Victoria Park
The People's Park, free in East London, with a boating lake, old drinking fountains, weekend stalls and a canal towpath that walks you all the way into the city.
The lowdown
Victoria Park was the first public park built specifically for ordinary Londoners, opened in the 1840s after locals petitioned for somewhere green to breathe. East London has loved it fiercely ever since, which is why everyone still calls it the People's Park or just Vicky Park.
It is a proper all-rounder, free and open to all, with a boating lake, ornate Victorian fountains, wide tree-lined avenues, a good cafe in the Pavilion and a Saturday market by the gates. In summer it hosts festivals, but most days it is just dog walkers, runners and families enjoying a beautifully kept stretch of green.
Its best trick is the canal that runs along the western edge. Drop onto the towpath and you can walk or cycle, entirely for free, all the way down through Hackney and Bethnal Green to the canalside bars and eventually the river.
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