Hampstead Heath – Green and Pleasant Land

The Heath is a 79-acre public space made up of several ponds, ancient woodlands, heaths and meadows.

Here you can pretend that you are deep in the English countryside.  In summer, eat picnics in the shade of ancient trees, chew grass stalks and compose poetry (John Keats lived nearby on West Heath Road).  In winter I’d recommend borrowing a Labrador and squelching through the muddy tracks that wind through the open grassland and forests.

There is a certain breed of Englishmen and women who like nothing more than a bracing swim in one of the many Heath ponds, located at both the Hampstead and Highgate ends of the Heath.  Some ponds are single-sex, some are mixed.

Many activities occur on the Heath, running, kite-flying, walking, but most famously, cruising.  George Michael has apparently cited the Heath as one of his favourite spots for picking up, er, friends.  Watch out George, make sure the Hampstead Heath Constabulary don’t catch you, officers with trained dogs patrol the grounds 24 hours a day.

Finally, take a walk to the top of Parliment Hill to take in a panoramic view of the city. Look towards Canary Wharf and St Paul’s Cathedral, and just imagine how over the centuries this city has grown to swallow the surrounding villages that now make up Greater London.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Hampstead Heath | Relaxing | Free
East Heath Road | North-West
24 hours daily