London's best green spaces for that perfect dog walk and where to stop off for refreshments.
Did you know London is one of the greenest cities in Europe? With 3,000 parks of varying sizes designated by the boroughs as ‘public open space’, London is a green city. Together they cover almost 18% of London which is more than the area of the city covered by railways and roads combined.
This is great news for four legged adventurers as you could try a new place to walk every day for just over 8 years!!
We haven't managed to try all 3,000 yet but here are some of our favourites and of course, the all important dog friendly places nearby to stop off an refuel.
Let's start with what is probably the best know of our London parks - Hyde Park.
This Royal Park covers 350 acres and has features such as Diana Memorial Fountain, Kensington Palace, the Serpentine River and Albert Memorial.
The park borders the areas of Bayswater, Mayfair, Knightsbridge and Kensington so there is no shortage of great places to stop off nearby.
Leave the park at the Bayswater side and it's a short hop to The Porchester. This spacious pub is the perfect place for humans and pooches to stop and refuel after big walkies. Their Sunday roast is a must and if you're a really good pooch, they will make a special one for you too.
Other great places nearby include: Los Mochis, Queens of Mayfair, Mall Tavern and Yeotown.
Let's head to South West London and our closest park. Richmond Park is the largest of London's Royal Parks at a whopping 2500 acres. It supports a host of rare species and is home to thousands of trees.
The park is most famous for the wild deer who inhabit it and gained world fame thanks to the Fenton viral video.
The park borders Richmond, Kingston, Sheen and Putney, all with plenty of dog friendly options.
If you leave the park at Richmond Gate you will find The Lass O'Richmond Hill just around the corner. This Young's pub is the perfect place to stop off for lunch after walkies, it's bigger than it looks from the front and has terrace at the back. It even has one of those rare things for a London pub - a car park!!
Other great places near Richmond Park include: Hare and Hounds, The Marlborough, The Plough and The Albert.
Battersea Park is one of the most Instagrammable of the London parks thanks to the variety of stunning features within, such as the Victorian bandstand, the Peace Pagoda and the Festival Gardens.
The park is great for a variety of walkies with big open spaces for pooches who love a big run and the tree-lined promenade for those who want a scenic stroll.
The park leads on to the Thames path and the newly developed Battersea Power Station which is SUPER dog friendly.
Other great places near Battersea Park include: Pear Tree Cafe, Humble Grape and Megan's
Over in the south east, you will find the magnificent Greenwich Park.
This is a park that is rich in heritage and has something for everyone. There is plenty of space for picnics, lots of trees providing shade and some fantastic views! From the top, you can see all across London.
Obviously great views come at a price and there is a steep walk to the top of the park but at least there is a step free route.
The park is also home to The National Maritime Museum, The Royal Observatory and The Old Royal Naval College.
Nearby you can also see the Cutty Sark and enjoy Greenwich Market.
Within the park, attached to the Old Royal Naval College is Young's pub The Old Brewery.
As the name suggests, this used to be the Greenwich Meantime brewery and you will still find the original brewing tanks in the dining room.
This is a large pub with dining room, bar area and a HUGE garden!
Humans can enjoy decent pub classics and they also have a burger shack.
Other great places near Greenwich Park include: Heap's Sausages, The Coach and Horses and Greenwich Tavern.
In central London you will discover Green Park.
This is one of the smaller Royal Parks but probably the most regal as it is the back garden to Buckingham Palace.
You can walk from Piccadilly down its tree lined avenues and get the best view of the Palace for watching changing of the guards (11.00 Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays). It's also a great place to relax with a picnic and lots of squirrels to chase!
Comments