South Norwood Lake is one of London's hidden gems. I stumbled upon it one day when walking in the…read morearea. It is not really marked on any tourist map and the locals seem to enjoy their lake in the middle of London. It is quite peaceful and relaxing to visit South Norwood Lake. South Norwood Lake is home to the Croydon Sailing Club and you can actually fish on the lake as well but there is quite strict rules as to what you can fish and what not. Lots of families take their kids there to feed the ducks and swanns and some even walk their dog there. I have seen a few people jog around the lake, which seems quite relaxing. You can get to South Norwood Lake by taking the 468 bus or 196 bus and get off at the stop after Cypress Road and walk down Woodvale Avenue.

My favourite park for dog walking. A lovely large green space with a beautiful lake to walk around,…read morecomplete with swans and the odd heron. It also has a woodland area attached for added fun! There is a kiosk for drinks and snacks which seems to be open 24/7. Love this space - tranquil and beautiful

Lovely Victorian park tucked away in Camberwell and full of locals! I used to live next door to…read morethis park and would visit almost every day, and it was lovely to see so many of the same faces visiting too. The park has a few walking trails, an amazing cafe, a Victorian bandstand (with summer weddings!), tennis court, outdoor nursery and play area for children, a dog park and much more. It's busy throughout the day, full of people of all ages and lots of cute dogs! I recommend the Little Cat Cafe inside the park for nice sandwiches and drinks and friendly staff.

Myatt's Firleds Park is a nice park, they run the park by a handful of staff and many volunteers…read more But I do not recommend volunteering there if you have mental and/or physical disabilities. I have trauma, have raised many issues of health and safety within the greenhouse and kitchen area, which they have fixed now, but as some staff discriminate and don't keep their own policies, they try to get of me. Other volunteers with physical health issues and mental health problems are beind discriminated against. Often they said things like "If you are triggered / have food allergy / can't be on time (due to walking disability) then you should come". I raised a grievance which was held by a new staff who worked at HR in another company, but as I have no rights as a volunteer, they hardly listened in the hearing and threw so many chaotic questions at me to throw me off. If you want to work there as paid staff, you will be fine, but NOT as a volunteer. If the admins of this site don't believe me, I have written evidence. The park itself is lovely, staff are "safe" and protected by law, but volunteers with health issues have not been treated well, but they now changing t as I raised issues in writing and they get rid of me to claim the credit for all the changes.

Set in the heart of Finsbury Park, the track and gym is a fantastic resource for kids, athletes and…read morethe aged. The track encircles the London Blitz American Football pitch and is of a reasonable standard. What I like about the track is that alongside the young athletes, I have witnessed several men aged 60+, putting themselves through their paces. It is the same with the gym. old and young alike working their bodies as hard as they can. The facility of changing rooms, gym and showers are grotty in a Rocky Balboa kind of way, but at £3.30 for an adult and £1.65 concession, I won't complain to much. The gym is spacious but many of the machines do not have pins. The ones that do are connected so you cannot move them around the floor. There are no clips to keep weights on the bars either, so when you lift the bar, you have to hope your left and right sides are equally strong or the weights will slip right off. A big plus with the gym is that you do not need an induction. So if you are in the area and fancy a quick workout on the cheap, maybe this is your answer. I will warn you again though, do not expect any frills, as there are none.

I go walking most days here it's a lovely park with a nice play ground for the kids, My son loves…read moreit. There are eight tennis courts too and also one astro turf football pitch and one concrete pitch for football and basketball ball. They have a really nice ice cream lady who sells awesome ice creams in the summer and a pair of brothers who sell coffee also really nice guys.

You know the weather's been nice when my last few reviews involve parks, offys and fruit stalls!…read more Highbury Fields is no different, a massive open green surrounded by leafy trees for a bit of much needed shade. The BBQs were grilling, frisbees and footballs out in force, blankets, sunglasses, books, summer festival cider, pure happiness. Even the kiddos were in parktopia as the playground equipment is actually pretty cool! And of course, the mandatory Mr. Whippy was parked with his permanent queue. (Ok fine, maybe I had a go at the swings and ice cream myself. But kids are a great diversion!) This, as are most of London's tucked away green spaces, is a pure gem in the neighbourhood.

The soft play in the leisure centre is a former topsy turvy world. Its fantastic! Their prices are…read morevery reasonable. We had our child's birthday party here and it was £150 with food and 20 children. They prepared enough food to feed 35 kids! They have 3 party rooms in the softplay and 1 in the leisure centre for really big parties. The cafe serves hot and cold food. There is a separate toddler/baby area.

Birchwood leisure centre is not one of the best leisure centres in Hatfield…read more it does have a kids soft play area which is probably the best part. There is an cafe for parents to sit and keep an eye on the kids while they run riot up and down the play equipment but it is in a seperate room so the noise is minimalised. The gym in the centre is old and small. It really needs updating but if you don't want to join a fancy expensive gym with lots of modern facilities it is suitable for need. they do offer a good range of exercise classes and there is a large football field outside too. There is also a children's holiday club running during the school holidays which is reasonably priced and seems to offer a good range of activities to keep the kids happy.

Out of school hours this place turns into a big sports and leisure complex, right next to the city…read morein Whitechapel. I played football here the other day - outside they've got 3 Astroturf pitches which are in as good a condition as any I've seen lately. Lots of London leagues and clubs run out of Mulberry, mostly for it's location I assume but it's got a really good range of facilities - including a nice size gym. I think in most cases you just pay for the equipment you use and for how long rather than actually joining up. Parking can be a bit tricky as it's down a little cul de sac off Commercial Road but there are plenty of single yellow lines you can stick to in the surrounds. A good one to consider if you want to get involved in a league and have a bit more of the social side than the usual sports club or gym.

Set back from the fragrant streets of London's finest curry district, Mulberry Leisure Centre was…read morethe setting yesterday for my first encounter with the London Rollergirls (http://www.londonrollergirls.com) . Eschewing the slightly inadequate bike racks out front for the great big metal fence (adorned with posters advertising cycle thieves in the area) I secured my ride and lugged my heavy skate gear in to the foyer where I was welcomed by a gaggle of Rollergirls, dressed to the nines in fishnets, patterned knee socks and hefty padding. Down clean, brightly lit corridors I walked to the changing rooms, where I threw on my own slightly less glamorous outfit of surfer shorts and stripey socks, donning my new Riedell R3s gingerly and stumbling out to join the throng of newbies, all raring to get started on our eight wheeled adventures. The main hall was big and welcomingly warm after the bitter cold of outdoors, less school gym than American sports hall with score boards and room for a reasonably sized skating circuit with extra training happening in the centre. After having skates checked by the more experienced we were off right away, encouraged to warm up around the circuit. I was amazed to be skating so quickly, my rusty pre-teen skills resurrected in a flash and new ones picked up throughout the course of the two hour basic skills session (held on the first Saturday of every month). As I left the leisure centre, bashed thighs still sending a warm current around my body, I looked back from the pitch black forecourt at the white light of the entrance hall and smiled, galvanised. London Rollergirls here I come!

I am a passionate tennis player and I found a place in London where you do not need to be member of…read morea tennis club. West way is on the Hammersmith line at Royal oak. I have been there in summer, as they also have 4 out door courts as well as 8 indoor courts. You will play on the clay court outdoors and on an acrylic court indoors. Playing tennis at this sports centre gave a proper city like feeling, as it is next to an autoroute bridge. The facilities are absolutely ok. You have to book in advanced, as they do get buys at peak times, but otherwise they have a free court on the day. West Way sports centre is a pay and play centre without members, we were charged a one-off registration fee of £3 for 1 hour. In summer it can get quite hot when the sun gets out. When walking to the courts there are football games taking place, everyone gets sportive active. If you want to have a more professional lesion there is also the possibility to book a coached session. This place is great value for money, which makes you go out there and play tennis!

Westway Sports Centre is a Mecca for football, tennis and something called Eton Fives…read more With six outdoor artificial football pitches, eight indoor tennis courts and four Eton Fives courts this centre is busy all week long. None of the courts are expensive to hire, but you should aim to book well in advance. Eton Fives is a game played by hitting a small ball with a glove hand within a three walled court. It requires devastatingly quick reflexes to master. Housing a pool, climbing wall and a whole host of sports, the Westway Centre is a popular sporting location.

I for one hate fitness clubs and sports centres as a form of exercise but recognise the need to…read morestay fit and active for a healthy lifestyle. I joined a sports club and paid the horrible joining fee and then a huge monthly membership fee to play tennis once a week - hugely expensive and frankly a waste of money. Tennis clubs are hard to find and generally expensive in West London, so I was over-joyed when I found Rock's Lane. With a club in Chiswick and one in Barnes, these clubs offer 5 a side football, tennis and netball for all ages as well as cricket, holiday programmes and parties for children. No joining fee - you buy credits and then pay as you go. It is very inexpensive and the facilities whilst not of a health club standard but are certainly good enough to allow for a game of tennis or a general knock up as a form of exercise. I play once a week here and it costs next to nothing, the staff are great and I love the fact that I can get my weekly exercise. I recommend it if you want to exercise but cannot face the expense or boredom of the treadmill.

Great form of entertainment for the little ones and the big ones. We first came here for a day of…read morecrazy mini golf fun, and this was before baby came a long. We loved it, we felt like children again and for only £3 each. We can't wait for our daughter to get a bit older and begin getting her involved in tennis, football or netball. I hear that some premiership starts have brought their children for their summer courses and term courses. Not that it will swing your decision of whether you want to come here or not, but for a football fan it is an interesting fact. The cafe and children's playground is a good way of spending an afternoon and will sure leave you and your child having a good night sleep. My husband is know trying to organize a 5 a side team to play football with, and become one of the 60+ teams participating. They have matches Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday evenings between 7 and 10pm...