoors. This is lovely in the summer and a big hit with families. The main thing that distinguishes this from other gyms are the tennis courts. There are two types of membership. The cheaper option is the Health and Fitness which is everything except the tennis, and then there is the full membership which does include the tennis. There is a lovely club area with a costa coffee and a nice air conditioned lounge.

The White Horse Leisure and Tennis Centre is only a few years old, and purpose built - which means…read morethe facilities are pretty good. There's plenty of car parking and it's near the town centre. The swimming pool isn't very large or deep, and gets very crowded - so you have to get your timing right if you want to go for a serious swim. They also have aqua aerobics classes there a couple of evenings a week. There's a separate kids pool with a 'bubbly' area that's on sometimes. There are saunas and steam rooms (which cost extra) and plenty of changing rooms, although at busy times you can spend a while queueing for the showers. The gym is airy and has plenty of the popular machines, as well as weight-lifting gear. Behind the gym is a smallish studio where some of the aerobics classes take place; larger classes are held on the badminton courts. All-in-all the centre seems to be well run and the facilities are good. It can be a bit pricey if you go regularly, but you can sign up for a membership.

Abingdon and the surrounding villages are served by the White Horse Leisure and Tennis Centre,…read morewhich offers a gym, aerobics classes, squash courts, sports hall and an eight-lane competition swimming pool. There are also indoor and outdoor, public pay-and-play tennis facilities. Definitely one of the best places to keep fit, according to our Abingdon team.

Friendly hardworking staff. Clean, loads of equipment,…read moreseveral stations for more popular equipment (running machines, bikes, cross trainers) so you never have to wait. Large free weights areas for the serious guys who spend too much time looking in the mirror. Large pool + sauna + steam room + hot tub for relaxing afterwards. All classes except tennis are free once you stump up the membership fee and are fun. Some cliquey clientel, but EVENTUALLY they will talk to you. Can take ages to fix broken equipment. Adequate car parking. Busiest around 6pm, so avoid at that time if possible.

David Lloyd provide what is probably the best gym experience in oxford. However, their location…read moreslightly outside the city centre means that you do need a car for access. If you have both the money and the means to access the club, it's facilities are second to none, with a large swimming pool, well equipped gym and excellent restaraunt.

There is always a massive sense of pride when I talk about my Tennis club and I feel really proud…read moreevery time I visit. The ethics of the club are fantastic and designed to remove the conception and barriers of Tennis being a game only accessible to the wealthy. There are 5 high quality courts with 3 being floodlit. The club runs successful beginners, improvers and kids coaching thoughout the week, with the possibility of individual coaching by the friendly and experienced coaches. I first started coming to the club in June to participate in the affordable beginners and improvers coaching and I am pleased at the progress I have made with the guidance of the coaches. For the kids, depending on the age will be grouped into different bands. I love the names of them such as "Rafa's Rascals," "Fantastic Federer's," and "Murray's masters." Once joining the club at a very affordable joining fee, you are issued with a fob which allows you access when you please. You will find me often at the court at the end of a week teaching, hitting some serves to relax! Whether you are new to Tennis or and an experienced player, this club is for you. I feel so lucky to have this fantastic facility in walking distance from my house and love it!

Westminster Sports Centre is open to everyone - not just students from brookes! Also its not one of…read morethose gyms that is only open to members - you can buy a single swim or gym session without signing up to a membership! Its one of the cheapest gyms i've been to and the by far the friendliest. It has a number of facilities, including a 25m swimming pool, a 55 station gym, two squash courts, a large meeting/training room, badminton facilities, basket ball facilities, a number of tennis courts, 6 outdoor pitches and an 18 hole golf course. The pricing of the memberships are very competitive. Don't expect to pay more than about £25 per month for most if not all of the facilities. Locals get discounts (as well as service men & women) and can knock up to a quarter of the price. Prices range from £16 to £48 per moth depending on the degree to which you wish to use the facilities. Phone up to check availability. The swimming pool is kept to about 30.5 degrees centigrade. The gym is large and spacious and airy. It can get a little hot later into the evening but there is air conditioning (which i've been told is being improved). The squash courts are the best i've played in. The centre offers a number of classes that can be found on their website, including spinning which is well run and is usually in the air-conditioned training room. The staff are friendly and are always up for a good chat! Its always nice to come in from a long day at work and see a smiling happy manager behind reception. The place is kept clean and tidy by a team of dedicated lifeguards and cleaners who if asked will always help you out. There are only a few negatives: the car park at the moment is a hassle - as i gather it, the university don't like people parking and have a barrier system in place. The bad side of this deter ant on us as customers is that we have to get a token from reception, for every time you use the facilities. This is a hassle to begin with but you get used to it. If you don't think you'd like this then you can always ride your bike/moped/push bike to the centre; which provides bike storage by the barrier to the car park. Or alternatively you could catch the U1, which stops on the campus by the teaching facilities. The other negative is that sometimes its frustrating to see managers or reception staff sat behind reception doing nothing (browsing facebook/ playing games/ texting) whilst the cleaners are in the gym, and the lifeguards on poolside. Admittedly the centre is never that busy, but its plain to see there are jobs to be done to tidy the place up a bit. If not just in the reception area? Anyway over all its a great little centre that not that many people know about and really has a family/friendly feel to it. I would definitely recommend it and its always there to try.

It's a big shame, but it has been ruined. My children have both used the swimming lessons there for…read moreyears very happily. Unfortunately, there is a new incompetent manager (Stuart McC) there. When my daughter progressed to the end of the swimming lessons with 2 lessons to go, we informed Stuart that we would like the refund for 4 lessons that were still pre paid. He explained that nothing could be done about the 2 lessons that were for the end of the course (fair enough). However, he could refund the remaining 2 lessons....in 57 days time at the earliest because he was 'short staffed'. I have been a manager for years and this does not wash. When produced with a letter he signed himself saying that you could get a refund, I received a nonsense email filled with bluff, jargon and no substance. Still curious as to whether it will take 57 days to get a £16.00 refund. Personally, I wouldn't sign up to any sports membership here whilst this incompetent manager is in charge, unless you want to find yourself in this situation over any membership fees.

So far, the park with the best playground I've ever seen: sandpit with water, lots of different…read moreslides, swings, etc... all very green. And a zip line. I haven't taken pictures because there is loads of kids, you know, but great for them. And lovely for adults too. I loved the lion too

When Noel Gallagher of Oasis dies, will he be cremated? Or will they Bury Knowle?…read more Either way, this is a lovely little park in Headington, and brings back memories of going to see Oxford United play just down the road. Tourists don't really come up this way so it's unspoiled and belongs to the locals. Right in the middle of Headington and close to all the shops. Always did love the parks of Oxford.

Talk about a foiled plan, but we went for a game all prepared with paraphanelia and turned out…read morethere were not courts free. So my friend and myself just landed up using the sufficient cafe and watched the others play. Watching is good too, since you get to talk about the style and technique of players. Haha. The have a small shop selling basic tennis equipment. So please book before you go to play. The courts seem fine, by the standards I've seen elsewhere in Lawn tennis. Coaching facilities available for young and adults. They have 12 courts.

This system of not being able to speak to the staff at The ITC. is useless and has been operating…read morefor quite sometime now. All I want to do ,not very often, is just to confirm a booking at The Tennis Centre,on the indoor or outdoor court, and I cannot do that,let alone speak to a human being. On top of that it still is one of the most expensive places to play tennis on an an outdoor public court in London ,which has very low maitenence,with the lines badly painted.Its been like this for at least 25 years, and Islington Council should be ashamed of what a shoddy example of taking money, when they took over from David Lloyd.Things do not improve. Peter Alton

Um, yeah, it is pretty good…read more But really, if you don't like Tennis you're not going to really care much for Islington Tennis Centre are you? But then again, if you don't like Tennis why are you reading this? What's wrong with you? Huh? Anyway, at ITC you get 6 indoor hard courts (medium pace) and 2 outdoor courts that are always closed because it rains a lot and they close them if it rains the night before. Wet balls, you see. Yep. Also, someone might fall and hurt themselves, I guess. I love Tennis though, so I love ITC. The instructor led courses are really well priced and the instruction seems to instruct you on Tennis quite well, which I find is often the point. Indoor courts means the Tennis is year round and there are lockers, showers, a gym and a super expensive racquet shop with stringing service should you need it. You don't have to be a member to book a court, but it is more expensive if you aren't and you can only book 5 days in advance with 7 days in advance for a member. ITC's downside it its popularity; it is often very difficult to book a court and even if successful you can only book for an hour (around 20 pounds on this date). That isn't nearly enough time for me to flail about unconvincingly and still feel that I got my money's worth so for that reason (as well as price) it loses a star. However, it is one of the best places to play Tennis in London and well worth checking out. They also have drop-in Tennis sessions, where I imagine you show up and get schooled by a surly mustachioed club pro. Or perhaps own the court with your penetrating backhand line drive. Either/Or.

This is a marvelous place to sit quietly and enjoy the sun. When our office was in Summertown it…read morewas a favorite place to go on a sunny day to eat a few sandwiches at lunchtime. When my children were younger it was a place to go after the visit to the library for a bit of fresh air, a peer at the water feature and a look at the sculptures. The sculptures change regularly. Look out for a new display and some sculpture/art related activities during Oxford Art Week. And if you fancy a bit more art you can check out the Sarah Wiseman Gallery and the new North Wall Arts Centre gallery, both of which are only a few minutes walk away.

A delightful place to take some time out in Summertown. This garden is found behind Summertown…read morelibrary, which is in itself worth a visit. Read a book or a newspaper, take in the amazing sculpture and enjoy the beauty of the garden.