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.

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.

Very active, social and friendly club, catering for all ages and standards. I particularly like the…read moreSaturday social tennis, the coffee and play sessions, and the chance to play competitive doubles and singles. Plus their head coach and her team are amazing!

Very friendly club for all standards with well-maintained courts, full-time coach and floodlights…read moreallowing members to play tennis all-year around.

This is London's version of Central Park only much grander and more natural and rustic feeling…read more Think wild blackberries along the trail's edge, three ponds, dogs galore, picnics around every corner, tennis courts, fenced in kids areas and more. The 300+ hectares (looks up conversion ) Also features woodlands, meadows, grassy lawns and paved trails. It's a London treasure and certainly worth a stroll and picnic. The surrounding neighborhood is filled with beautiful homes and fun shops.

Given my slight fetish for nature and all things fantasy, Hampstead Heath was my very first…read moreexperience in a real London park where I realized I felt more at-home here than in any tropical beach. As such, this ginormous park/ part-forest holds a special place in my heart. The best times of the year to roam its rolling landscape- which isn't always the easiest to walk through given its steep hills- is between late Spring and the Fall months, as the leaf-laden trees add a lush and secluded feel to its denser areas; it's kind of like stepping into a fairy tail. If you've never been, make sure you keep track of where you came in, as it can be pretty easy to get lost here the first few times, and all that walking can get pretty exhausting if you're not used to it. I do love me a little adventure, though; and there are uglier places to be lost in. Once it stops raining for a few weeks and the mud becomes hard enough to sit on, this spacious park becomes a hot-spot for picnicking and sunbathing; especially during the weekends. So, bring a blanket, some food, and maybe a dog, and you have yourself the perfect Sunday. A huge plus is the restaurants and pubs near the Parliament Hill Fields entrance to the park, where you can get everything from food and booze, to gelato and coffee (the good stuff); so even if you're too lazy to cook- like me- your wallet's got you covered. Keep in mind, driving and parking in London sucks, and this place is no different. The number 88 bus takes you right to one entrance of the park, and I'm sure there are others on the other side that can get you close enough to walk the rest of the way. It doesn't get much easier.

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!

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.

Nestled in the natural womb of Crouch End, under the…read moreraging heights of the always obtrusive, sneering snobbery of Shepherds Hill, Coolhurst is a home for those who seek the thrill of sport , tempered with an egalitarian enviroment . Truly , all are welcome , princes and paupers , proffesors and ill-read , gay or straight , black or brown or white or yellow ,( or even green -- hee, hee ) . Party politics, is left at the door , all philosophies are welcome - red , blue, yellow , - ( even green -' hee , hee hee ) , oh and Remoaners ,so I've been told. Fun for all the community, and all the family. All this of course, it depends on If really can stomach the mind numbingly tedious game of lawn tennis and it's aficionados Hours of fun to be had for all.

I met my idol, Kanye West and Iron man in this park. I love their film, victoria and abdul.read more

Lovely little park. Has new tennis courts which I use frequently. It's is a mainly family park with…read morenice flowers on one side with a park that I often see kids playing football, a cafe with little pool and a clubhouse (bowls?) on the other and it is used for crouch end events more often than not like the fun run.

Tottenham Green Leisure Centre is quite large, holding classes of all types, wet and dry…read more Travelling here is easy by bus, as there is a bus depot a few minutes walk away from it, and it is within walking distance from Seven Sisters tube. The car park is cheap, and small. I n recent years, I have only ever used the modern gym that they have, with sauna and steam room, and the swimming pool. They really do cater for everyone as on Saturday afternoons, they have a fun and waves session in the pool, where you will find kids galore having a great time. There is a small water shoot for the kids too, so they love it. For the adults, they have Aerobics classes, and also have a separate pool for diving, where the floor gets deeper by the touch of a button. As for facilities, they have squash, table tennis, badminton and basketball and I must be forgetting something. They have a fitness hall for all classes, where they have Martial Art, keep fit etc. It is a well kept fitness centre. They do have a membership which is definitely cheaper than most, and also allows you to use other facilities in the Harringay Borough. I haven't been for a long while, I drove past it a couple of days ago and said what I usually say, 'Oh yeah, I got to renew my membership'. Oh yes, one of those thing which I forgot to add, is that they also have a library, you see, they really do cater for everybody!

Tottenham Green Leisure Centre to my mind has been a pretty poor option for serious swimmers over…read morethe years. There only ever seemed to be 1 lane available for non-casual swimmers i.e. people who actually want to swim for fitness gain, as opposed to kids who want to splash each other, shout, and generally annoy the people who have paid the full cost to get into the pool. A little anecdote that I should relate regarding the pool. A friend was was warned by another swimmer to be careful to check all their clothing and bags when leaving the pool. The problem is not as one might immediately think, of light fingered scallywags helping themselves to the personal property of others, although I am sure that may go on. The issue is that the pool changing rooms are infested with cockroaches that, if you are unlucky, will attach themselves to your person. At some point of course they will decamp, possibly to infest your home or workplace. So having learnt this I have decided not to start visiting the pool again. A shame as I pay a ton of council tax, as do others in the borough. Shame on the management of the centre, who collect their secure salaries every month, whilst accruing index-linked pension benefits for a comfortable retirement, yet are not bothered enough to deal with what is very likely a fairly easily solved pest control problem. Shame on them, sack them all.

I am leaving David Lloyd Finchley after 18 months of membership. The classes have been excellent,…read moreand the Ygym has helped build a set of wonderful, in balance muscles. I am fitter than I have been for years. The reason for my departure is the recent transformation of a previously unisex, tranquil, shared area of the gym (a place of stretching, warm up and cool downs, yoga poses etc.) into a shadow boxing club for young men. This transformation has been led by one enthusiastic, ebullient gym-member and is spreading to his cronies. I spoke to the management about this user led reassignment of space. The management told me that there was no policy to prevent gym members from using an area of the gym for an activity that it was not designed for. Out of a total of 8 mats for stretching etc., 3 are now highly compromised. Clearly, the ebullient gym member has no understanding of boundaries and David Lloyd has no way of helping him understand about how to share space fairly. If you want your boundaries tresspassed upon, and to have that trespass legitimised by controlling authorities, join this flagship David Lloyd.

I like to thank the David Lloyd Finchley branch management for their brilliant work in resolving…read morethe problems with the car parking difficulties in the disabled and family area of the carpark. My thanks go to Gopal Gautama and Joe Welch (GM and deputy GM) for their strategic thinking and introducing the costly valet parking combined with the carpark control; as well as taking other crucial steps such as challenging the offenders and issuing penalty tickets by an outside contractor. I also like to thank the operational managers Livia Blanaru, Alex Huber-Gurry, Glenn Burdett, Harriet Drury and the members of staff at the reception Chloe Fearon and Tina Sinai for enforcing the policy. I have been a member since 2002 and seen many attempts fail in the past to resolve the persisting parking issue at our branch and in that context the management's policy has been incredibly successful. Well done. Dr Hassan Sobati