There are actually nine Royal parks in London, although it is Green Park, St James’ Park, Regent’s Park and, of course, Hyde Park which are the most prominent. Each of these has its own unique appeal, from Green Park’s iconic green-and-white striped summer deck chairs to the mixture of pelicans and stunning views down the Mall towards Buckingham Palace in St James’ Park.

It is Hyde Park though which is justly the most famous of all of these. Go any day, Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter and you’re bound to find it alive with Londoners spread out to enjoy the fresh air the park brings. It’s a great place to relax with your friends in the sun, to play rugby or football on the expansive grassy areas. You can also rent rowing boats or pedalos to go out on the waters of the Serpentine, or even don some roller blades and join one of the large wheeled groups that makes their way down the wide thoroughfares. If all this sounds great but not quite peaceful enough for you, don’t worry – simply drop in on the north side of the park from using Bayswater or Queensway tube stops and find broad green trees and longer grass in which you can easily lay down and find some solitude in the summer.

Other than the four mentioned, we’d also highly recommend taking a trip out to south-west London and visiting Richmond Park. This enormous park is home to herds of red and fallow deer. If you visit in the mating season, you can see rutting males taking each other on to secure breeding rights with the does. Not that unlike some students if you think about it …