More than 10 million people pound the pavements of England’s two-millennia-old capital most days, but zoom out from the gritty city streetscape a little and London looks leafier and more verdant than many visitors and inhabitants realise.

Boasting 3000 public parks – ranging from big breathing spaces to secret little oases – London is one of Europe’s greenest major cities. 

This guide seeks out the serener side of the original Big Smoke.

All set within the M25, these 30 routes ramble across c$ommons, greens, parks, hills and heaths, and wander along waterways and through woods, meeting London’s lively wildlife and unearthing endless surprises along the way.