This has to be one of North London's best kept secrets! I can't believe I had never heard of this…read moregarden (even my dad had not heard of it and he grew up near here.) I assume the lucky locals would like to keep this as a secret treasure, but it is too good not to share with yelpers!! The Pergola and Hill Gardens are hidden between Hampstead Heath and Golders Hill Park. The Pergola half of the garden is essentially a long raised walkway, under a long pergola made from wood and stone, covered in gorgeous smelling roses and other climbing plants. The other half of the garden has a large square pond full of lilies, sculptured hills and nice soft grass to sit on and have a picnic. I have a feeling it could be very busy on nice days...but when we visited it all seemed far quieter than Golders Hill Park - even though it is so, so much nicer. Practicalities: - If you don't want to walk, just take the 210 bus and get off at Inverforth House, you can see the signs to the garden. - It's free (!)

This place is beyond beautiful. I'm always surprised when I find places like this in London that is…read moreopen for the general public with no fee. Tucked away on the smaller side of Hampstead Heath, in between Hampstead Heath and Golders Hill Park is this little Gem. Because it's hidden away it's less busy than both the known green spaces. The pergola goes on and on with hidden entrances to the gardens. The gardens all have walk ways for you to meander through them. I can imagine that this place will get used for many photoshoots. You have to be careful you're not walking into someone else's shot. None of the photos or reviews will EVER do this place justice. Trust me and go see for yourself.

went to the park last week with our children and saw the new slide area which is absolutely…read moreterrible. To be able to get up to the slide, you have to crawl through small holes which are very dangerous if you step backwards and forget that it's there.. I'm surprised it's been allowed. Also considering it's near Great Ormond Street Hospital, you would think it was more of an SEN friendly park. Such a shame.

Wish the ground is soft neat foam like ground not dirt ground. Other than that seems more down to…read moreearth than US ones. Two bouncing crossing ropes" are extreme fun for 5 yrs n plus kids.

Everyone Far East as bricklane must have heard of Victoria park! If they haven't then I must…read moreenlighten briefly. It is a huge park, that if you were to traverse the outer path you'll have walked 5Km doing that one circuit. It was named in honour of our queen Victoria herself. It stands proudly in East London, underneath the fine borough of hackney and above tower hamlets! It's my favourite park in London, if not the world! It's not particularly crazy in design or has architectural or agricultural delights or even much elevation, however it's just perfect. On a fine sunny day, the park screams community, relaxation and escapism from the bustle of the city. I run around the park 2-3 times a week and never get tired of it. It makes me breath fresh air and the people there are lovely! Please go to the park and treat it some respect as it will certainly treat you with a wonderful experience, right back at ya!

After much construction over the last year, the park is starting to come into its own again. I…read morelove this place! Beautiful tree lined paths to walk down, lovely ponds and water features that attract wonderful wildlife, so many places to just...chill. Just about the only sizable park I know of east of The City. Tasty cafe's and shops to pop into on Lauriston Road after a nice walk in the park. Enjoy!

Although the place is really cool, 2 weeks ago we went there again for some well deserved fun in…read morethe sun. Unfortunately, my kid and his friends found a dead bird in the middle of the playground. He was very intrigued and he even picked it up and was swinging the stinky thing around to show me. I know....don't ask... Obviously, I was mortified!! I told the staff about what happened and they weren't very surprised but they said they'll clean it up. Last week we went again and guess what, the bird was still there!! Totally unacceptable! The staff totally ignored that bird, the smell (ugh) or the fact that kids are playing next to a health hazard.

This is the best place to bring your kids on their school holidays! The playground is a charity…read morewhich provides loads of activites in areas such as arts and crafts and cooking. I think this is better for younger kids in your family - the lovely staff here will make them feel so welcome! The outside is very bright and colourful - there are sandpits and lots of play equipment. I think that it's restricted to children who live in the borough, as you have to register to use the park, but if there's room they welcome others! My friend's children love this place and I always enjoy bringing them here!

Easily the largest park in the Shepherd's Bush/Hammersmith area. Very popular with families and dog…read morewalkers as you might expect. Despite being large it has quite a bit of character and is a much more pleasant walking route from the Ravenscourt Park station to my house than trotting up Conningham Road or whatever other awful roads. They're actually quite nice roads, the whole area is very agreeable and the park is a big contributer to that nice feeling. Good for frisbee.

This is an incredible park…read more Friends and family who visit from outside London are amazed by it. It's like one of those parks you see in old children's picture books. Not just a big expanse of green - though it has that, too - there are lots of winding pathways and a small lake with an island, ducks, swans and geese ...and three separate kids play areas, all with different activities including a zip wire, tyre swings and great climbing frames. There's a huge Paddling Pool and a sandpit. There are dog-free, dog-specific and general areas. Basketball court, football pitch, tennis courts, even a beautifully kept bowling green. And - my favourite - a walled scented garden with shaded benches. This park has everything. Not forgetting the great café, recently taken over by Fait Maison, which does drinks and food, with lots of outdoor and indoor seating and yet another play area. And if the yummy mummyness of that cafe is too much for you, the Ginko garden centre at the south end of the park (yes, it has a garden centre, too) also has a great cafe. And it's right next to Ravenscourt Park tube.

Woah! This park has it all! Also known as St Mark's Park…read more(after the street on which is located) Kensington memorial is brilliant and the perfect place for kids and adult to go crazy. This park has been recently refurbished and I am very happy because its like 10 mins away from mine. It is wheelchair accessible, has a adventure playground with colourful apparatus+ sand box, a larger play area for older children with space rockets climbing frames etc and a large water park that is an absolute blessing on these hot, hot day! And the best part?! It is all free!! There is also a small shop(open during the summer months) that sells hot/cold snacks and chairs and tables you can eat at. Lots of toilets, grass, shade etc. It also includes tennis courts, football, junior cricket classes and One O'clock club which is managed by Family and Children's Services. The park was opened in 1926 in memoriam to those who fell in the Great War.

You'll always have a lovely time at Queen's Park. Whether it's a stroll around the shady perimeter…read moreor enjoying the sometimes sun, be sure to step into the beautifully manicured corner garden for some peaceful bench-sitting and flower-gazing. The kiddos will like the sheep, goats, and fowl in the mini-zoo (parts of the year), in between playground and football. The cafe is quaint and nice for settling in with a drink and snack, or catch Shakespeare in summer. And they have tennis courts. So I'll see you there next time

I'm so lucky to have so many open spaces close to where I live. Queens Park is within walking…read moredistance, and a great place to visit during the summer months. This park comes under the City of London park group. Like Primrose Hill it is nowhere near the city, so I can't understand the connection. It is larger than it looks as from the road it looks more like a large urban square. It has plent of facilities, including a paddling pool, tennis courts, a band stand, play ground with sand pit and probably most surprising; it has a 9 hole 'Pitch and Putt' golf course. It aslo has a cafe in the centre, with plenty of outside seating available, both in the sun and shade. They do not allow cycling in the park, nor people having a BBQ. This park aslo holds festivals during the summer months. It can get really busy during the summer if the weather is nice, especially when the schools break out. I would recommend anyone to pay it a visit, especially if the weather is nice.

Watford needs and deserves a nice park and Cassiobury hits the spot. As well as the plethora of…read morefootball pitches (none seem that big mind), tennis courts, netball courts and cafes there is a really cute miniature railway that the kids will love. The path around the park will take you through some nicer parts and out to the Grand Union Canal where you can watch various people struggle with the locks. If you a right at the toe path you can also wander the 1km or so down to The Grove Hotel which is worth checking out. Every year the park is also host to Watford's Firework display which is free and of a generally high standard.

Cassiobury Park is a really beautiful place and has something for everyone. There is a lot of open…read morespace with shady trees. In the summer the paddling pools are open and the children can paddle in the pools or splash in the fountains. This area is well staffed an supervised by qualified people. The cafe in this area offers a selection of hot and cold food and drinks at reasonable prices. At the far side of the park is a shallow river/ stream that is teaming with fish. This is simply perfect for children's first fishing experience. There is a miniature train and a traditional play ground with swings and slides. It's a great place to take a picnic. I feel safe going on my own with my young children. The parking and pools are free with a small charge for the train.

Another AMAZING park around Finchley area. I love this park, and can just walk with my 2 years old…read morechild around and enjoy the dogs and park facilities.

London parks are always a welcome respite from the grime of the roads ans this one serves it's…read morepurpose quite nicely. There's a little cafe in the middle and few statues around which are pretty interesting.

This park offers a great area to get away for many occasions…read more In the center of the park is Summerhouse Lake with ducks and swans gracing the water. The southern end of the park is predominately open fields and the northern half is forested. Throughout the reserve are gates that are designed to not allow cattle to pass through as during certain times of year sheep and cows use some of the areas. In the northeast corner lies a private deer park which can be accessed via the main paved path that runs north to south. There are tens of fallow deer here. On a sunny February day many of them were lined up at the fence to receive the food offerings brough by various children and their parents. They seemed to really enjoy the carrots. If you drive to the park from the stanmore side you may find a place to park off of Old Lodge Way. This park also connects to Harrow Weald Common from the northwest corner. At the top of the Hill lies the the Bentley Priory buildings. The whole park makes a great place to take family for a walk and give the children a chance to really stretch out there legs. http://www.travelnwork.info/2008/02/bentley-priory-nature-reserve-walk-in.html Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZqgStu8OMY

Since moving to the area three months ago, I have made several excursions to the Nature Reserve,…read moreusing bus services to (or from) Stanmore. The most useful was the 142 route (a long route from Brent Cross in the south to Watford Junction in the north). I have tried the Aylmer Drive entrance (twice), the Embury Way gate, the Old Lodge Way entrance, and the Bentley Way Gate. For the Deer Park I initially found the route via Aylmer Drive to be the most interesting as it went through woods and suddenly arrived at the corner of the Deer Park that the deers seemed to find most popular, probably because it was where most visitors congregated to feed them On my second attempt, however, I landed mysefl in a lot of trouble as the ground was very waterlogged and boggy. One reason why my rating dropped a star was because there is a notable lack of signage in the reserve. Although all the maps I have seen show a clear path from Aylmer Drive to the Deer Park, there is no sign to warn walkers that the path may be impassable. Perhaps I took the wrong route, or the true path had become overgrown, but when I tried to find alternative routes back to the main Deer Walk, they all terminated in boggy ground. that small criticism apart, however, I anticipate returning to Bentley Priory Nature Reserve many more times in the future and thoroughly recommend a visit with children who will enjoy both the deers and the walks.