How to feel good for free in London this summer

If life on two wheels appeals, then we’ve got just the route for you. Savvy cyclists can meander from leafy Finsbury Park all the way to Ally Pally without ever touching the road. The tree-lined Parkland Walk is a 6km ride along a disused railway line, and there won't be a car in sight.

Breathe out: you're on a free guided walk of the Walthamstow Wetlands, and the only thing you need to worry about is whether the bird you're admiring is a grey heron or a little egret. They run weekly walks at this gorgeous reservoir, which stretches across 211 hectares.

William Morris Gallery is Morris's former family home, the 18th-century Water House. The artist, socialist and source of all that flowery wallpaper lived here between 1848 and 1856. The house is set in its own extensive grounds and features permanent displays of printed and woven fabrics, rugs and painted tiles by Morris and other members of the Arts and Crafts movement, as well as humble domestic objects including Morris's coffee cup and the satchel he used to distribute his radical pamphlets. 

This large, eighteenth-century cemetery often has live music and other events hosted within its grounds, as well as wood and stone carving courses too. See, it’s not all doom and gloom.

Technically part of Hampstead Heath, Golders Hill Park is a haven of beautifully designed gardens and pretty parkland. It features Mediterranean, water and walled gardens, a bandstand, a croquet lawn, tennis courts, table tennis tables and a children's play area. It's also a dream for animal-lovers thanks to its butterfly house, deer park and free zoo, which is home to ring-tailed lemurs, coatis, kookaburras and plenty of other interesting critters.