Holland Park

The lowdown

Holland Park is the grandest and most varied of the west London parks, and all fifty-four acres are free. The northern half is proper woodland, quiet and shaded, where peacocks wander the paths and roost in the trees, entirely unbothered by visitors.

The southern half is all formal elegance, laid out around the ruins of Holland House, a Jacobean mansion bombed in the war and now a romantic shell used as a backdrop for open-air opera. There are flowerbeds, an orangery, sports courts and one of the better adventure playgrounds in the city.

At its centre sits the Kyoto Garden, a genuine Japanese garden given by the city of Kyoto, with a waterfall, koi pond and stepping stones, which alone is worth the trip. The whole park is a free, calm and slightly secret pocket a few minutes from the shops of Kensington.