Arcadia England

In her latest guest post, Ashley Blaes invites us to explore some of London's parks

With exams and coursework deadlines quickly approaching, it can be hard to remind ourselves to take a break every once in a while. Now that spring has finally descended upon the city and aptly, the day I’m writing this post is Earth Day, enjoying the parks and green spaces around London has never been a better idea. Not only is spending time outdoors good for the mind and body to relax and rejuvenate during stressful deadlines, but almost all the parks are free to visit. 

London has eight Royal Parks and over 3,000 smaller parks which make up approximately 40% of the Greater London area. London was declared a National Park City in July 2019—a large urban area which strives to enhance the natural capital of its living landscape. It has been declared one of the greenest cities in the world despite its large population density.

If you’re a student like me who is centrally located within zones 1 or 2, you might find the nearest parks are St. James’s Park, Green Park, Hyde Park, Kensington Palace Gardens, and Regent’s Park. When it’s a nice day, I like to take a picnic blanket, some snacks, and a good book to my local park on Southbank—or those aforementioned on the north bank—and read for a few hours to relax and enjoy the rare but welcomed sunny days. At these centrally located royal parks, I like to walk around the ponds and paths, admire the flowers and birds (you can look but be sure not to feed them!), and take some film photography on my little point-and-shoot Fujifilm I got from Brick Lane a few months ago. Sometimes, when I’m lucky, a friendly dog or two playing in the parks will make its way over to say hello. My favourite water foul to admire are the swans, which can be found at nearly all the parks and are entirely under the protection of the Queen.

Every time I walk through the parks here in Central London, I’m stunned to see so much green space amongst the hustle and bustle of the city. It’s hard to remember you’re surrounded by buildings and millions of people when you’re amongst the tranquility of the parks and gardens. When I first moved here, I missed not being surrounded by forests like I usually am back home. Being from a suburb meant I fully expected to move to this big international city and have little to no access to green spaces. But it turns out I needn’t have worried. Life in the city is drastically improved by having walking paths and greenery to stroll through, and you’ll find no shortage of beautiful nature here in London. 

If you fancy sweeping panoramic views of the city, I recommend going out to Primrose Hill or Hampstead Heath. I went to the Heath back in November to enjoy the autumnal foliage and had a lovely day taking a stroll with friends through what I think is the closest approximation you can get to the English countryside without actually leaving Greater London. One of my more recent endeavours brought me to Greenwich Park, which has quickly become one of my favourite spots to spend a day and take in the sights of Canary Wharf to the north and the City to the west. At the top of the hill, you can stand on the Prime Meridian Line with a foot in two hemispheres! The most recent park I visited was the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. While it does require a ticket to enter, Kew Gardens has some of the most famous Victorian greenhouses in the world. I especially loved the tropical palm greenhouse, which has a controlled climate that is drastically different from what you experience here in England. 

On the grounds of some of the parks, you can visit historic heritage sights or royal palaces if you’re more in the mood for a museum-like experience—Kew Palace, Kensington Palace, and Kenwood House were a few of my favourites. Some parks like the Regent’s Park over in Camden have sports pitches and courts if you play outdoor sports and want an open space to exercise. At Hyde Park/ Kensington Palace Gardens, you can find picturesque sculptures, pavilions, fountains, and walking paths at the Italian Gardens, which I find to be a great place for inspiration to journal or write. The parks offer something for everyone to enjoy, even if you, like myself, don’t particularly have a green thumb.

In closing, there’s no shortage of sights to see in all of London’s green spaces. Making green spaces and parks accessible to everyone means that the nature around us can be appreciated each and every day. Spending time outdoors improves physical health and mood; we sometimes need a place of solitude or quiet amongst the fast-paced life in the city. Most of all, setting aside lands protected from development or saved for public use means wildlife can find a place to thrive in the city. There’s almost as many trees as people here in London! You don’t have to wait until it’s Earth Day to appreciate your local parks, and fortunately, life in London makes it very easy to get outside and enjoy the beauty of the nature all around us.