We all know that new year feeling – the hangover, the empty bank balance and the cold biting wind. After the joys of December, January can seem like a real slog. For guests of Piccadilly London West End hotels visiting London after Christmas and New Years, your trip needn’t be as bleak as mid winter. This is thanks to the beautiful walking trails and nature that the city can offer – for free as well.
As long as you wrap up warm and wear the right shoes, no walking trail in London should be off limits in the winter. As a designated green city, the possibilities are endless when walking in and around the city – and doing so is completely free! This blog will outline the best parks, nature reserves and walking trails to cure those December hangovers this January.
Bushy Park
One of the most overlooked of the Royal Parks due to its distance from the city centre, guests of the Piccadilly London West Endshould make the trek out to Hampton regardless. Teeming with woodland and preserved meadows, the park itself dates back to the reign of Henry VIII and his building of Hampton Court Palace. Once a hunting ground for Tudor royalty, the park is now home to many famous monuments including the Diana Family, designed by Charles I favourite Hubert Le Seur in 1637.
Richmond Park
The bigger brother to Bushy Park is again one that takes a little longer to reach from the city centre. Animal-loving guests of Piccadilly London West End Special Offerswill especially love this park thanks to its herd of semi-wild deer. Originally introduced by Charles I when he made the park a royal hunting ground, the serene deers add a regality to what was once the gardens of the former Richmond Palace. Make sure to visit the Isabella Plantation too, a marshy enclosure dedicated to the preservation of wildlife and flowers. Introduced in the Victorian era, the Isabella Plantation is a well-kept secret in the 2500 acre park, and is teeming with bursts of purple rhododendron throughout the year.
Walthamstow Wetlands
Best reached from Blackhorse Road Station on the Victoria Line, this Walthamstow nature reserve was grown from a former series of reservoirs dating back to the Victorian era. Now a vital habitat for birds and woodland animals, the marshes and walking trails around this tranquil stretch of woods is bordered by a Coppermill and Marine Engine House, the latter now used as a welcome and information centre for visitors. Keep in mind that both the Coppermill and the Engine House also host occasional art and history exhibits.
Greenwich Park
Greenwich Park is worth visiting if not only for the views from the hill of the Greenwich Observatory. From there, visitors can enjoy views over the Thames, the Canary Wharf area and central London on the horizon. That being said, there’s plenty more to see around the scenic royal park in southeast London. The Royal Maritime Museum borders the park, within which you can gain access to the reconstruction of the Cutty Sark merchant ship, a clipper that sailed for more than 80 years between the 19th and 20th centuries. The faithful reconstruction, plus the beautiful gardens, monuments and markets around Greenwich Park make it a scenic tourist destination loved by tourists and locals alike.
Hyde Park And Kensington Gardens
The crowning jewels of the royal parks in London, if not only for the fact that they are so central, these two parks put together are bigger than the Principality of Monaco. At more than 600 acres in size, there’s plenty to see in both parks, including world famous sculptures, a free to visit contemporary art gallery and the iconic Serpentine Lake – or the Long Water – which separates the two royal palace bordering parks. Guests of corporate accommodation in London’s West End can easily reach two of the most famous of London’s royal park octet.
During your wanders through the two parks, you might notice the differences in their respective designs. Hyde Park is a far more open space with large greens and flower beds. Its larger spaces are often used for community events such as markets, circus tents and music events. The more formal, manicured appearance of Kensington Gardens reflects its former use as Queen Caroline’s private gardens back in the 17th century. Both parks are well worth a ramble, and if you have time to do a circuitous route around both then you’ll notice many differences between them, though both will have you feeling like you’re in the communal heart of London.
The Line
Taking about 4 hours to complete, the Line Art Walk runs from Greenwich to Stratford and roughly follows the Greenwich Meridian, a line that was traditionally used as “point zero” for timekeeping and astronomical referencing. Taking walkers through varied terrain of canals, docklands and parks, the Line Art Walk is the first of its kind in London – a walk dedicated to a seasonal series of sculptures and installations. As you follow the trail, you’ll pass contemporary artworks created for the sole purpose of being installed along the walk. Many pieces reflect the culture and character of their surrounding areas, whilst others are more abstract and elusive. A singular walking trail in London, The Line is unlike any other in the country.
Regent’s Canal
With 12 locks and 8 and a half miles, the walk along Regent’s Canal is as historic as it is scenic. Taking you through Paddington’s Little Venice, Camden and even down through Hackney’s Victoria Park, the Regent’s Canal was built during the 1810s as a waterway for the transport of goods. The canal itself is one of the best examples of Victorian engineering in London, and its scenic locks are made all the more pretty by the many houseboats moored along its edges.
