“You know how I love the park” - London recommendations

 

“You know how I love the park”  London recommendations

There are many parts of London to love but for this post I am going to give recommendations for a couple of parks that are great places to visit and provide amazing views.

St. James Park

St. James Park is by far one of my favourite places in London. There are many reasons to love this park, from the peaceful areas that are perfect for a relaxing day out, to the great views of iconic London landmarks as you walk around the park.

My favourite walk through the park is to start at the entrance on Birdcage Walk near to St. James Park tube station, then walk straight and you reach the bridge. While standing there, you have a clear view of Buckingham Palace (you may recognise the view from the photo that Yul Brenner carries around in the 1993 film Cool Runnings). On the other side you can see the back of Horseguards Parade, with the top of the London Eye arching over the top of it. After crossing I like to turn right and walk towards Horseguards Parade and loop back around.

A great thing to look out for in the park is all of the wildlife there is. You will easily find the pigeons and squirrels that are so common in central London, and the ducks and swans that are also very common in London parks. What you will probably not be expecting is the Pelicans. They are usually found near the end of the park closest to Horseguards Parade on Duck Island in the middle of the Lake. For those who have seen Good Omens the path on the left of the bridge leading towards Buckingham Palace may seem familiar as Crowley and Aziraphale frequently meet there throughout the series’.

Wimbledon Common & Wimbledon Park

I have combined these two because of how close they are to each other.

Wimbledon Common

Wimbledon common is a large green space that contains many lakes, hills, fields and paths through the woods. It is a great place to visit for all. The paths through the woods will take you through beautiful and peaceful areas of the common that are perfect for exploring alone or with friends. A wide range of wildlife is found on the common from birds to foxes to bats. If you have ever heard of the Wombles of Wimbledon this is where they lived.

After walking through the common you can reach Wimbledon Village which has a good range of shops and places to stop and get a drink or something to eat. From Wimbledon Village it is a short walk down to Wimbledon Park.

Wimbledon Park

Wimbledon Park is a much smaller place but still contains a wide range of options for everyone. It has a large field for sports or a picnic. As for sport there are volleyball and tennis courts, as well as a small mini golf course. If you enter the park from Home Park Road you will be on top of the police station which provides a great view of the whole park and beyond. 

My favourite thing to do in the park is walk around the lake at sunrise or sunset to see the light reflecting on the water and the beautiful colours that can be seen. What makes the view even better are the swans. My friend and I refer to the swans as our swans because we visit whenever we can and love watching the cygnets grow up every year.

I will warn that the view from the lake may change quite significantly in the near future if the Wimbledon tennis expansion plans go ahead. 

Wimbledon expansion plans impact - There will no longer be a view of the old golf course and the nature that grew around it from the Wimbledon Park side to the other side. It will become a view of 39 new tennis courts that will be as a result of an estimated 10 years of construction and the removal of anywhere between 296 and 1300 trees from Grade II* listed land.

Comment the name of the film the title quote is from.

Hint - It is from 1981.