London Sports and Activities

All of Londons parks have leisure facilities and are an excellent place for an early morning jog. The following parks are all in central London and can be enjoyed free of charge at any time of the day.

Battersea Park
Albert Bridge Road, SW11
Sloane Square tube
Tel: +020 8871-7530
Open 8 a.m. - dusk daily
Athletics track. Boating lake. Cycle/rollerblading tracks. Football, rugby and softball pitches. Tennis courts.

Hyde Park
W2
Hyde Park Corner, Knightsbridge or Queensway tube
Tel: +020 7298-2100
Open 5am-midnight daily
Central Londons largest park, 11?2 miles long and just under a mile wide. Its also one of the oldest public parks and was first opened in the early seventeenth century. Boating. Boules and bowls. Cycle tracks. Fishing. Horse-rising paths. Putting. Tennis courts.

Regents Park
NW1
Baker Street, Camden Town, Great Portland Street or Regents Park tube
Tel: +020 7486-7905
Laid out in 1817-28 by John Nash, Regents Park still has the traditional formal English atmosphere. Athletics track. Boating lakes. Football, hockey and rugby pitches. Golf school. Softball, cricket and rounders pitches (summer). Tennis courts and school.

Golf

Not surprisingly, there are no golf course in central London, but many are within one hours drive. If you would like to brush up your skills in the center of London, Regents Park Golf School (Outer Circle, Regents Park, NW1, Tel. 020-7724-0643) is conveniently central. Membership is required and costs £60.

Listed below are courses where membership is not essential. All courses are 18-hole.

Airlinks
Southall Lane, Hounslow, Middlesex
Hayes and Harlington rail or 30-35 minutes by car
Tel: +020 8561-1418
Fees per round: £10 Monday - Friday; £16 weekends

Brent Valley
Church Road, W7
Hanwell rail
Tel: +020 8567-1287
Fees per round: £7.50 Monday; £10 Tuesday - Friday; £14.50 before noon weekends, £12 after noon weekends

Richmond Park
Roehampton Gate, Priory Lane, SW15
Richmond rail
Tel: +020 8876-3205
Fees per round: £5-14 Monday - Friday; £5-£17.50 weekends (cost reduces the later in the day you play).

Stockley Park Golf Course
Off Stockley Road, (A408) Uxbridge, Middlesex
Heathrow terminals 1,2 & 3 tube
Tel: +020 8813-5700
Fees per round: non-residents £23 Monday - Friday; £33 weekends

Spectator Sports

London is home to some of the worlds most famous sporting venues, including The Oval, Lords and Wimbledon. The capital is also home to six Premier Division football clubs.

Cricket

Lords
St Johns Wood, NW8
St Johns Wood tube
Tel: +020 7432-1066
Lords is host to most major test matches and all major cup finals. Admission is usually less than £10 and tickets can be bought at the gate. Fosters Oval
Kennington Oval, SE11
Oval tube
Tel: +020 7582-7764
Home to Surrey County Cricket Club where you can watch them play for less than £10. Traditionally, the last game in each summers Test series is played here.

Football

Tickets for Premier League games are increasingly hard to come by and as prices rise, its an expensive way to spend an afternoon. Prices quoted are for non-season ticket holders.

Arsenal
Arsenal Stadium, Avenell Road, N5
Arsenal tube
Tel: +020 7413-3366
Tickets £15-£37

Charlton Athletic
The Valley, Floyd Road, SE7
Charlton rail
Tel: +020 8333-4010
Tickets £15-£25

Chelsea
Stamford Bridge, Fulham Road, SW6
Fulham Broadway tube
Tel: +020 73