Golders Hill Park Butterfly House

The butterfly house at Golders Hill Park is a proper little sanctuary tucked away in North London - just east of the capital, though it often feels worlds away from the chaos. You walk in through glass doors and immediately hit that warm, humid air that makes you realise you're somewhere genuinely different. The place is small, intimate even, with butterflies in all stages of colour and size drifting about the tropical plants. Some rest on leaves, others power past your face with surprising speed.

Kids absolutely thrive here. There's something about watching a butterfly emerge or seeing them feed on overripe fruit that keeps youngsters mesmerised for longer than you'd expect. Adults tend to get into it too - the calm, the colours, the strange beauty of watching insects go about their business without rushing.

You won't need more than an hour, realistically. It's not vast, and once you've clocked the different species and maybe caught sight of a caterpillar or two, you've got the measure of it. The wider park itself - all woodland walks and open spaces - is worth exploring afterwards, especially if you've got time to kill before heading back towards Hertfordshire or deeper into London.

If you're basing yourself at Elstree Park for a longer break, this makes for an easy afternoon outing. It's free to visit, which sweetens the deal considerably. Go on a quieter weekday morning if you can - weekends pull families in droves, and the house gets sticky and crowded fast.