Hampstead Heath

Hampstead Heath covers 791 acres across North London, from Zone 1 to Zone 3. Although any part of it is great for a stroll, a Sunday picnic or just a sit-down and a chat, there are some areas that shouldn’t be missed!

The Water Garden

This garden was started in 1994 and was never formally designed, but arranged and tended by the Hampstead Heath gardeners. There is, of course, a pond, which occurs naturally as part of the series of them across the heath, but the main reason this area stands out is the gunnera, a tropical plant that never flowers but keeps growing larger and larger – its leaves can become many feet wide.

The garden also holds various species of mint, reeds and tropical grasses. If you’re even a tiny bit interested in plants or gardening, you should definitely check out the Water Garden.

The Pergola

Across from Golder’s Hill is the red brick Georgian Pergola. It’s free to enter, and if you carry on past the commonly used entrance to the path at the end of the wall, you’ll be able to take the spiral staircase up to the pergola. It’s full of flowers including sage, honeysuckle, jasmine, lavender, vines, clematis, wisteria and more. The climber plants use the Georgian columns to grow and each pillar has a marker telling you which plant has chosen to grow around it.

The best thing about the pergola is the views. You can either look right out over Hampstead Heath from the top and see, hear and smell nothing except nature – the traffic is so far away that it feels as though you’re in the middle of the countryside instead of ten minutes from central London. Or, you can look straight down and see the herb garden and the pergola in front of you.

Next to the pergola is one of the heath’s oldest trees, a sweet chesnut. If trees could tell stories, this one would have enough to last til the end of the world.

The Hill Garden

The Hill Garden is my personal favourite section of the entire heath. It’s carefully maintained by the gardeners and completely beautiful. Look out for the ornamental fish pond in the heart of the garden, and the alcove and bench at the far end. This garden is popular with artists and people looking for somewhere quiet to relax or think. I come here often for the peace and calm that you just can’t find anywhere else in the city.

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