Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom

4Steven B 5:00 PM Jun 3, 2021

A ride around Hyde
What is commonly referred to as Hyde Park actually consists of Hyde Park to the east of the Serpentine, a large lake, and Kensington Gardens, which lies to its west. The park was the setting for our bike ride on a sunny bank holiday Monday afternoon. My girlfriend and I rented a couple of Sadiq cycles from the docking station at the Queensway entrance to the park and took in the sights, including Kensington Palace, currently closed to the public and locked away behind its black and gold iron gates, and Speaker’s Corner, which was empty of speakers attempting to convert the masses when we were there. We stopped to soak up some sun at the edge of Round Pond (actually a 7-acre lake), where there was a nice cool breeze coming off the water, however unfortunately no swans or geese were to be seen. Continuing our cycle eastwards, we came across a big salsa party, with lots of dancers shaking their stuff to Latin American rhythms, and then a long parade of roller skaters, sashaying along the walkway. The eastern part of the park was packed with people and social distancing measures seemed to be a thing of the past. We took another pitstop at a café near Speaker’s Corner to treat ourselves to a 99 ice cream each and by the time we finished eating those, it was starting to get chilly so we began the ride back to the docking station to call it a day. Hyde Park is a beautiful green oasis right in the centre of town. It particularly sparkles when the sun is shining and is a great location whether you’re looking for recreation or relaxation so pay it a visit.

5Michael958_13 5:00 PM Aug 10, 2021

Huge Park with lots of different walks
Regular visitor to the park and the adjoining Kensington Gardens. Vast area and so many walks possible from a simple walk around the lake to doing the whole perimeter. Would recommend walking alone the lake, over the road and up to the Italian gardens before heading to Kensington palace and coming back along the other side of the lake.