Cycling London's Parks

From wild deer in Richmond Park to bluebells in Wanstead — nine London parks, explored the way they're meant to be seen: by bike.

London is too big to see properly in a week, or even a month. The big attractions get all the attention, but the parks are where the city actually shows itself — and a bike is the only way to cover enough ground to find them. On foot you see one park a day. On a bike, you can string together five.

The ones I keep coming back to: Richmond Park, Bushy Park, Hyde Park, St. James's Park, Regent's Park, Battersea Park, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Wanstead Park, Epping Forest. Each one rides completely differently.

Wild London

Richmond, Bushy, Wanstead and Epping Forest are the closest London gets to actual countryside. Deer wander loose in Richmond — fallow deer too, not just the usual park ones — alongside foxes, squirrels, and the city's slightly absurd population of wild green parrots. Wanstead Park in spring, when the bluebells come out, is the one I'd send anyone to first.

City Parks

Battersea, St. James's, Regent's and Hyde are a different kind of riding — more people, more paths, more reasons to stop. They double as the city's outdoor living room: concerts, lakes, somewhere to sit with a coffee between laps. Good for when you want green space without leaving the centre.

Why Bike, Not Foot

London on a bike beats London on foot for one reason: you stop being limited by distance. Lock up outside a shop, grab a coffee, keep going — none of the parking problem that comes with a car, none of the slowness of walking. The bike lane network here has gotten genuinely good, so this isn't a white-knuckle ride through traffic anymore.

If you only have a bike and a free afternoon, start with one wild park and one city park — you'll get the full range of what London actually is.

Wioletta Rodzicz