Hampstead Heath

Four hundred and ninety-one acres of proper London wilderness, right there in the middle of the city. Hampstead Heath is less manicured park, more actual wild space - rolling grassland, ancient woodland, three separate ponds that genuinely feel like you've stumbled into rural England. You can walk for hours and forget the North Circular exists.

The ponds are the main draw. Parliament Hill Pond, Highgate Men's Pond, Hampstead Women's Pond - locals actually swim in them, even in winter if you're mad enough. Parliament Hill itself is the obvious vantage point, a short climb that rewards you with London's skyline splayed out properly: St Paul's, the Post Office Tower, all of it. The view's legitimate, not oversold.

It's free, obviously, and you can spend anywhere from an hour on the hills to a full day if you're proper into walking. Families come here regularly - kids can burn energy running about, paddling in the ponds, scrambling up slopes. Dog walkers make up half the visitors on any given morning. History types might appreciate that it's been common land since medieval times, saved from development by a Victorian land campaign.

From Lovat Parks just a few miles south, this is a straightforward journey into proper wild London. Go early on a weekend if you want solitude, though the Heath absorbs crowds reasonably well. Spring brings bluebells to the woodland sections. Autumn's excellent for walkers. Winter's peaceful but muddy - wear decent boots.