Touch Grass: London’s Best Outdoor Attractions

Explore the best outdoor activities in London for a refreshing escape.

Published: April 4, 2025
London’s Best Outdoor Attractions

London might be famed for its iconic landmarks and bustling culture, but it's also home to stunning outdoor attractions that offer a perfect break into nature. Whether you're wandering through lush parks, exploring serene gardens, or enjoying riverside walks, the city provides a refreshing escape for nature enthusiasts. Let’s dive into the best outdoor attractions and activities in London that will leave you rejuvenated and inspired! 

Hyde Park 

Spanning 350 acres, Hyde Park is a green oasis in the heart of London. With its scenic views, vibrant flower gardens, and the iconic Serpentine Lake, it’s a perfect spot for relaxation and exploration. Rent a paddle boat, enjoy an open-air concert at the bandstand, or explore the Diana Memorial Fountain. The park offers a mix of tranquillity and activity, making it a popular destination for both locals and tourists seeking to enjoy the outdoors. 

Kew Gardens 

Kew Gardens invites you to discover an extensive collection of plants from across the globe. Wander through the towering Palm House, explore the Japanese Garden, or take a treetop walk for a bird’s-eye view of the greenery. The vibrant colors and variety of plant life create a botanical paradise, providing inspiration and relaxation for all who visit. The garden’s educational programs and seasonal exhibitions add an enriching layer to the natural beauty. 

The Regent’s Park 

Home to the stunning Queen Mary’s Gardens, The Regent’s Park is a delight for nature lovers. Wander through rose gardens boasting over 12,000 roses, or enjoy a leisurely stroll around the lake. The park also offers open-air theatre performances and a charming boating lake, making it a versatile spot for outdoor fun. The harmonious blend of nature and culture invites a day of exploration and enjoyment. 

Richmond Park 

Richmond Park 

Explore the expansive landscapes of Richmond Park, London’s largest Royal Park. With its ancient woodlands and free-roaming deer, it’s a haven for wildlife enthusiasts. Enjoy cycling routes, picnicking in the wide-open spaces, or hiking to King Henry’s Mound for panoramic views. The serene environment and natural beauty provide a tranquil escape from the city’s hustle. 

Hampstead Heath 

Hampstead Heath offers stunning views, diverse wildlife, and a taste of countryside charm within London. Climb Parliament Hill for a spectacular vista of the city, swim in the lidos, or wander through the charming woodland trails. The Heath’s expanse and diversity make it a perfect spot for outdoor adventurers to explore and enjoy. 

Greenwich Park 

As the oldest Royal Park, Greenwich Park offers sweeping views of the River Thames and the city skyline. Visit the Royal Observatory, explore the picturesque gardens, or relax on the lush lawns. The park’s rich history and peaceful setting make it a cherished spot for leisurely walks and cultural exploration. 

Battersea Park 

Located on the banks of the Thames, Battersea Park offers an array of outdoor attractions. Enjoy the boating lake, visit the charming Children’s Zoo, or stroll through the subtropical gardens. The vibrant atmosphere and variety of activities ensure fun and relaxation for visitors of all ages. 

St. James’s Park 

St. James’s Park

Nestled in the heart of London, St. James’s Park boasts stunning views, lively wildlife, and serene walking paths. Take a leisurely stroll around the lake, enjoy the vibrant flower beds, or relax on the lawns with Buckingham Palace as your backdrop. The park’s picturesque setting and lively ambiance make it a delightful escape. 

Kensington Gardens 

Adjacent to Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens offers serene landscapes and royal attractions. Visit the beautiful Italian Gardens, explore the Serpentine Gallery, or relax in the Round Pond's calming vibes. The park’s blend of art, history, and nature provides a charming setting for exploration and respite. 

Chelsea Physic Garden 

Established in 1673, Chelsea Physic Garden is London’s oldest botanical garden. Explore an array of medicinal plants, wander through the delightful glasshouses, or enjoy a quiet moment by the river. The garden’s educational focus and intimate setting create a unique experience for plant enthusiasts and casual visitors alike. 

Little Venice 

Discover the charming canals of Little Venice, where narrowboats and waterside cafes create a serene escape. Enjoy a leisurely boat ride, explore the quaint streets, or relax in the peaceful setting. The picturesque waterways offer a delightful diversion from urban life, perfect for tranquil exploration. 

Lee Valley Regional Park 

Covering 26 miles, Lee Valley Regional Park is a vast expanse of green space and waterways. Explore the diverse landscapes, from wetlands to woodlands, or engage in sports activities like cycling and kayaking. The variety and scale of the park provide endless opportunities for outdoor adventures. 

Holland Park

Holland Park

Known for its Kyoto Garden and resident peacocks, Holland Park offers a tranquil escape within the city. Stroll through formal gardens, relax on the manicured lawns, or enjoy cultural events at the open-air theatre. The park’s serene environment and vibrant flora provide a peaceful retreat. 

Thames Path 

Follow the Thames Path for a scenic walk along the river. The route takes you through historic sites, vibrant neighbourhoods, and natural landscapes. Whether walking or cycling, it’s a great way to explore the city’s riverside charm and enjoy the outdoors. 

Epping Forest 

Just outside London, Epping Forest offers a vast woodland escape. Wander among ancient trees, explore the diverse ecosystems, or enjoy picnics in the open spaces. The peaceful atmosphere and natural beauty make it a favourite for nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts. 

Clissold Park 

Situated in North London, Clissold Park boasts lush lawns, lakes, and historic attractions. Enjoy a game of tennis, visit the animal enclosures, or explore the charming café. The community-focused park provides a lively and welcoming place to spend a day outdoors. 

Crystal Palace Park

Crystal Palace Park

Explore the expansive grounds of Crystal Palace Park, home to gardens, lakes, and historic sculptures. Discover the famous dinosaur models, enjoy sports facilities, or relax in the cafe. The park’s rich history and array of activities create a vibrant outdoor destination. 

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Virginia Water Lake 

Discover the beauty of Virginia Water Lake, part of the Windsor Great Park. Enjoy scenic walks along the water, admire the cascading waterfalls, or picnic in picturesque spots. The area’s natural beauty and tranquil settings offer a refreshing escape. 

Trent Park 

Located on the edge of London, Trent Park offers expansive landscapes and diverse wildlife. Stroll through woodlands, explore gardens, or enjoy horse riding trails. The park’s natural beauty and recreational opportunities provide a perfect escape into the countryside. 

Bushy Park 

Adjacent to Hampton Court Palace, Bushy Park offers wide-open spaces, beautiful gardens, and roaming deer. Enjoy a leisurely walk, explore the waterways, or relax in the peaceful setting. The park’s serene environment and natural charm make it a delightful destination for outdoor activities. 

With these outdoor attractions and activities, London offers a wealth of opportunities for fans of nature and the outdoors. From peaceful gardens and historic parks to vibrant riverside walks and expansive green spaces, the city promises refreshing escapes and delightful adventures for every nature lover. 

Yearning for more London fun? Check out the capital’s best river trips, as well as London’s top sporty attractions to get your blood pumping! 

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London British Pub Grub
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A Guide to British Pub Grub

Excited to try some British bites? You've come to the right place! We've crafted the ultimate pub grub guide to fuel your UK adventures. Nothing says Great Britain like sharing a meal in a pub - the locals' living room. You'll find value, casual atmosphere and hearty classic dishes, all washed down with top drinks. A pub visit is a must for any trip to these Isles. To help you find the best bites, we've researched pubs across the country and their specialties. This guide highlights traditional British staples, from fish and chips to ploughman's lunches. Whether you're after a light lunch or a full evening out, follow our recommendations and you'll leave satisfied. Don't forget to check the specials board! You’ll most likely find interesting ‘twists’ on pub favourites like special pies, curry, burgers or even sausages of the week! Dine out in a relaxed environment If you’re looking for a cosy atmosphere and home-cooked food, look no further than a pub. Casual dining is very popular in the UK and you often won’t need to book. Depending on the size and type of pub) you can sit in the bar area or a separate section for dining. Best of all, pub grub offers value for money and large portions! If you want to experience a London pub crawl, we've got some great recommendations. Read to the bottom for our list of fantastic pubs you need to put on your to-visit list. Fun for all the family Most pubs offer family-friendly opportunities to enjoy a meal out in a relaxed atmosphere (although we recommend you double-check first). When it comes to pub grub, there’s usually something for everyone. And if there isn’t a specific kids' menu, you can ask for smaller portion sizes or share some side dishes. A lot of pubs have beer gardens which are lovely in the summer months – even better if there’s some play equipment for the kids. Enjoy some great draught beer Draught beer, bitter, or ale are what pubs are famous for, and traditional British beers are seeing a revival. It’s hard to beat the quality and choice of beer in other eateries, so if you’re in a pub why not try a beef and ale pie? Or a delicious beer-battered cod, with chunky chips? What’s on the menu? Traditional British pub dishes haven’t changed much over the years, although you can now find the addition of non-traditional favourites inspired by cooking from all over the world. Check the menu before you choose your pub – you may be in for a surprise. Some, for example, serve Thai food only. Here are some traditional British pub grub faves: Typical main meals in London pubs Sunday Roast Usually served at lunchtime, the roast is usually chicken, beef, lamb or pork, though vegetarian alternatives are often available. Served with roast potatoes, a mix of fresh vegetables and gravy. And don’t forget the trimmings! Roast beef isn’t complete without Yorkshire pudding (a baked batter pudding, best filled with gravy), mustard and horseradish sauce. Pork is delicious with apple sauce; roast lamb and mint sauce belong together. Don’t worry too much if it’s not a Sunday – many pubs offer roasts throughout the week. Steak and Kidney Pie A savoury pie with a pastry lid, filled with a mixture of diced beef and kidney, fried onion and brown gravy. Not for the faint-hearted, it’s a great winter warmer and delicious with a side order of vegetables. Bangers and Mash A British staple named for its mashed potatoes and sausages, but the gravy is just as important. The type of sausages used varies, but a curly Cumberland is a popular choice. Filling and comforting, it's exactly what you want from British pub grub. Toad in the Hole Not as strange as it sounds and certainly has nothing to do with toads. This is another sausage dish, but this time the sausages are baked in Yorkshire pudding batter. It’s served with loads of gravy and fresh vegetables. Fisherman’s Pie Not in the mood for meat? Fisherman’s pie is classic pub grub. The pie is made with smoked whitefish in a white or cheddar cheese sauce, baked in the oven and topped with mashed potato. It can also contain prawns and hard-boiled eggs and traditionally comes served with garden peas. Fish and Chips No trip to the UK is complete without fish and chips, and the best thing about ordering this dish in a pub is that the batter will often have been made with some of the pub’s delicious draught beer. Try it with some tartare sauce and mushy peas. Ploughman’s Lunch A traditional lunch brought out to the fields by ploughmen, this cold plate of cheese, pickle and crusty bread is simple yet delicious. You might also have some apples, boiled eggs, ham or pickled onions on the side. As its name suggests, you eat a Ploughman's at lunchtime. Vegetarian and vegan eats Hello there, veggies and vegans. You have nothing to worry about. When in London, you'll find that most pubs have a great selection of vegetarian dishes, including vegetarian nut roasts with onion gravy, battered tofu & chips, as well as pies and pasta dishes. You can often customise dishes and order them without the meat element, too - don't be afraid to ask as pubs will usually do their best to accommodate dietary requirements. What's for dessert? Treacle sponge pudding Are you still hungry? That's fair enough. Try this typical British dessert – steamed sponge, with treacle on top and usually served with hot custard or ice cream. Knickerbocker Glory Finally, here’s one for the kids. A 'knickerbocker glory' is a colourfully layered cream, ice cream and fruit sundae served in a tall glass. A long spoon is essential if you want to get to the bottom! Here's the list of our top pubs in London The Prospect of Whitby - Wapping, Tower Hill The Royal Oak - Bloomsbury The Harp - Chandos Place, Covent Garden The Duke of Edinburgh - Cromwell Road, South Kensington Trafalgar Tavern - Park Lane, St. James's The Mayflower - Rotherhithe The Lamb and Flag - Covent Garden The Ten Bells - Commercial Street, Spitalfields The George - Great Portland St. - Great Portland Street, Marylebone The Blue Posts - Rupert Street, Soho And here are our favourites outside of London The Tan Hill Inn - Tan Hill, Swaledale, North Yorkshire The Salutation Inn - Ham, Gloucestershire The Dolphin Inn - Porlock Weir, Somerset The George & Dragon - Haddenham, Buckinghamshire The Bell Inn - Westhay, Glastonbury, Somerset If you’re looking for good food and friendly service in a relaxed atmosphere, you can’t go wrong with a British pub - they're perfect for refuelling after a day of sightseeing. Of course, the menu will vary from place to place (from gastro-pubs to carveries and independent locals to national chains), but you’ll often find staple pub grub favourites to suit every appetite and occasion. Don't forget to check out a guided London pub tour while you are at it! Experience everything London has to offer with The London Pass® Planning your London trip? With The London Pass®, you can explore big-name landmarks, local hotspots and epic tours, all on one pass, all for one price. Not only that, but you'll enjoy savings of up to 50%, compared to buying individual attraction tickets. ✈️ Buy The London Pass® ✈️  
Vanessa Teo
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The Best Football Pubs in West London

Now that the Premier League season is up and running again (will it ever end?), we thought we’d give you a rundown of the best West London pubs where you can catch games this season. From small neighbourhood boozer with welcoming atmospheres, to bigger sports-oriented bars with more screens than the HQ in The Truman Show, this list has it all. So, the best football pubs in West London, coming up. Including... A multi-award winning sports pub A Chelsea classic And a Bavarian-themed boozer Famous Three Kings, Fulham Voted UK Sports Pub of the Year in 2016, 2017 and 2018, the Famous Three Kings is where many searches for the best football pubs in West London start. Often, it’s where the search for the best Football pubs in West London ends. It’s a perfect venue to watch football, with a cheery and lively atmosphere and a wealth of HD TVs and pulldown screens. It’s the positioning of the screens that makes it so well-suited for sports-watching though, with screens high up on the walls and round every corner. There are loads of different seating and standing areas, so you never feel like you’re stuck with an immovable mass of people between you and the bar. When it comes to drinks, they’ve got an especially good selection of gins to go with the massive amounts of craft beer they pump out. So if you feel like mixing things up...you could do worse than turning up at the Famous Three Kings for a night on the G&T’s. They have regular drinks deals on each week too. The food menu is a dream for those coming in a group...there’s a hell of a lot of choice. They’ve got separate burger and pizza menus with a lotta, lotta toppings to choose from. And they do a whole range of mains, including gooey Mac and Cheese, Katsu Chicken and a number of mouth-watering pies. 171 North End Road, Fulham, London W14 9NL The Cross Keys, Hammersmith A good looking pub with a great atmosphere, The Cross Keys has long been a popular place to watch the footy (and rugby, but that’s for another article) when match day comes around. It’s a bit of a hidden gem, with a small but pretty entrance allowing it to blend in with the style of this rarefied neighbourhood. There’s a large TV showing the football, and a lot of different seating areas to choose from. The good size beer garden is a particular treat. It’s well-known for having friendly, attentive staff, and a pleasant set of locals. So don’t expect to leave The Cross Keys without having thoroughly set the world to rights. As a Fuller’s pub, you know the menu is going to focus on pub classics and that the food is going to be reliably tasty and affordable (particularly for this swanky part of town). 57 Black Lion Lane, Hammersmith, London W6 9BG The Sporting Page, Chelsea This is a fun and welcoming place to watch a game, and very popular with the locals. It’s also a nice place to hang out if you’re looking at a full program of games on a Sunday, because of its fine setting and excellent food menu. Grab some snacks before the game: The Sporting Page has a great set of freshly made bar bites, including delicious chorizo scotch eggs, calamari and chicken goujons. Drinks-wise, they have a wide selection of draught beers and an extensive wine list. Sometimes wine is nice with football. You don’t have to miss so much of the game in the loo. They’ve got a good number of TVs and a big screen, so you’ll be hard pushed to get a bad view in this place. Rumour has it Mick Jagger was a regular here in the 70s, and the place still has some sprinkle of celebrity in the air. It attracts a nice mix of football-crazy locals, families and well-to-do folk looking for a reliably good pub lunch. They’ve got a fabulous sun terrace too, for when extra time’s nearly over, you’ve bitten your nails down to the quick and you just can’t watch the shootout. 6 Camera Place, Chelsea London SW10 0BH The Kings Arms, Ealing OK, so this is more of a rugby pub, but it’s a great place to watch association football on the weekends. It’s a lovely neighbourhood boozer with a good choice of beers and pleasant atmosphere. It’s a very family-friendly place too, with good kids menus offering a large selection of little bites for the little ones. Their fajitas are something special too. On Sundays, The Kings Arms really comes into its own, with a great Sunday Lunch menu and all the football action you could need. It isn’t a ‘cram them in and let them fight amongst themselves’ kind of place, either. It’s got a few rooms and some nice outdoor areas which really eases the flow, even at the busiest of times. And, if you think you’ll need to bed down immediately following a tense game, they even have hotel rooms onsite. 55 The Grove, Ealing, London W5 5DX Octoberfest Pub, Fulham Say hello to the wildcard. Or, actually, say “Hallo!” This is one of the funnest and most unusual football pubs in West London, that’s for sure. It’s Oktoberfest-themed, and boasts the largest selection of German beers in the UK. Yep, there are over 60 imported German beauties available here. They’ve got a superb menu of Bavarian delicacies to choose from, including pretzels, bratwurst and schnitzels. You’ll need something to soak up all the alcohol once you’re doing guzzling from one of their massive beer steins, full to the brim with ice cold German beer. When it comes to sport, they show pretty much anything that’s on, with two giant pull-down screens and a number of widescreen TVs to plop down in front of. It’s the home of the official Bayern Munich UK Fan Club too. 678-680 Fulham Road, London SW6 5SA So that's where to go when the game's on in West London. But where do you go for a little bit of history with your pint? Here is where.
Matthew Pearson
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