Great city walks: Central London

Distance 7.8 miles/12.6 km
Typical duration 4 hours
Start and finish YHA London Central
Start postcode W1W 5NU
Step-by-step details and maps ramblers.org.uk/londoncentralparks

In a nutshell

This circular walk through the heart of the capital takes in impressive architecture, including Buckingham Palace, meandering along roads name-checked on the Monopoly board and past some of Britain’s most famous shops, often with fascinating histories (do you know which store invented the scotch egg or had the first “moving staircase”?). It includes four of London’s eight royal parks, which create an almost unbroken stretch of parkland greening the urban landscape. It’s the perfect walk to sample the heart of the capital and its contrasts.

Why it’s special

This route combines a good, long walk with shops, parkland and plenty of history. You’ll pass some of Britain’s best-known retailers, including Harrods, Fortnum & Mason and Liberty, and also wander through the elegant Burlington Arcade and buzzing Carnaby Street, just off the country’s busiest retail hub, Oxford Street. There are too many landmarks to name them all, but highlights include Buckingham Palace, Marble Arch, Selfridges (the largest department store on Oxford Street), Harrods (which boasted England’s first escalator in 1898), and the Queen’s favourite, Fortnum & Mason, which claims to have invented the scotch egg (walk past at the right moment and you’ll see models of William Fortnum and Hugh Mason on the clock above the main entrance bowing to each other).

In contrast to the busy streets and endless shopping opportunities, you’ll also walk through the vast green spaces of the 350-acre Hyde Park (created as a hunting ground for Henry VIII in 1536; today it has 4,000 trees and a boating lake), Kensington Gardens immediately to the west, Green Park and St James’s Park, all of which offer a slightly different experience. You’ll see Buckingham Palace (if the Royal Standard is flying, the Queen is in), then cross the Mall, pass the Royal Academy, wander along Piccadilly and wind your way through the streets back to the start. If you want to shorten the walk you can miss out Kensington Gardens.

Reward yourself

Being central London, you are completely spoilt for choice but the Lido Bar and Cafe in Hyde Park, next to the Serpentine lake and near the Diana memorial, is a lovely place for a bite to eat or a drink.

Get there

The starting point is close to underground stations, including Great Portland Street and Oxford Circus, and there are several others along the route, as well as many bus routes. For more information, visit tfl.gov.uk