Best Nature and Parks (RV, National, Dog, etc) in Walton-on-Thames

"It was very close to Richmond Park but also a perfect spot to easily get anywhere in and around London. There are always deers, majestic stags, and also patches of forest where we love walking through. We loved shooting quite a few engagement sessions in the park, so we got to see the forest changing colors each season and also at different times of the day."

"Richmond Park is the biggest park in London, at a whopping 2,500 acres. As the largest royal park, you can expect hundreds of deer enjoying the open space as well as a range of other wildlife including bats, birds and wildflowers. There are also stunning views which stretch so far you can see St Paul’s Cathedral."

"Want to feel like you're in the countryside without leaving London?. Head to Richmond Park, a 2500 acre national nature reserve that's teeming with rare species of fungi, birds, beetles, bats, grasses, wildflowers and more. Just remember to watch out for the deer — especially if it's rutting season."

"If the ladies’, men’s and mixed bathing ponds seem a bit too murky, take your children to the lido, instead. While still brisk, the water here tends to be warmer, and after you tire the children out in the water, roam the heath and find the perfect picnicking spot for the day. The heath has no great playgrounds – though, if you must, there are plenty in neighbouring Hampstead and Highgate – but the glorious park offers endless space for roaming, plenty of wooded areas for discovering natural forts, and space for sport."

"Hampstead Heath Park London is one of the most loved parks in London. There’s plenty of things to do like visiting the Parliament Hill, Golders Hill Park-with a zoo and a gorgeous butterfly house, an open-air Lido, swimming ponds, splash pools, countless sports pitches and facilities, athletics track, playgrounds, stunning listed Pergola and Hill Garden. The list of things to do at Hampstead Heath doesn’t end!"

"Hampstead Heath is technically in London, but because of its size, you will feel like you have left the busy capital behind you. It is beautiful in every season. There is a lot to explore."

"I may be biased because I live very near here but I believe beautiful Kew is the best area to stay in London and Kew Gardens is one of the best attractions here. Kew Gardens are 121 hectares of beautiful gardens and botanical glasshouses located between Richmond and Kew (in southwest London). The gardens are on a mission not only to be beautiful (which they are) but to contribute to research and nurturing of the plant kingdom."

"Founded in 1840, using plants from Kew Park in Middlesex, Kew Gardens is one of the largest and lushest botanic gardens in the world."

"No trip to London is complete without a trip to St James’s Park. Another of London’s eight Royal Parks it covers an area of nearly 57 acres and offers spectacular views of Buckingham Palace, Whitehall and Clarence House. Start at the Blue Bridge for an unprecedented look across the lake at Big Ben, the London Eye and the famous Horse Guard Parade."

"The penultimate on the list of best parks in London is St James’s Park. This park is the height of regality and offers Instagram worthy views of Buckingham Palace. You can also watch pelicans being fed at the park’s lake or witness a house guards’ parade while you enjoy your picnic."

"One of the Royal London Parks, St James’s Park is one of the most visited each year mostly because of the many royal events that take place, like the annual Trooping of the Colour."

"This Stoke Newington spot has held a Green Flag award since 2006, and is deservedly popular. It's very child friendly, with a decent play area and even a small zoo (and, like Richmond park, boasts deer also). In a pre-lockdown world, the park often hosted events, from twilight walks in search of bats to football festivals to sessions discovering the edible fruit and flowers which grow in the grounds."

"It’s got tennis courts and bowling green for when you’re feeling particularly energetic, but the park itself is big enough to get a good stroll in. You can see the whole thing by walking the perimeter, looping in the Grade-II listed Clissold House and the lakes on the way. If that doesn’t earn you a picnic after, nothing does."

"Clissold Park is a great park to come and enjoy some nature in London. Easy to get to from Stoke Newington you can enjoy peaceful waters and cute, inquisitive deer within minutes of leaving central London."

"Restaurants Chinese Shaftesbury Avenue. This buzzy Chinese restaurant on the northern edge of Chinatown is a hotspot for hotpots. Choose your broth (they range from the healthy-sounding herbal tonic all the way through to the ‘hot and numbing pot’, heady with the smell of Sichuan pepper), your raw ingredients (pork, beef, lamb, squid, fish balls) and get cooking at the table."

"Restaurants Chinese Paddington. Don’t let the traffic mayhem and less-than-lovely tower blocks around Paddington station put you off coming to Pearl Liang: its sophisticated, blossom-decorated dining room and moodily lit cocktail bar are real lookers. And the mainly Cantonese menu rarely disappoints – especially the choice of exquisite dim sum (visit during the day for the full selection)."

"Master Wei, by London’s pre-eminent Xi’an Chinese chef Wei Guirong, is open for pre-order collection as well as delivery through multiple platforms: Biang biang noodle dishes, with vegetables or beef and hot chilli oil; fine liang pi, cold skin noodles with a cool, refreshing, umami rich dressing, and the chef’s inimitable “burgers” with a cumin-spiced beef or pork filling."

"Renowned for their signature thick noodles, Master Wei is up there with Chinatown's finest for top-notch bowls and traditional bites. Opt for a beef or veggie biang biang or branch out and get your chops around a pulled pork burger to see for yourself why it's arguably the best Chinese takeaway in the city. When you can't decide, it seems the only option is both..."

"The chef behind popular Chinese restaurant Xi'an Impression has opened her first solo restaurant. It features some of the favourites from the original restaurant by Arsenal's Emirates stadium as well as more traditional dishes. More about Master Wei"

"Waterlow Park makes for a great alternative to Hampstead Heath and is still a bit of a hidden gem thanks to its more famous neighbour. As well as three ponds, the lawns are all well maintained and Lauderdale House on the edge of the park is worth a look too. Plus it’s near to Highgate Cemetery, which houses Karl Marx, Douglas Adams and more."

"It’s not just the height of Highgate Hill that makes you look down your nose at the rest of London. The air tastes sweeter up here, the trees are leafier, and everything is a bit less, well, Londony. And Highgate’s loveliest spot?"

"Built in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham, Buckingham Palace replaced St James's Palace as the monarch's official London residence in 1837. Queen Elizabeth II divides her time between here, Windsor Castle and, in summer, Balmoral Castle in Scotland. If she’s in residence, the square yellow, red and blue Royal Standard is flown; if not, it's the Union Flag. The 19 lavishly furnished State Rooms are open to visitors when Her Majesty is on holiday from mid-July to September."

"Designed in 1775 for government departments and royal societies – perhaps the world's first office block – Somerset House now contains galleries, restaurants and cafes that encircle a lovely open courtyard and extend to an elevated sun-trap terrace. The Embankment Galleries are devoted to temporary exhibitions (usually related to photography, design or fashion). In summer, the grand courtyard hosts open-air live performances, dancing fountains for kids to cool off in and the Film4 Summer Screen, plus an atmospheric ice-skating rink in winter."

"London is bursting at the seams with historic architecture, but the neo-classical Somerset House is a true standout. Built in the late 1770s, it’s home to art exhibitions, open-air concerts, and 55 sparking fountains. It’s worth a visit in the winter, too: the courtyard hosts one of the world’s best skating rinks."

"Take a river boat to Embankment Pier to admire Somerset House on the Thames. The Neoclassical building houses a working arts centre with fascinating exhibitions and events."

"The Fox and Hounds in Caversham, Berkshire is set in the perfect location just a two minute walk from Christchurch Bridge and the River Thames. The venue boasts two south facing patio gardens, with the larger area tented in the winter months so that you can sit outside whatever the weather. The pub is child and dog friendly and at night the garden is beautifully lit with fairy lights and candles."