Walking

Dog friendly

London’s best parks for dog walking

By OS Team

Published on February 22, 2022

5 min read

If you want to walk your dog in London and feel like your options are limited due to it being a huge city, you couldn’t be more wrong! We take a look at some of the best parks for dog walking in London and where they are on the map.

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Dog parks are rife in London, since it truly is a city of dog lovers, and the city is actually forty seven percent ‘green spaces’, so there’s plenty of choice for where to take your canine companion out on a walk.

Our parks for dog walking in this list are all dog-friendly, so everyone there should be welcoming and your dog should find plenty of friends to play with!

Greenwich Park

If your pup enjoys a good bit of history – or you do, and your four-legged friend is just along for the ride – then Greenwich Park is an amazing place to go.

Although some of the park is off-limits to dogs – the Wilderness Deer Park, for example, advises you not to bring dogs to the fence for obvious reasons, and The Flower and Rose Gardens and the Royal Observatory Garden are also dog-free zones – the park is so huge that you will barely notice these limitations, and its history stretches back to the Roman times.

The National Maritime Museum and Old Naval College are more historical elements to this massive park, and you’ll be able to gape at the beautiful London skyline as your dog races around with its new Greenwich Park friends, since it’s a very popular place to take your dog to.

Map of Greenwich Park

St. James’s Park

St James’s park is a fifty-eight acre haven for dogs and their owners in the heart of London, with a lake for watching the variety of birds splash about (ducks, geese and pelicans) and access to watch the changing of the guards (weather permitting) at 11.30 AM each morning.

Your dog must be kept on its lead in the Royal Gardens (in front of Buckingham Palace), on the path circling the lake and on the marching area of Horse Guards Parade, but everywhere else they are free to be let off the lead and have as much fun as they want.

Map of St James Park

Hyde Park

“Hyde Park might be one of the most well-known dog parks in London, and rightly so,” Nathan Head, a writer at DraftBeyond and Research Papers UK, says.

“It is an astounding three hundred and fifty plus acres of land, which is mostly open to the doggy public of London – places where dogs should not go or need to be on leads are clearly marked, so you should have no trouble obeying the rules of Hyde Park.”

And if all that exploring and having fun gets a little bit too much for your furry friend, there is water and tasty dog food available at the Serpentine Bar And Kitchen.

Map of Hyde Park

Alexandra Palace and Park

Located in North London, the Alexandra Palace and Park is a one hundred and ninety six acre park, where you can sit and look at the amazing views of London’s skyline or just run around with the dog.

For those who are making the daily dog walk into a family day out, there are also some other activities which will make it a worthwhile day out, such as a fun boating lake, café, bar and even a farmers’ market.

There’s car parking nearby for those coming from fairly far away, and the nearest train station is the National Rail Alexandra Palace, so you should have no trouble with transport to this amazing dog park.

Map of Alexandra Palace and Park

Primrose Hill

“I can’t think of a better place for a dog to play than the grassy summit of Primrose Hill, since you can gasp at the awe-inspiring panoramic views while they mess around and play with other doggy friends,” Nancy Castro, a lifestyle blogger at Writinity and Last Minute Writing, states, “and it’s got an even better feature: the nearby, dog-friendly restaurant run by none other than Gordon Ramsey.

While he might not be there when you visit, they will have some tasty treats on offer for your dog – and you as well!” The park also contains trails for those cycling or looking for long, meandering walks through the scenic surroundings.

Map of Primrose Hill

Hampstead Heath

If you’re looking for a completely unlimited doggy space, where your dog can roam free and be basically free to do whatever it wants (within reason – they’ll need to be on good dog behaviour, of course!) then Hampstead Heath might be the answer to all of your problems.

It’s a seven hundred and ninety acre doggy heaven, where other dogs and their owners meet to play around and exercise.

Historic monuments exist next to vast woodlands, and there’s even a swimming pond for those dogs who love being in the water! And, while just exploring it might take you all day, there are quite a few dog-friendly pubs in the area if you need a little something else to do on your doggy day out.

Map of Hampstead Heath

Venture somewhere new with your four-legged friend this month and try one of London’s friendliest dog parks above. Find out more about London including the Royal Parks with the Walk London guide.

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By OS Team