One of the joys of living in London is that fact that we're blessed with a lot of green space in…read morethe middle of our capital city Some of it, like Hyde Park for example, is there because the monarchs of the time wanted to continue to hunt from Buckingham Palace and therefore kept that area of forest intact At the weekend, I visited Muswell Hill for the Chicken 2.0 UYE and spotted Highgate Wood on the way over from Highgate Tube station and as I was early, decided to take a little detour on that sunny day HIghgate Wood has been bequeathed to the people and is now maintained by the Corporation of London. They're doing a good job with clearly marked paths and with the first tentative shoots of spring coming through, it was a most agreeable walk I spied a board advrtising a series of free events and walks in the park The local citizens are lucky to have this park to enjoy

I love, love, love this park...and Momo, my dog, likes it even more…read more Highgate Wood is what I'd call the perfect urban park: a combination of almost jungle-like areas and a sporting green with an adjacent café (I've been told that the café is run by a Brazilian chef and the food is supposed to be quite tasty.). What else do I like about this park? - Being able to escape the hectic activities of our modern lives for a short while. It allows me to tune out the noises and concentrate on my inner self...for lack of a better word. In fact, when I was writing on my dissertation, this is where I'd find the tranquility and energy needed to sort-of pre-formulate and re-arrange my ideas. A note for dog walkers like myself: what I like about this park is that it's almost impossible for your dog to run away as the park is completely fenced in. This brings down my worry-scale a lot when my dog once again has disappeared in the bushes for a couple minutes...

Living in New Eltham we are blessed to have this lovely expansive park right on our doorstep. The…read morepark is a great place for walking the dog, for kids to play footie or just to wander through some of the ancient trees. There's a great cafe which is very cheap and does some great hot snacks and just outside the little kids are playing on the swings etc so great for families. It's a well kept park and right next to the university of Greenwich campus so you often see students laying out on the grass in the summer taking life in while they study.

A very large park which houses the famous winter gardens which are hothouses containing exoctic…read moreplants from around the world. These are maintained by the University of Grennwich next door. Adjacent to these is a walled rose garden ideal for relaxing on a summers day. In the center of the park is a childrens playground with a small cafe which serves excellent home cooked meals. The park houses several sports pitches which can be hired from the local council. The Green chain walk runs through the park

Beautiful park and well kept walkways !!…read more The dish was lovely and it was great to get out and see the sites of this very picturesque park. The walk past the Abbey / watching families play cricket and soccer or yo just play fetch with their four legged friends ! Highly recommend if you're in St Albans, you make time to walk this lovely park !

To create a park the likes of which any city would be proud you will need:…read more- lots of open grassy spaces on which to run, play games, pick the daisies and eat the picnics - an expansive lake, circumference of a mile or so, capable of supporting many different wading and swimming birds - a river, that would be nice - kids play areas - Roman ruins from the days when the park was the capital of Roman Britain - the oldest pub in England, complete with historic cock fighting octagon - an Abbey Cathedral overlooking the whole thing, dedicated to a local Roman who become England's first martyr - an old water mill that makes a healthy living selling waffles Once you have all that pop it on the edge of a delightful market town and leave to simmer for a few hundred years of R&R for the local populace.

Yes, I'm reviewing yet another square well there are a lot of them around, and I've recently been…read moreexploring them, often with dogs. I had to include this one, as in many ways it's an archetypal garden square, and also beautifully kept. It's down a back street between Upper Street and Liverpool Street, so free from through traffic. Surrounded by grand (Georgian?) houses. The gardens at the centre have iron railings and hedging. Inside they include a strange, but quite pretty building I did theorise was probably a gardener's shed (there's usually one) but apparently it's a ventilation shaft for the Victoria Line. There are also some superb gardens with a variety of paths, borders and little lawns. When giving 5 stars one of the criterion I usually use is that a reasonable number of average people would want to travel to see it. I'm not sure that any square would fulfil that (though promoters of Trafalgar Square might argue, really, would anyone book a coach trip JUST to see Trafalgar Square?). However in this case I decided that this one, because it's both an archetype and very well kept, deserved that mark of distinction compared to other squares. I wouldn't recommend anyone to travel to see it, but, should you be interested in Islington's squares, this one is a good one to include on your list. If you'd like to live there you'd need to be just slightly rich Read the Islington Gazzette story on the Millionaire Square (http://tinyurl.co.uk/1xq5) . Apparently the houses are worth 7 times the produce of an entire country.

Nice little park well situated close to upper street and the n1 centre. Perfect to sit in and relax…read moreon a sunny day after shopping. Well looked after flower beds and treees make this a perfect picnic spot. Beware it does close quite early so don't leave it too late.

Often confused with Valentines Park which is also nice as it's very spacious but that's another…read morereview. I'm talking about Ilford Park it's in an interesting location so a lot of people don't know where it is the great thing about this park is that the people who do use it and know where it is are quite friendly and co-operative the park has a tennis court with a nice handy basketball court next door. Very rarely your see two to four people playing basketball as I said the people are quite friendly so if you come along your are most likely to be designated the other side of the basketball court or it's possible to come to some sort of negotiation. This is a fitness park as the biggest section of the park is dedicated to fitness there are pillars that work there way round the park giving different fitness instructions which is great for the summer if you don't want to be sweating to death in a Gym. The park has a kiddies section with swings jungle gym picnic table and chairs for parents to watch their kids and a water fountain.

If you're a lover of flower gardens and secluded park benches where you can spend a few hours in a…read moregood book - then this park is not for you. While there is a small garden section with benches - there's really not enough of a flower display to please the eye. There is however, a well equipped kids playground, and a more than ample field wihich is used for football games (all year round) and cricket in the summer. This park is also a dog walkers paradise. Thanks to the rough area that runs parallel to the A406 (known as The Warren I think), you're not likely to be bothered by dogs running off lead. Finally - it's worth noting that the trees that hide the A406 from view are actually chery trees. They have the sweetest fruits in summer (if you can convince somebody to pick them for you)

This park has a very large field with goal posts for football players, and a little cricket set up…read moretoo. There is the usual kiddies section with swings, a slide, roundabout, climbing frames etc. There are benches around the park, so it can be nice to go and relax. Many dog walkers come to this park, as there is a continuous pathway which is good. The park is right next to harrow skate park, which is known all over the uk for one of the best free skateparks. There is a car park next to it too. The park has been known to have a bit of trouble at night, so I wouldn't go after dark. But overall its a nice park.

Large park with kiddies playground and car parking areas…read more Usually quite clean - but watch out for dog poo.

A hidden gem. It is a small park (super quiet and tranquil) with benches, trees, flowers and a koi…read morepond. The main feature of the park is a memorial wall with decorative tiles which record the heroic deeds of ordinary Londoners who lost their lives to save others. A great place to eat lunch, take a nap or read a book. Shhhhhhhhhhh.

Not a huge park. Not a noticeable park. Blink and you might miss it in passing. Not a lot is…read moreseating in park. But what stands this 'park' apart is the historic plaques and history behind it. That it shows plaques depicting how brave people gave up their lives and died for others is astounding. Humbling. Heart warming. The stories behind it are more than just the words you see, and though we don't know full story the words you read will make you think that in a world that seems bad there was once and to any still is People out there willing to come to your aid.

Opposite West Dulwich station, Belair Park is a small gem. It's a popular place for local dog…read morewalkers (dogs are allowed off the leash in most of the park) and there's plenty of parking (although it gets crowded for half an hour in the morning and afternoon with parents doing the school run for DCPS Nursery on Gallery Road). There's a smallish (dog-free) childrens' playground with a large climbing frame in the shape of a ship, and there are communal tennis courts for the summer (first come, first served: no booking). The park surrounds a somewhat disappointing duck pond (avoid the rats) but in its eastern edge lies Belair House, a beautiful Grade II listed building, built in 1785 and designed by architect Robert Adam. Belair House is now home to a snazzy restaurant and bar.