As well as being London’s oldest enclosed Royal Park, Greenwich Park is a World Heritage Site, a Grade 1 listed landscape and a real haven for wildlife, just moments from the City. Located on top of a hill, it offers visitors impressive views across the River Thames and a whole host of historical attractions like the Prime Meridian Line and the Royal Observatory.
Younger children – and those who prefer the natural to the historical – can visit The Wilderness deer park, which is home to a magnificent herd of Red and Fallow deer. The secluded woodland space is also home to birds, foxes, wood-mice and various types of insects and fungi which live in the ancient trees and dead wood. The Secret Garden Wildlife Centre allows guests to learn about the flora and fauna, and the classroom features one-way glass in the windows that allows visitors to view the deer and wildlife without disturbing them.
The Park also boasts a Herb Garden , a Rose Garden and a Flower Garden – all filled to bursting with carefully cultivated plants and flowers. To learn more, visitors can go on guided walking tours to explore the park’s trees and flowers or attend practical gardening demonstrations. There are plant sales throughout the year, guaranteed to satisfy anyone’s green-fingers. Music-lovers can enjoy jazz and brass band performances at the Bandstand, located near the Flower Garden.
The Park is also home to six tennis courts, a putting green, a rugby and cricket pitch, a children’s boating pool, playground and puppet-show stage, and two of London’s best park cafes. The Pavilion Tea House, near the Observatory, features large gardens at the front and rear – ideal for families with children – and serves only fresh, ethically traded and organic food. With everything from salmon fishcakes to chicken and asparagus salad, as well as a vast selection of soups and sandwiches, and a kid’s menu - there really is something for everyone.
Visitors can also tuck in to a variety of cakes, pastries and hot and cold drinks at Saint Mary’s Gate Café, located at the main entrance near the National Maritime Museum. For a truly British treat, head for ‘The Honest Sausage’ next to the Royal Observatory. Here, fair-trade enthusiasts serve up delicious free-range pork sausages – either in a bun or with mashed potatoes and onion gravy – and the best bacon sandwiches around. Everything on the menu is fresh and tasty, and with most of it coming to under £5.00, it’s perfect for people on a budget!
The Park is very easy to get to with plenty of buses stopping nearby, as well as North Greenwich station (Jubilee Line) and Cutty Sark and Greenwich stations (DLR) all a short walk away. However, on a warm Summer day, the best way to travel is to take the riverboat from Westminster , Embankment, or Tower Piers straight down to Greenwich Pier, allowing you to relax and soak up the views and the sunshine. Journey planners and travel info are available on the Transport for London website, so print your map, pack your picnic hamper and pick your spot on the grass this summer.
