Hyde Park is located, basically, in the middle of some of the busiest areas of London. Stepping through the gates magically transports you from the busy traffic, shops and rush of the city to lakes, long stretches of grass and trees and lots of wildlife!
Getting There ~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hyde Park covers a massive 350 acres and is therefore quite hard to miss! There are entrances to it all the way around. The Hyde Park website however states that the nearest rube stations are Lancaster Gate and Marble Arch (central line) and Hyde Park Corner and Knightsbridge (Piccadilly line). They advise against visiting by car due to limited parking spaces - in my opinion you should drive in London as little as possible!
What is there to do? ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If you have children they will adore
the park and definitely find something to do, whether it’s playing in one of the huge playgrounds, swimming, or feeding the ducks and squirrels!
‘The lookout’ is a facility which formerly was an observation centre and is now an educational centre that teaches about wildlife and nature.
Hyde Park is also home to numerous restaurants, the majority of which are sandwich bars and ice-cream places but there are also places available if you are looking for a three-course-meal!
The ‘Serpentine Lido’ is available for swimming both for adults and children, to be honest I’ve never been brave enough to go in (probably mainly because I’ve never been to the park with my bikini on, and of course I wouldn’t want to scare people by diving in wearing my underwear!), but hey if happen to go to the park prepared, go for it!
There are also various sporting activities you can participate in around the park, for example tennis, putting, bowls and horse-riding.
Events ~*~*~*~
There are also regular events held in Hyde Park, the majority of which are free entry. These include sporting events, musical events, walks and tours, for example Music Village (28th-29th July) is a ‘festival of world cultures’ with music, story telling and much more . Inspired Lunacy will be held 6th-8th August and is a combination of magic shows, circus and puppetry. A full list of events is available on the Hyde Park website.
What else is in the area? ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Well if you are in the area you can always pop through to one of the other parks, such as Kensington Gardens for more excellent playgrounds for children and the Princess Diana Memorial. If you decide to venture into Regents Park you will also find London Zoo.
In Hyde Park you will be close to the brilliance that is Knightsbridge where you will find London’s most famous shop, Harrods, which is definitely worth a look if you have never been (just don’t send me the bill afterwards!) There is also a Harvey Nichols on Knightsbridge and various other stores, including the nearby Tiffany & Co. Definitely the place to be if you have some cash to throw around!
To be honest there is so much to do in London and everything is only a short tube journey away, so the best thing to do if your just coming for the day is get yourself a travel card and then you can go backwards and forwards all day!
Why go there? ~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If you’re in the area, it’s always worth a walk around, whether you’re alone or with a group of friends. You will see people of all walks of life, for example groups of school children on outings, tourists frantically snapping pictures of each and every squirrel, groups of students, dog walkers struggling with twelve over-excited hounds, businessmen on their lunch breaks… Hyde Park is one of those places where you really don’t feel out of place being alone as so many people do it!
On a warm day, a walk through Hyde Park instantly lifts my spirits as everyone seems to be so much happier and care-free. I would definitely recommend you popping in if the buzz of the city is getting too much for you, just to give you some time to relax and have a breather!
Where to stay ~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If you are coming to London for the weekend or for a holiday you will be spoilt for choice for hotels! That doesn’t mean to say that they come cheap unfortunately and expect to pay the highest rates for rooms, on average about £80 per person per night for a standard double/twin room, the closer to all the ‘good stuff’ you stay the more expensive the rates will be.
Do I recommend? ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Yes! Hyde Park is one of my favourite places to relax and I love the way even when it’s raining there are always people sitting there, chilling out eating their lunch under huge umbrella’s, hopeful that the rain will eventually stop. On a sunny day it’s a lovely way to spend your lunch break, or for a picnic at the weekend.
If you happen to be in the area, I definitely recommended you dropping in just to get a break from the city!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Oh noes! I was going to write a review on Hyde Park myself but seems you've beaten me there! You'll just have to read mine to make sure I don't plagiarise won't you? :P Very good review, I lurve Hyde Park - though don't try to revise/get work done there, it simply won't happen, though you might get a nice tan in summer. Hope you're well. ~Michael
arnoldhenryrufus 16.09.2007 02:42
have not been there for 25 yrs - nice review - lyn x
Pink-Ice-Queen 03.08.2007 14:08
I went when I took my kids to visit my brother...he impressed them by running up a tree and sitting on top of it....cant remember the tree type....like a huge weeping willow x
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