Starting on the Northern end of Tottenham Court Road, this route takes us from Goodge Street Underground station in a loop around Regent’s Park in London. On our way to the park we pass Warren Street Station (40 seconds) and Great Portland Street (1 min 26).
We enter the park from the Southeastern edge, and plunge North through the open grassland, flanked by beautiful Regency buildings. The park was actually only redesigned in it’s current, elegant style in the 1800s, when the Prince Regent (later King George IV) commissioned it to be redesigned to feature 56 private villas and a Royal Palace. It was never completed, so to this day there’s plenty of open fields leftover for sport and general scampering.
As we make our way through the open areas of the park, you’ll notice it is less thick with trees. This used to be one of Henry the VIII’s hunting grounds in the 1500s, back when it was called Marylebone Park, but most of the trees were sold to pay off debts after the civil war that followed.
As we pass the statue (3 mins) you’ll notice several paths conjoin here. To our left is a huge swathe of field which gets absolutely crammed with footballers on a nice Saturday. Weird to think this was all woodland and deer-hunting territory!
We head North still, to the park’s flanking inner circle, down a shady, breezy path. London Zoo is on your left. Crossing the road, we can zip down onto Regent’s Canal and join the towpath here, or if you want to lengthen your route, continue North to loop in Primrose Hill where you can capture the famously stunning views across London.
We pass the zoo on our left still, with a bird enclosure on our right. On the other side of the canal you’ll spot a villa or two nestled amongst the trees. Only 8 of the planned 56 were built, and sadly not the Prince’s planned summer palace, but at least it means we commoners got to enjoy the park, eventually! You’ll also see the London Central Mosque just before we leave the canal and double back to rejoin the park’s circling road via Hanover Gate. At this point we start heading South and head back into the park near the Boathouse cafe. Perfect spot for an ice cream and a row / pedal around the lake.
Following the boating lake to it’s footbridge, we glimpse the BT tower in the distance then head East again, back into the park towards the Open Air Theatre and Queen Mary’s Gardens. Both were introduced in the early 1800s I believe.
Although we don’t pass the theatre (which is left past the cafe and a sublime experience on a summer’s evening), we dive through the waterside borders to get a lovely view of Queen Mary’s rose gardens, passing straight through them. With over 400 types of rose, totalling around 12,000, it’s breathtaking. Actually I usually walk through here because it seems a bit naughty to run and can be a bit busy as visitors stop to enjoy the scent.
This is a really special place and I only wish this video could convey smell! If for whatever reason you happen to find yourself here early in the morning, there is nowhere in all of London so peaceful. Also, if you happen to be undergoing any particular type of spiritual crisis, the Rose names can offer helpful guidance if you choose to take their names as sequential and flattering messages from the great beyond. My own favourite was “Keep smiling” and “Sweet lady” which I happened to glance at on a glum day. Don’t mind if I do.
ANYWAY, 7 minutes into this video we’re heading East and then South into the Avenue Gardens. Here lies a famous embarrassment of delightful floral borders, regal fountains, bathing pigeons and shady trees. We pick one of these many colourful avenues to wend our way past the picnickers, back to the South East corner of the park where we entered (8 min 48)
I’ve left the route back to the starting point on here too, so if you’re visiting by tube you can see just whereabouts Great Portland Street, Warren Street and Goodge Street stations are.
AMENITIES
Regent’s Park tube station is on the Bakerloo Line
Great Portland Street is just next door to that and served by the Circle, Metropolitan and Hammersmith and City Lines.
Warren Street is the Northern and Victoria Line
Goodge Street is the Northern Line.
For drinks and wees, The biggest cafe in the park is the Regent’s Cafe by the open air theatre. You can get proper food there. However if you need refreshments or snacks on the go there’s the Boathouse Cafe and a little kiosk at the intersection of Chester Road and Broadwalk is open during the summer. There are a couple of others dotted around the park too.