The Serpentine Lake

I love walking in Hyde park and one of my favourite walks is a circuit of the serpentine.
The number of birds that you get to see on this walk is amazing and we always carry some seeded multi grain bread with us to feed them. Some of the birds will even come and alight on your hand to eat, some will gently pluck a piece from between your fingers and the swans will just snap at your fingers if you aren’t careful.
This circuit is an extremely calming walk at the end of a stressful day.

Stunning! This is definitely worth visit when in Kensington. On a sunny day you might even be tempted to take a swim… The area around here is lovely to sit and enjoy the sun. Lots of people visit this area so lots of people watching!

Pedalos are the way forward for a leisurely afternoon, but for a better turning circle and some serious rowing, get a boat!
I’ve flaked so many times on hiring a pedalo (or boat), due to the heat, due to the queues and due to the fear that I’d burn out on the open water and come back looking like a red, salt burned, tanned faced, pirate.
However surprisingly the queue isn’t really that long as it tends to move quickly, and you’ll find yourself out on the cool water before you know it.
I know it’s not punting in Cambridge or Oxford, or rowing in Windsor — but it’s surprising not as ghetto and grim as you might think drifting across a lake in central London.
Unless you’ve rowed before, get a peddle boat (Pedalo), because rowing can very tiring, and unless you know how, it’s easy to make a pigs ear of it.
Remember to grab some sunscreen, something to drink (I’m not sure if they allow booze, but we took a thermos full of Pimms and they didn’t check), and most importantly some strawberries to eat whilst you’re out on the lake drifting and looking at the poor saps on the shoreline!
At £12 per person (adult) for an hour, it’s not that expensive too and with up to 4 people per Pedalo, you can get some friends involved too! However bear in mind, there are only two peddling spots!
A great and fun outing for the weekend, it would make a great ‘interesting’ date idea too.

Every Christmas morning, when millions of Londoners are
opening up their presents, members of The Serpentine Swimming Club
take the annual plunge into 100 yards of frosty waters in The Serpentine pond.
Be warned; this is not for the faint-​hearted or drunken festive reveler. With average temperatures barely exceeding 4*C, the Club gives a minimum several months of winter training to help the body acclimatize to the extreme conditions. To compete, you must be a member and have competed in the entire Winter Series.
The race begins at 9am on the 25^th December, on the south bank of the
lake towards the Serpentine Café.

Simple pleasures are best, as proved by the half-​dozen occasions I’ve invited visitors to the city to join me here for a punt on the Serpentine. There are rowing boats and pedalos aplenty, all mingling with each other, the snap-​happ tourists, and not forgetting the swans, ducks and geese, to create what for me is an essential London experience. Admittedly I have been lucky with the weather on each occasion, not to mention in not getting caught drinking cider by the frequent motorboat patrols. The less said about the hourly rates the better. But I console myself with the thought that this is one tourist hotspot that is worth visiting.

The Serpentine really does make Hyde Park. The small, but gorgeous lake it a great spot to sit and relax by, regardless of the Season!
I’ve spent many a Summer’s day lolling by this beautiful lake, watching the swans frolic and people walk by.
You can rent chairs for a couple of quid for a few hours, which I think is worth it for the joy (and comfort!).

I usually walk through Hyde Park to get to the Serpentine, from the north east end. But this wondrous little lake spreads itself from the south east end of Hyde Park up to the northernmost central part (near Lancaster Gate tube).
To walk around, or even partly around, the Serpentine is one of life’s most pleasant experiences. And it’s free!
On a sunny day, the area around the lake is filled with ducks, geese, swans, families, scaters and generally friendly types. To wanderthis area and sit back on one of the benches is an exercise in tranquility. It is one of the few places in London where it’s possible to truly escape. Treasure it.