Planning Summer 2018 in London? Best Picnic Spots to Visit

Posted by Andrew Smith on January 11th, 2018

It may seem that having a relaxing summer picnic is the last thing on your mind right now in winter, but if you are planning a holiday to London this year, then you’ll want to make sure you have everything covered. Having a picnic in London can be a fantastic experience – not only can you enjoy some fantastic deli food from local London markets, but you can do so with London as your back drop. By planning ahead, you can make the most of your trip and cram in everything that you want to do in London in the time that you are there.

Here’s some key sites which you may want to consider for your Spring or summer picnic:

Bankside Urban Forest near Borough Market

This site is close to Tate Modern, St George’s Garden in the old churchyard and Redcross Park. A new public space and urban garden in the historic heart of Bankside.

If you want to do some shopping in Bankside, you can now enjoy London's newest urban space. The Market Hall is a glass structure that opens out onto the Green Market. It is a striking entrance, it also provides a convenient new place to enter onto Borough High Street - where shoppers can sit, eat, relax and have a fun time with friends. You’ll find some great food here from the market. Throughout the year, the Market Hall is used for growing fruits, as well as flowers, herbs, olives and so on. This means the environment smells fresh and fantastic. There is a large amount of light flooding in through the glass, with vertical planters running up the pillars, and benches at either end.

The Market Hall is open all week.

Green Park near Fortnum and Mason

The Green Park  is one of the Royal Parks of London. It is located in the City of Westminster. It covers 19 hectares between Hyde Park and St. James's Park. These parks create an almost unbroken stretch of open land reaching from Whitehall and Victoria station to Kensington and Notting Hill.

Green Park has no lakes, buildings, or playgrounds. The park consists almost entirely of mature trees and is a great place to take shade on a sunny hot day in the city. You can team this visit up with a trip to Fortnum and Mason, an upmarket department store in Piccadilly, London, with additional stores at St Pancras railway station and Heathrow Airport in London. Here, you could grab a luxury food hamper and take it down to the park with friends to enjoy the beautiful London scenery. Afterwards, why not take a tour of Buckingham Palace, which is right next door!

Richmond Park – near The Richmond Hill Bakery in Friars Stile Road

This park is a top UK site for ancient trees. It is a wonderful place to visit when in the city, and supports a range of rare species including birds, beetles, bats, grasses and wildflowers. It is London's largest Site of Special Scientific Interest and a European Special Area of Conservation. Richmond Park is one of London’s eight Royal Parks and covers an area of 2500 acres.

Gates in this park are open 24 hours except during the deer cull in November and February. Richmond Park is fully accessible by public transport.

The bakery nearby is the perfect place to grab a roll before going to explore this park. It is a great place for cakes on Richmond Hill, hidden down Friars Stile Road.

Address: 54 Friars Stile Rd, Richmond TW10 6NQ

Hours: 8am–6pm

Victoria Park – near The Deli Downstairs in Victoria Park Road

Victoria Park is another park you may want to enjoy a picnic, and is located in Bow in Greater London, England. The park offers 86.18 hectares of open space and it opened in 1845. It stretches across part of the East End of London, bordering parts of Bethnal Green, South Hackney, Cambridge Heath and Old Ford. It is the borough's oldest and largest park, which has around 12 million visits per year. It can offer you 15 acres of grassed area, well-planted flower borders and trees. The park dates back to 1829 and is named after Queen Victoria, who officially opened it in 1830. If you are taking a visit to this park, make sure you visit a nearby deli to take advantage of some great, fresh food for your picnic. The Deli Downstairs is a family run business in Hackney. They stock a range of fresh, seasonal and organic fruit and vegetables, as well as delicious British and Continental cheeses, pies and sausage rolls. They can also offer you locally roasted coffees, artisan breads, pastries and cakes, small-batch jams and chutney. What a real treat!

Staying in London

If you are looking to book a longer visit in London, there are many boutique hotels. London offers so much in terms of accommodation that it can be difficult to decide where to book.

One suggestion is the Hotel Montcalm London, which offers a chain of hotels including Montcalm Royal London House, or The Marble Arch London hotel, which is situated in the heart of London's finest shopping district of Oxford Street and easy reach of London's landmarks.

You’ll find the hotels offer a lot in terms of sophisticated rooms, with a range of modern amenities such as complimentary broadband and Wi-Fi, LCD TV with satellite channels, tea and coffee making facilities and room service.