I've driven past the edge of Stanmore Common on the way from Stanmore to Watford many times, but on…read morethe warm bright and sunny weekend I finally took the initiative to take the family for walk. It was a winner from the start. The terrain is mildly hilly with a variety of trails depending upon your level of adventure. With three young children we kept mostly to the main paths with a few side diversions. The girls enjoyed chasing after a peacock butterfly, with its fabulous colour display. It seemed to glide across the grasses growing up to soak in the sun. Wearing our sneakers, we were able to avoid most of the mud. However, considering it hadn't rained in some time and still some areas were quite damp, a good pair of boots would certainly be appropriate. There are several small streams that run through the woods and heath with beautiful stone pebbles rounded through time. On one large open grass area we let the children just run and play. What a joy it is to see them picking blades of grass, imagining and even talking to a bumblebee! Then in the distance we spotted a well located and still strong tree swing. We all gave it a go and laughed at ourselves. If you are looking for a day out with the family and the opportunity to relax closer to nature without venturing too far from the city, consider Stanmore Common. We spent about 1 1/2 hours slowly walking the trails. Next time we may bring our lunch and spread a picnic over a grassy area.

So i'm a bit of a gym rat / fitness freak and i've been going to this gym since I moved to the area…read moreabout a year ago. It's in a great area and the best thing is that it's open 24 hours a day, which is perfect for me. Over the last few years, due to the recession, we have seen a lot of these cheap gym chains sprouting up and I usually go with the saying 'you get what you pay for'. Now where that's usually proved me right for the most part, it's completely untrue with this gym chain. Monthly rates are dirt cheap, usually around £20 and the gym has everything you could want and need in a gym - state of the art equipment, full range of free weights, stretching areas, changing rooms, classes and PT sessions. Notice I said gym and not HEALTH CLUB. When I go to the gym I like to TRAIN not swim, jacuzzi, play tennis, steam room, spa or play tennis. If that's what you want then this place is not for you, as it hasn't got any of them and you want somewhere like VIRGIN ACTIVE or DAVID LLOYD and the price that comes with it (upwards of £65 per month plus joining fee). When I joined this gym I was shocked at how cheap it was a month as I would have gladly paid double every month as that's what I was expecting to pay at least. It's clean, nicely decorated and has everything you would need and more in a gym. A few recommendations - - Take full advantage of the 24 hour services. I would say to not train after work 6-10pm on weekdays as you will not be able to do what you need to do in less than 2 hours so you may as well not have gone. I go before work during the week and sometimes at weekends and have no problem using the equipment I need. - They don't have a wide range of classes so take a look at what they have on the website and see if they do things you like if thats a factor for you. - Don't get PT sessions here. I've trained athletes and know bad trainers when I see them. Apart from a few, most of the trainers here recycle their sessions and don't make sure their clients are doing the exercises correctly. I think they care more about their money than helping them. Or if you do want sessions here send me a message and i'll recommend the good ones and I promise I don't know any of them personally to just be giving them your business! Apart from those minor points if you live local and are looking for a gym I thoroughly recommend this place!

Good gym for 20 quid a month. It's got all the cardio that you'll need, and if you're an off-hours…read moregym rat, the ideal place for you. Always has been clean for me, and the other patrons are a nice cross-section (read: not full of gym rats). PT professionals I have not seen to be amazing for the price - they seem more just like the contractors who didn't have a job elsewhere - and they cost 50 to 80 an hour typically. Better to head to Pure Fitness or to another big London PT house for that price (and maybe get medical insurance to cover it). The nautilus machines and free weights are plentiful during non-peak hours, though can get a bit crowded with the afterwork crowd. Either way, the gym is great value for money if you're within walking distance.

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

Excellent club with amazing teachers! I have been doing Xen-Do kick boxing for 3 yrs now and it…read morenever gets dull. Each class is different and it doesn't matter if you are a beginner or a pro, there is always something new to learn!!! Come give it a try!

From the owner: Xen-Do is a martial art which can help you get fitter, build your stamina and strength, and improve…read moreyour flexibility and muscle tone. We train in a safe, professional, dedicated environment with fully qualified professionals who have attained the highest levels in the discipline. Our classes and personal training sessions are individually tailored to help you achieve your goals, whether they be to help develop body strength, increase fitness levels, learn self defense, or simply to have fun and unwind!

Open 24/7, great staff, friendly atmosphere, plenty of classes, always clean and the most up to…read moredate machines in the gym business

From the owner: The official No.1 fitness chain in the world with over 3300 clubs worldwide. Join 1 club, use them…read moreall! Open 24/7 and open in Mill Hill now!