Queen's Park

This sprawling green space in South London is the sort of place you wander into on a Saturday morning and suddenly realise three hours have vanished. Queen's Park sits in Kilburn, and it's genuinely one of those rare bits of actual countryside that hasn't been entirely swallowed by the city.

What you get is a proper working landscape - meadows that get left to grow wild in summer, woodland paths that twist about without too much fanfare, and enough open grass for families to spread out without treading on each other. There's a lake if you're into that sort of thing, though it's more functional than scenic. The real draw is the walking, especially the perimeter route which takes a good forty minutes if you're not dawdling.

Its strength is that it doesn't feel over-managed. No fancy visitor centre, no gift shop. It's free to use, which is refreshing when you're stuck in London. Visit on a weekday if you can - weekends get a bit rammed with joggers and pram brigades.

Best for walkers, really, or anyone after a proper break from the city without having to catch a train somewhere. Families with younger kids might find it a touch dull unless they're the mud-and-sticks type. If you're staying at Lovat Parks just four miles away, this is well worth bunging in your itinerary for a half-day ramble. Bring decent shoes though - it gets boggy.