Fact: 62 percent of London is actually green space. Here’s how to enjoy it!
Despite looking for all the world like a bustling urban metropolis, 38 percent of our fair city is actually open green space, depicted above by the Greater London National Park Campaign. Throw in the 24 percent of land that’s domestic gardens and, somewhat unbelievably, 62 percent of our city is actually grassy. (Not including all the cannabis that’s been growing on the South Bank.) It’s a wonder there aren’t more cows ambling about the place.
And because we’re secretly competitive, you’ll be glad to know that makes us way greener than Certain Other Cities.
[We are #3! Source: City of London research report]
It goes to show that Singapore and Sydney are not so much ‘cities’ as ‘fields with a few buildings in’, while in Berlin, New York and Paris a picnic entails huddling around a blade of grass and just looking at it for a few hours.
[Getting 'back to nature' on NYC's High Line 'park'. Photo: Luca Nebuloni]
So, you live in one of the world’s greenest cities, the sun is theoretically shining…
…what to do? Unsurprisingly, we’ve got you covered:
★ London’s major parks
★ London’s best local parks
★ London’s secret gardens
★ Beer gardens in London
★ Rooftop bars in London
★ Riverside pubs in London
★ Restaurants with outdoor dining
★ The best ice cream in London
★ Outdoor film screenings in London
★ Open-air theatre in London
★ Lidos and outdoor swimming in London
Positively exhaustive. And that’s not all, alfresco fanatics. We’ve combined 120 stunning spots from all those features into one bodacious Pinterest map, allowing you to pick out a choice verdant spot nearby.
Have fun frolicking!
By Guy Parsons