Battersea Park

The Thames Path runs right alongside Battersea Park, which makes it a proper industrial-meets-nature kind of spot that surprises a lot of visitors. You've got 200 acres of former industrial wasteland that's been transformed into something genuinely worth an afternoon - tree-lined avenues, a lake with rowing clubs, open grassland where people actually spread out without treading on each other.

The boating lake is the centrepiece, and it's peaceful enough that you'll forget you're in London. The riverside walk stretches for miles if you fancy it, or there's a sculpture trail that keeps things interesting without being too precious about it. Families bring kids to the adventure playground and the open spaces - they won't get bored, but it's not overrun like some city parks. History buffs will appreciate the old Victorian pavilions dotted about; the park's got bones from the 1850s.

Walkers absolutely should come here. The perimeter path takes roughly an hour at a leisurely pace, and it links nicely to other Thames walks if you're covering proper distance. Spring's when it's loveliest - the flowering trees do their thing and it doesn't feel crowded yet.

If you're based at Lovat Parks, just a short drive away, Battersea works perfectly as a day out without the tourist crush of central London parks. Free to enter, obviously, and no time limit - stay as long as you like. Early morning is genuinely the way to go if you want it to yourself.