Hampstead Heath #HogsAbroad in England

Today was another free day, and the weather was BEAUTIFUL. Blue skies all day and mid 60’s… the perfect day to go to a park. Which is exactly what I did! Last night when I saw how nice the weather was going to be, I looked up a bunch of different parks and decided on Hampstead Heath. It’s in Northern London and is basically just this huge green space (close to 800 acres!) of rolling hills and ponds and forest. With the tube + walking time taken into account, it took me about an hour to get there from my apartment (even though it was really just 5 miles away – crazy!), but the closest tube stop was on the line closest to me, so I never had to change trains and could just chill out for a bit. I really felt like a local making the daily commute. My plan was just to explore the park, and I brought along a packed lunch and a book to pass the time.

I had to walk through a little bit of the Hampstead neighborhood to get to the park – it was so charming! I’m definitely going to have to go back and explore that area a little more. When I made it to the entrance of the park, there was a tree-lined paved path that led to a pond – the trees are just starting to change colors which made the scene even better.

I must have just had this really dazed look on my face because a lady actually stopped me to ask if I was lost; I told her I was just exploring! But I really was in awe already… it was such a nice contrast from the city streets of central London! She actually pointed me in the direction of the middle of the park, which was filled with huge grassy spaces and rolling hills. It really felt like I had been transported to the English countryside, it was so peaceful and everyone was out for a leisurely walk or playing with their dogs.

I stopped to eat lunch here (and enter the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Friday Forty which unfortunately I was not selected for this week  I’ll try again next week)

Parliament Hill

So when you look up Hampstead Heath, a place called Parliament Hill will probably come up. Hampstead itself is already pretty high up but there’s this huge hill on the southeast end of the park that is supposed to have an amazing view of the London skyline. Of course I had to test this out for myself

That triangle/pointy building in the middle is the Shard, which I live really close to!

From the other side; I kind of liked this side better because you can see all the quaint little Hampstead homes and other buildings!

From here I took a quick little relax break to just lay on the hillside and appreciate my surroundings.

Then the sun went behind the clouds and it’s super windy up here since you’re on top of a hill so chilly and I decided to get moving again

Kenwood House
Another thing you see when you look up Hampstead Heath is a huge white estate. Located on the northern border of the park, Kenwood House is an old estate that is now open for tours and provides a beautiful backdrop for the expansive lawn in the back. Naturally because I love all things castles and estates and such (thank you Downton Abbey) I took a quick peek inside at some of the rooms. Forever wishing I could live in a home like this.

Right next to the house they also have a cafe and garden that you can eat a meal or drink your tea in, which was quite charming. They also had a cute little gardening shop! But the back of the home was the real showstopper.

WOW
With the sun shining, I camped out here on the lawn and read my book (All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr – so good!) for a little bit until I decided it was time to make the commute back home.
Ahhh. My happy place

This was honestly my favorite place in London so far – just a great place to get away and get some fresh air! I really enjoyed hiking across the landscape and exploring simply because it was more and more breathtaking around every corner; I think every couple minutes I was stopping to take more pictures! I was really just in this state of bliss because it was such a perfect day, and the park is so big I felt like I was on a great adventure! Plus there were little dogs running around playing fetch and little kids on walks with their families and that in itself will just put you in a good mood. If you are ever coming to London, COME HERE! This is definitely a spot that the all the locals come to for a quick break or to appreciate a nice day. I know I will definitely be back whether it be for a picnic or to go on runs through the park. I’m so appreciative of these green spaces in London and will definitely visit more during my time here.
Thanks for reading and have a wonderful weekend! (Also go Razorbacks!)

-Katie

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Katie, a senior Biology major, is spending the Fall 2017 semester studying Health & Society at King's College in London through Arcadia University.
Read more from Katie at https://katientheuk.wordpress.com/
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