Hyde Park

London has some wonderful parks. It’s a great way to enjoy nature and in some parks you don’t even have the idea you’re in London. I always love going to the park. It’s lovely to just go for a stroll or a bike ride. When it’s nice weather I really like to take my lunch with me and eat it somewhere, sitting on the grass. In the summer I often lay down somewhere for hours to just enjoy the sunshine. Of course at this time of the year the parks are all so beautiful with the colours of the trees changing. Autumn is a nice season to be in the park. Every park in London has a different feel. In this article I would like to tell you a little bit about ‘HydePark’, ‘Kensington Gardens’ and ‘Richmond Park’. All very big parks.

HYDE PARK
Hyde Park is one of the biggest parks in London. It’s part of the Royal Parks and it was created in 1536. The purpose was not really nice, because it was created so Henry Vlll could hunt deer. It wasn’t open for the public, but in 1637 that changed. Nowadays we luckily don’t go there to hunt deer, but instead we go for picnics and long walks. Sounds much better if you ask me. Hyde Park is quite open. This makes it perfect for concerts, festivals and at the moment, like every year, Winter Wonderland is on. Personally I don’t enjoy these kind of things too much, but I do like to go for a walk or even do some skating. Every Sunday you can enjoy the discussions and debates at ‘Speakers’ Corner’. If I’m in the neighbourhood I always like to stop by and listen to what they have to say. You can find ‘Speakers’ Corner’ in the corner next to Marble Arch/Oxford Street. If you walk from there, following Park Lane, you’ll bump into a monument for animals in war. I like that the animals have a monument as just as a lot of innocent people, a lot of animals were killed during all the wars. I do also find it a little hypocritical. As some of the animals were forced to fight and ‘They Had No Choice’ (one of the inscriptions). It was designed by the English sculptor David Backhouse.
Together with Kensington Gardens it forms a big rectangle in central London. This is why a lot of people think the whole rectangle is called Hyde park. Since 1728 the parks have been separated though.

KENSINGTON GARDENS
Kensington gardens is where Kensington Palace is. This is where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge live, together with their children prince George and princess Charlotte. Also prince Harry lives here. You can actually visit Kensington Palace. And no, that doesn’t mean you’re having tea with William and Kate or going on a date with prince Harry, because they live in a different part of the palace. Some of the top things you can see and do are: Fashion rules, Victoria revealed, Diana’s fashion story, The queen’s state apartments, The king’s state apartments and Gallery and much more. It’s been a few years since I visited myself, but I do remember I liked it and it’s worth to go. The palace also has a very nice cafe and shop. I sometimes go there for a green tea with soy milk. The park itself is very beautiful. I really like the pond with lots of swans, ducks and gees. As a nanny I’ve been to the Diana Memorial Playground a lot of times. It has a big pirate ship, a huge sandpit, climbing frames, a little water stream (great for in the summer) and the kids can play and run around for ages. Kensington Gardens is very green. There are a lot of trees and nice little paths to discover. It’s definitely one of my favourite London parks.

RICHMOND PARK
I must admit that this park is also one of my favourites. It’s a huge park! In fact it’s the largest park of the ‘London Royal Parks’ and it was created in the 17th century. Being there, you definitely don’t have the idea you’re in London. My favourite bit is probably the deer who walk around there. Sometimes I just like to sit on a log and watch them do their thing. Such beautiful animals. The park is a national nature reserve and very important for wildlife conservation. Also the beauty of this park inspired a lot of famous artist and several films and tv series have been filmed here.
If I have to recommend a park with great scenery, wildlife, the possibility to go for long strolls, bike rides.. I think Richmond park is the park to go to! It’s a bit further out of London, but you can easily get there by taking the district line or the overground to Richmond and from there it’s only a 15 min walk(or take the bus). The gates for pedestrians and cyclist are open 24 hours a day, but during the deer cull (February and November) the park will be closed in the evenings.

What is your favourite London park and did you visit these 3 parks already? Please tell me about it by leaving a comment below or show me by posting on Instagram using #PlanetManel. Thank you! X