Visit
Holland Park
The best thing about Holland Park is the Kyoto Garden, a Japanese garden donated by the Chamber of Commerce of Kyoto in 1991. A perfect, tranquil and romantic spot for a picnic we feel. Inside the park are all sorts of summer activities from football, golf, cricket and netball… should keep you going way after the sun goes down.
Telegraph Hill
It’s worth the trek up the hill, just look at those views. Everything from Battersea Power Station to the Gherkin. The park is split into two parts, separated by a pathway. It also houses a skate park and tennis court, a good way to work up an appetite for that picnic.
Finsbury Park
Finsbury Park might not be an obvious choice of where to spend a Sunday afternoon but this park offers more than just grass. There’s a free-to-use outdoor gym that’ll put you through your paces with 20 exercise stations – plus, there’s an abandoned railway line too. Once you’re done exploring, find a spot and open up that picnic.
Clissold Park
Beloved by Stokey locals, Clissold Park is a total gem. It’s got tennis courts and a bowling green for when you’re feeling particularly energetic, but the park itself is big enough to get a good stroll in. You can see the whole thing by walking the perimeter, looping in the Grade-II listed Clissold House and the lakes on the way. If that doesn’t earn you a picnic after, nothing does. Plus it’s one of the only urban parks that’s home to animals. Where else are you gonna see goats, deer, swans and terrapins in North London?
St James's Park
St James’s Park might not be the biggest or the flashiest but it is the oldest of London’s eight Royal Parks and the perfect place for a picnic, unless you’re afraid of the birds that is. Not only do the famous pelicans take roost on Duck Island but there are also 17 other species of birds flapping about. But of course, all that bird watching is thirsty work, so once you’ve ruffled enough feathers and erm, not taken a pic outside Buckingham Palace, get stuck into that spread.
Clapham Common
As it’s one the biggest green spaces south of the river, The Common has become a popular festival site, but it’s defo worth a visit once all the stages have disappeared. It’s packed with sports facilities and home to a fair few joggers, yet it never feels overcrowded. Check out the three ponds and make sure you pass by the iconic late-Victorian bandstand… it makes for one hell of a pic.
As well as being a produce market, where you can pick up everything from Italian charcuterie to fish fresh from the south coast, there’s always good street food traders pitching up at Brockley Market too. Grab a ham & cheese crepe, sourdough pizzas, dumplings, strudels and more to eat while you browse.
Berwick Street Market is one of London’s oldest markets and dates back to 1778, but it’s no longer just about the fruit & veg traders and they now share the space with some bangin’ street foodies. And with What Jerk!, Savage Salads and Freebird Burritos, they’ve really got something for everyone.
Whitecross Street Market gets super busy at lunchtime, but it’s no surprise with the variety of food on offer. Expect everything from Wild Game Co’s Venison Burgers and Luardos Burritos to Buddha Bowl’s veggie delights.
Open on weekdays, Leather Lane Market is pretty bloody popular with local workers. With an ever-changing roster of street foodies, the grub never gets boring either, but if Grill My Cheese or Daddy Donkey are on the street get in that queue!
Borough Market is probably the most legendary food market in London. With some of the best fresh produce traders in town, and the likes of Brindisa serving up their famous chorizo and rocket rolls, Gourmet Goat cooking up stews and Scotchtails bringing you the fanciest scotch eggs in town, it’s defo not just a place to pick up some veggies and fancy cheese. The Borough Market Kitchen, the communal dining area inside Jubilee Place, also features 25 traders including Horn OK Please, La Tua Pasta, Tacos Padre and Mei Mei.
Nestled under some railway arches in Bermondsey, Maltby Street Market might not be the biggest but it definitely delivers when it comes to the food. There’s jamon from Bar Tozino, arepas from La Pepia, steak & chips from The Beefsteaks, dumplings from Gyoza Guys, freshly baked doughnuts from St John Bakery and fruit & veg from Taylors of Maltby. And don’t forget the bevvie from Little Bird Gin.
The best way to escape the madness is to take a walk along the abandoned railway track in Harringay. Stretching from Ally Pally to Finsbury Park via Highgate and Muswell Hill, you’ll discover old platforms and tunnels.
The CLF Art Cafe a.k.a the Bussey Building is an 120-year-old warehouse in Peckham that hosts events in music, theatre, art, film, comedy and more. Whether you wanna get your dancing shoes on for Soul Train, pick up some vinyls and comics at Rye Wax, catch a film on the roof or enjoy some grassroots comedy, you’ll never be bored here.
The Barbican Conservatory is a hidden tropical oasis right in the middle of town. Home to tropical fish and over 2000 exotic species of plants and trees it’s a proper little gem and the perfect place to escape the city (without leaving it).
God’s Own Junkyard will light up your world. The neon jungle contains everything from Chris Bracey’s signage for Soho sex clubs in the 60s to movie props – the Braceys started making sings and neons for films with Blade Runner and they’ve been working with on film sets for the past 40 years. It’s blindingly good and worth a trip just for an Insta.
HOME is basically a giant one-stop culture shop…it’s got two theatre spaces, five cinema screens, a gallery space AND a bookshop, plus a restaurant, cafe and bar. Whether you want to take in a bold new play or dance piece, watch a new release or cult classic, catch some contemporary art, or just grab a coffee, you can do it here.
The Manchester Craft and Design Centre is a studio space/gallery/cafe hybrid that sits on the site of the city’s old fish market. Designers actually work in the studio spaces, so you can have a little nosey as you wander round, and the centre also holds regular events and exhibitions. If you’re after a handmade gift, and can’t make anything yourself, this is the place to pick one up.
