Kew Gardens to Richmond Park walk, London<\/a><\/li>

Finsbury Park to Stoke Newington walk, London<\/a><\/li>

Sydenham Hill Wood walk, London<\/a><\/li>

Bushy Park walk, London<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Take an aerial tour of Hampstead Heath\/Credit: Demetrios<\/figcaption><\/figure><hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/><h2>Hampstead Heath walk<\/h2><p><em>2.9 miles \/ 4.7km | 2 hours | easy | 73m ascent<\/em><\/p><h3>1. Start<\/h3><p>This circular stroll starts and ends at the Highgate Ponds, which are easy to reach by public transport. You\u2019re still in London\u2019s Zone 2 here, but as you listen to the chirp of birdsong and the splash of unseen bathers, you\u2019d never know it. <\/p><p>With the ponds on your right, head south, following the necklace of pools and crossing to the left between the Bird Sanctuary Pond and the Model Boating pond on your way down to Parliament Hill. <\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/walks\/best-city-town-walks-in-the-uk?preview=true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Greatest city walks in the UK<\/a><\/li><\/ul><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">London city-scape seen from Hampstead Heath\/Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure><h3>2. Parliament Hill<\/h3><p>Pause here to take in one of the most iconic views in London from the 98 metre-high lookout. This hill is where the Big Smoke comes to picnic in the summer and to toboggan on snowy days. <\/p><p>From the peak of the Hill continue west to reach the Hampstead Ponds and the park\u2019s other bathing pool, the Mixed Pond. <\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2111\" height=\"1419\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2023\/11\/Hampstead-Heath-London.jpg\" alt=\"Hampstead Heath bench\" class=\"wp-image-174108\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">High summer at Hampstead Heath\/Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure><h3>3. East Heath<\/h3><p>Turning north, cross through the cool green woodland of the East Heath, passing the Boundary Stones <\/p><h3>4. Kenwood House<\/h3><p>Continue to the top of the park to Kenwood House, once a stately home and now an English Heritage site that\u2019s free to look around, and which houses a wonderful art collection including works by Vermeer, Rembrandt and Hepworth. <\/p><p>From Kenwood, head south again to find the Highgate Pools for a wild swim. <\/p><p>Kenwood Ladies\u2019 pond is for women only and is open 365 days a year. Dip in a deep pool where you might share the water with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/wildlife\/birds\/moorhen?preview=true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">moorhen<\/a> or even spot the flash of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/wildlife\/birds\/kingfisher-guide-where-to-see-them-in-the-uk?preview=true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">kingfisher<\/a> if you\u2019re lucky.\u00a0Nearly 100 years after it first opened to the public, this is still the sole women-only outdoor swimming spot in the country.\u00a0<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2152\" height=\"1434\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2023\/11\/Hampstead-Heath-ponds.png\" alt=\"Hampstead Heath ponds\" class=\"wp-image-174105\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">End your walk with a dip in one of Hampstead Heath’s ponds\/Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>Or walk five minutes south towards Parliament Hill again to the Highgate Men\u2019s Bathing pond, which is male-only and dates back to 1901. During the First and Second World Wars, the pond was used by the army as a training ground for waterborne exercises \u2013 now it\u2019s a peaceful tree-lined spot with a diving board.\u00a0Entry to either pool costs \u00a34.50 for adults, and they\u2019re open year-round.\u00a0<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"6000\" height=\"4000\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2023\/02\/Moorhen-14b0ca3.jpg\" alt=\"Portrait of a moorhen swimming in water\" class=\"wp-image-138360\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Look for moorhens and other waterbirds on the ponds\/Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure><hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/><h2>Hampstead Heath map<\/h2><p><a href=\"https:\/\/explore.osmaps.com\/route\/19467971\/bbc-countryfile-magazine-hampstead-heath-london?lat=51.565459&lon=-0.159467&zoom=14.0723&style=Leisure&type=2d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hampstead Heath walking route and map<\/a><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/explore.osmaps.com\/route\/19467971\/bbc-countryfile-magazine-hampstead-heath-london?lat=51.565459&lon=-0.159467&zoom=14.0723&style=Leisure&type=2d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"710\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2023\/11\/Hampstead-Heath.png?fit=1024,1024\" alt=\"Hampstead Heath map\" class=\"wp-image-174097\"\/><\/a><\/figure><hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/><h3>Useful information<\/h3><h4 id=\"h-starting-point\">Starting point<\/h4><p>The ponds are a short walk from two tube stations – Gospel Oak on the Overground Line and Kentish Town on the Northern Line. The\u00a0214 bus\u00a0route also goes close to the Pond.<\/p><p>The Heath has four car parks with disabled parking available.\u00a0<\/p><h4>Terrain<\/h4><p>Expect mixed terrain, including tarmac paths suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs and woodland and heathland trails which can be steep and muddy.\u00a0<\/p><h4>Map<\/h4><p>OS 173<\/p><h4>Eat\/drink<\/h4><p>This walk passes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cityoflondon.gov.uk\/things-to-do\/green-spaces\/hampstead-heath\/where-to-go-at-hampstead-heath\/parliament-hill-cafe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Parliament Hill Caf\u00e9<\/a>, where you can grab a warm cuppa mid-hike. The Heath is also edged by cosy pubs, perfect for a post-walk pint \u2013 The Spaniard\u2019s Inn, built in 1585 as a tollgate, is just off this route.\u00a0<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Looking for a rural idyll in the heart of the city? 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Head to Hampstead Heath where a necklace of pools mingles with woodlands, meadows and dramatic views over London","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/32895"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}