Jimi and Leyla's Top Ten Hidden London Summertime Spots
Jimi Famurewa and Leyla Kazim's
Top Ten Hidden London Summertime Spots
London is a city full of adventure, but those adventures can take many guises. There are of course, the well-trodden paths around London's most finest and famous landmarks - well worth a visit we might add. But it's also home to wonderous secret spots away from the throngs, that offer perfect summertime ambles, adventures, dips, picnics and more, and here Jimi and Leyla, take us on a journey of discover through their most favourite places in the capital.
| 1 | Walk the Wandle Trail | |
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This 20km trail follows the route of the River Wandle from Croydon to the Thames at Wandsworth. Heritage and nature in the heart of some of south London’s most industrialised landscapes - glorious. |
| 2 | Ladywell Fields | |
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South-east Londoners like to keep shtum about this winding, unexpectedly wild wonder of an under-the-radar-park. But, in my view, its charms – swooping herons, tennis courts, glimmering shallow streams where children paddle on sunny days – are too precious to hoard. |
| 3 | Al Fresco Film Screenings | |
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I want to constantly be outdoors when the weather is good, even when catching a movie, so I head to one of the many outdoor cinema screenings across the capital. |
| 4 | Oasis Sports Centre Pool | |
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The problem with London’s best lidos on a hot day is that everyone will inevitably have had the same idea. This Covent Garden leisure centre and outdoor pool, smack bang in the centre of the tourist-choked West End, is an if-you-know-you-know marvel of municipal 1960s design that very much lives up to its name. |
| 5 | Off Wimbledon's Beaten Track | |
| Cannizaro Park in Wimbledon was once a private 18th century estate and it’s a hidden gem. Grade II listed it has formal gardens, a rhododendron wood, azalea dell and much more. |
| 6 | The Barbican Conservatory | |
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The thing about a London summer is it will, inevitably, sometimes mean dishcloth skies, sideways drizzle and whipping wind. This brutalist cultural centre’s jungly greenhouse (free to enter, though you do need to book) is the perfect sanctuary for unhelpfully autumnal high summer days. |
| 7 | Visit an Urban Farm | |
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The fantastic Deen City Farm in Merton is a short walk from my house and I visit often for my cute animal fix. It's also next to the beautiful National Trust Morden Hall Park - a two for one. |
| 8 | Beckenham Place Park | |
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Previously given over to a golf course, this sprawling expanse of South London greenery is most notable for its varied offering – playgrounds, wild swimming, a tumbledown Georgian mansion – and the fact that, even on a busy day, you can always find a pocket of tranquillity. |
9
Grazing in Tooting
I love spending a food focused day in Tooting, from the great independent restaurants and bars in Tooting Market, to stocking up on Mediterranean goods at Arena Foods grocery store. Treat someone special to this gin produced, distilled and handcrafted by the London Distillery Company. Made from a blend of organic botanicals, including bergamot, nutmeg and juniper, it is balanced, fragrant and has subtle spice.
10
De Beauvoir Regent's Canal
The sun always seems to shine on the narrow pathway that girds this stretch of London’s coolest canal. Come armed with a few delicious things to eat; stop for a coffee or something stronger at the Towpath cafe; and generally bask in the gentle ebb and flow of houseboats, bobbing moorhens and ambling runners and cyclists. Take your palate on a trip to the English countryside with this aromatic gin. Made using Fortnum's English Cassis liqueur natural botanicals and Yorkshire spring water, it's infused with a sweet berry taste and has notes of blackcurrant and liquorice.
