Dulwich Park
A genteel Victorian park in leafy south London, free, with a boating lake, famous spring rhododendrons and flat tracks made for cycling, beside the free Dulwich Picture Gallery grounds.
FREE
The lowdown
Dulwich Park opened in 1890 and has kept its calm, well-mannered Victorian character ever since. Wide carriage drives loop around lawns, a boating lake and an old American Garden, in one of the leafiest and most village-like corners of south London.
It is famous for its springtime rhododendrons and azaleas, a blaze of colour that Queen Mary so loved she would visit each year to see them. There is a good café in the old stable yard, a recumbent cycle hire for the flat, traffic-free tracks, and plenty of space for families.
Just outside its gates is Dulwich Picture Gallery, the oldest purpose-built public art gallery in England, whose lovely grounds are free to enjoy even though the gallery itself charges. Together they make a gentle, genteel free half day in the suburbs.
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