Everyone Far East as bricklane must have heard of Victoria park! If they haven't then I must…read moreenlighten briefly. It is a huge park, that if you were to traverse the outer path you'll have walked 5Km doing that one circuit. It was named in honour of our queen Victoria herself. It stands proudly in East London, underneath the fine borough of hackney and above tower hamlets! It's my favourite park in London, if not the world! It's not particularly crazy in design or has architectural or agricultural delights or even much elevation, however it's just perfect. On a fine sunny day, the park screams community, relaxation and escapism from the bustle of the city. I run around the park 2-3 times a week and never get tired of it. It makes me breath fresh air and the people there are lovely! Please go to the park and treat it some respect as it will certainly treat you with a wonderful experience, right back at ya!

After much construction over the last year, the park is starting to come into its own again. I…read morelove this place! Beautiful tree lined paths to walk down, lovely ponds and water features that attract wonderful wildlife, so many places to just...chill. Just about the only sizable park I know of east of The City. Tasty cafe's and shops to pop into on Lauriston Road after a nice walk in the park. Enjoy!

Who can falter beautiful countryside. If you like forest lakes fields and farms head here. Parking…read moreis £1 for an hour and £3 for the whole day. I am not sure how much the farm is but you can see a lot of the animals out side of the farm. The park closes at 7:30 and the view of london of beautiful! I would give the cafe a miss thought it is not fantastic.

The animals are well looked after it appears and you can see there has been some money spent there…read moreBUT apart from a run round on the grass or walk around the lake there's nothing for the children. The Meerkat area absolutely run down. The small park areas disappeared or run down. Parking not expensive. Cafe is ok. Nice cuppa and food appears reasonably priced. Been going for years but the hour is enough nowadays.

Very beautiful woodland area in a very odd place. I joined it just by the M11 and A12 junction…read more Lovely walk with the dogs, but wished it were a bit bigger. Covered the area in 45min at a leisurely pace. Will definitely return. Mike want to have appropriate footwear if you visit shortly after rain. Can be muddy in spots.

Great place for free-running the dog. Lots of different trails to take, meet up with other…read morefriendly dog owners. So glad to have this space so close to home.

The Hollow Pond is part of Epping Forest, lying between Upper Leytonstone and Snaresbrook. I first…read morecome across this parkland while cycling around the neighbourhood. It was such a delightful discovery! I was so thrilled by this place and I still am. Very raw and natural, not as artificial as most parks in Central London. The pond covers quite a large area and I usually hire a boat for an hour which only cost £10 during summer time. Around the pond, there is a track for walking and cycling. There are full of animals and it's so nice to be part of this natural environment no words can described my liking for this place! A definite five star-er!

Its a very calming place, love it to the core, not very known so still not that crowded or…read moretouristy. Its nature at its best with lovely little lake, a forest trail and a clear area for picnics and boating can be awesome fun as well

Not a bad park i have been in this park since i was little and honestly still beautiful still go to…read morethe park this day with my friends and just the best

This is a huge park, My girlfriend and I cycled around a really small part of it just before it…read moreclosed for the day and it took ages and we were pretty whacked. There are loads of displays explaining the history of the park which was actually pretty interesting. I learnt that Valentines Park is almost as big as Hyde Park which seemed odd. The Lottery gave them loads of money this past year to "regenerate" the park: make it more user friendly and I think they've actually done quite a good job, which is pretty big coming from me.

Mile End Park might be London's most underrated park. Completely unbeknownst to tourists who…read moremainly beeline to West End parks, this East London park is a slender 79-acre strip of fabulous modern design, gardens, lakes, and culture/leisure centres along the beautiful Regent's Canal. It's a low-key local gem just across the street from the more popular, sprawling Victoria Park. In my Top 5 Parks along with Regent's and Hampstead Heath

I really love Mile End Park on a quiet day (when the weather is rubbish, hah :)) - there's plenty…read moreof space and I keep discovering new bits I haven't ventured to yet. There is the 'Eco Pavilion' which overlooks a few ponds. Several areas of trees/wildflowers. Close proximity and easy access to Regent's Canal, where one can take a nice walk down to Victoria Park or the Hertford Union Canal. If you're thirsty there's a cafe, and if you fancy a beer the Palm Tree pub is close by. The couple of downsides are that 1) it's never closed and there are sometimes some street drinkers/groups of drunk people inhabiting certain areas and 2) It's next to two very busy roads.

This is a lovely park. we brought our four year old granddaughter and we all loved it. Large grassy…read moreareas for running, picnicking, and playing ball. Playground equipment for kids of all ages and it is right next to Spitalfield City Farm, which is free of charge. You could easily spend an entire afternoon here. Highly recommend this for families with young children.

If there is a magical place on Earth (that is not in Florida, USA), Allen Gardens has certainly won…read morethe title! In one of my walks around Shoreditch/Brick Lane area I stumbled upon this park with a playground for grown ups. I mean, SERIOUSLY? Me and my friend couldn't resist ,and we spent about 2h playing in all the games that were there. A lot of people come to have pic-nics, walk their dogs and play (like me!). The view is quite nice, and you can also watch the London Overground running above you. If you walk all the way till the end, you will face the Hackney City Farm's fence, and you can even see some animals hanging out. Something there is also very curious (but I don't have any information about) is the big house in the middle of the lawn - I'm not sure if someone still lives there, but from far away it looks a little haunted. This garden was for residents use only, but not so long ago, considering the development and growth of the area, it became public. I should have won you with "playground for grown ups", but if I still haven't convinced you this is a nice place, go check! :)

Clayhall park is my local recreation ground and having a 6yr old daughter we use it quite often…read more I do sympathise with what speakingup is saying but now being a few years on i have found Clayhall park a hive of bustling activity of young and old. Yes teenagers use it pouring in from local schools but i have always found them harmless and do their endevour best to not get in the way of younger children,also its better than them roaming the streets. They use the park as a social meeting ground even in school holidays. Nowadays you will always find the park visited regularly by park police and theres no trouble. I have often had chats with the park keepers and are polite,i believe they do an excellent job of maintaining the park and flower gardens. You will find from the 2 children play areas (under 5 and over 5yrs)always busy and a new climbing area has been built. You will also find many using the park as exercise walk path,doing lap after lap from the ages of teens to their 70's. I truely dont believe you could find such a small park that as built up a community of all ages and so often used. Benjisfones

Hm mixed reactions about the park. there are tennis courts and a few parking areas, open fields to…read moreplay football, goal posts, and also some walking space. Theres a kids area, swings etc. So all in all everything for everyone. though still i don't feel overly safe in the park, it can be intimidating with all the kids and teenagers in a big group. Though ive been told the police control is tight and moves on large gangs. It is a park, but the safest way to go would be to walk your vicious dog to stay safe! Though what i suggest is not to follow the stereotype of assuming all the young are intimading criminals! so let your hair down and give it a chance

Lovely, spacious, and diverse neighborhood park. The park has a number of entrances and a diverse…read moreecosystem ranging from small woodlands, a wetlands area, a lake that you can walk around, a children's playground, mini golf, and open spaces to relax or play sports at. Great for people of all ages and fitness levels. Nice to have a green space like this in the local community. Well maintained and clean. It's sad that the cafeteria has fallen into disrepair and had to close down as well as the toilets. The council should get into action to fix those issues.

Four! Well actually it took me 8 attempts to sink a ball on the first hole, but I improved as the…read moreafternoon wore on. This is an excellent pitch and putt course in Grovelands Park. It's well maintained and the greens look immaculate. The nine holes are quite challenging and the course is nestled amongst some beautiful parkland. The prices are reasonable, about £4.00 for a round, which lasts for as long as you want it to, depeding on your standard and how many of you playing. If you don't have your own club you can hire one. The staff good fun and always willing to offer some advice, if you're a novice player like me. I've played here a few times, and always found it to be a very enjoyable way of killing a couple of hours on a slow Sunday afternoon.

Definitely worth a roam around!! Peaceful oasis in the middle of Canary Wharf. Beautiful plants…read morefrom a variety of regions. Lots of birds as well. Nice place to roam for half an hour and get lost in the green!

Crossrail Roof Garden gets 4 stars in my book for effort and novelty, but for actual park…read moreexperience I might give it only 3. Here's why: Despite a fair number of people populating the space on a Sunday, its Giant Robot food court was closed. So, no beers and snacks should you visit on the seventh day of the week and have a rumble in your tummy which you hoped to satisfy amongst the greenery. The landscape seemed in need of a gardener on my visit in early February 2019. I was appreciative of the foliage that was there surviving beautifully in winter. But it looked as if someone had been dumping bags of mulch literally on top of the plants so some were awkwardly buried in wood chips and dirt. Furthermore, other plants were strange matted tangles of offgrowths and dead leaves which marred the landscape. Yelper Zara L. has done a great job describing the history and thematics of the place. But for me a garden that subscribes to the East/West binarizing tendencies of the East India Company without also questioning that worldview is a bit strange in modern London. Surely we know there's more to the world than that? Of course it's a small garden and it would be harder to incorporate all the variations of plants found in the gradations of tropical, subtropical, and temporate forests worldwide. But East/West seems a little simplistic, putting rosy glasses on a legacy of exploitation and colonialism.