I think everyone has a favourite outdoor spot in Central London and mine, without question, is Battersea Park.  Where else can you throw on  Let It Bleed by The Rolling Stones and stroll for a kilometre beside the Thames, before submerging yourself in the Victorian Cascades, Sub-Tropical Garden or heading to the lake for some boating?

Before it became a park  the area known as Battersea Fields was a popular spot for duelling (which is pretty badass), however in 1846 an act was passed to transform the area into a Royal Park.  Designed by James Pennethorne whose work also includes the ballroom at Buckingham Palace, Victoria Park and the West Wing of Somerset House, Battersea Park opened in 1858.

As it’s the most convenient direction from my flat, I like to approach on foot and walk through the Cascades past the boating lake and La Gondola Al Parco cafe which is housed in a dreamy single storey art deco building, currently painted a dashing Le Creuset orange, with a covered terrace and floor to ceiling windows.

From there I generally wander aimlessly and get lost among the leafy trails in the south east corner of the park crossing over wooden bridges, and occasionally stopping on one of the amazing Flintstones style rock formations which pop up unexpectedly around corners.  I’ve been known to unwittingly loop around several times before finding the right way out and heading over to the sub-tropical garden to admire the various leafy fronds planted there.

On the opposite side of the park, across a vast expanse of green upon which you can usually find people playing cricket, football or just picnicking lies three more of my favourite spots. We discovered the Old English Garden purely by chance wandering home from Chelsea one afternoon.  The garden is a small square walled area overflowing with hazy flowers and a beautiful wisteria walkway, looked after by the charity Thrive which uses gardening to support and empower people with disabilities.  Though it’s not huge, during the week it’s usually pretty empty and amazingly tranquil.

Just a short walk along are the Festival Pleasure Gardens, which were built in 1951 for the Festival of Britain.  A less densely planted area, the area has been recently restored and sports a pretty amazing fountain set-up.  From there I tend to head straight for the final amazing piece of the Battersea Park puzzle, the Peace Pagoda.  Built in 1985, it stands beside the Thames and is a symbol for peace and harmony throughout the world.  I couldn’t really imagine a better place to stop.
This only really briefly touches on what the Park has to offer and my favourite areas, there's far more including an art gallery, sports areas and a bandstand amongst other things.

Work out your way to Battersea Park with the aid of Google Maps here.
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