h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Battersea Park was created to stop The Poor misbehaving, I once read. Something about fresh air keeping them out of houses of ill-repute, I recall.

I'm not sure if it really does what they planned in the eighteenth century(??) but it's a great place right by the Thames. It fits neatly between The Albert and The Chelsea Bridges which light up and night with hundreds of tiny white bulbs and it boasts no less than a bowling green, some lakes (that you can row in) a cafe where they play live jazz in the summer, numerous tennis and football courts/pitchs, a tasteless 'Peace Pegoda' and even a kids' zoo. There are also a couple of Henry Moore sculptures by the lake (slightly worse for wear but pretty impressive, nevertheless).

Anyway, it's my favourite park in London - unpretentious (unless you count the 'South Chelsea' yuppies with their designer babies) and teaming with activity all year round. Well worth a visit, especially if you're into recumbent cycling - since you can hire every hibrid kind of bike you can imagine for a ride around the park.

There is a fantastic childrens park in Battersea Park. It's professionally supervised by a youth group run by the local council. They've got swings, slides and climbing frames for children aged under 8, but also have wooden climbing structures, rope swings, rope slides and massive 'sheer drop' slides for older children, aged up to about the age of fourteen.

Most childrens' parks are only suitable for those up to the age of ten or so, so this is quite unusual. It can get a bit crowded, particularly during the holidays and on sunny weekends.