Hampstead Heath

Sprawling Hampstead Heath, with its rolling woodlands and meadows, feels a million miles away – despite being approximately four – from the City of London. It covers 320 hectares, most of it woods, hills and meadows, and is home to about 100 bird species. It’s a wonderful place for a ramble, especially to the top of Parliament Hill, which offers expansive views across the city and is one of the most popular places in London to fly a kite. Alternatively head up the hill in North Wood or lose yourself in the West Heath. If walking is too pedestrian for you, another major attraction is the bathing ponds (separate beautiful ones for men and women and a slightly less pleasant mixed pond). Sections of the heath area are also laid out for football, cricket and tennis. Those of a more artistic bent should make a beeline for Kenwood House but stop to admire the sculptures by Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth on the way. If you work up a thirst, there’s no better place to quench it than at the atmospheric – and possibly haunted – Spaniard’s Inn, which has a fascinating history and a terrific beer garden. By day and night the West Heath is a gay cruising ground that is so well established that the police often pitch up in the evenings to protect the men who spend their nights here. Continuing the theme, South Green, opposite Hampstead Heath station, is one of Britain’s oldest lavatories, which was built in 1897 and restored in 2000. This was playwright Joe Orton’s lavatory of choice for ‘cottaging’ (cruising for gay sex). George Orwell worked in a bookshop opposite the toilets and doubtless used them now and then for their originally intended purpose.