Route: The Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk
Area: Central London
Date of walk: 7th November 2016
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 8.1 miles
Weather: Light cloud with sunny spells
Londoners are lucky to have no less than eight Royal Parks on their doorsteps, with 5,000 acres of ancient parkland enabling them to escape from the hustle and bustle of city living
The Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk, opened in June 2000, visits four of those parks – St James’s Park, Green Park, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens
Navigation is a simple affair thanks to 90 attractive metal plaques set in the ground which direct walkers along the route
As it’s a circular walk, the start can be anywhere and for us it was convenient to start from Green Park tube station, just a few yards away from the route. We first made our way to St James’s Park, home to a large variety of waterfowl including the famous resident pelicans, and then we returned via Green Park to walk through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens – all four parks had plenty of interest and it was a superb walk
Along the way we passed by the Royal Albert Hall. We’d be back there that evening and the purpose of that visit is revealed in the final photo…
Click on the icon below for the route map (subscribers to OS Maps can view detailed maps of the route, visualise it in aerial 3D, and download the GPX file. Non-subscribers will see a base map)
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow

Having taken the train to London we checked in at the Pullman Hotel - this is the view of St Pancras Station from the 12th floor

The famous pelicans - their ancestors were first introduced into the park in 1664 as a gift from the Russian Ambassador

We pass by the Albert Memorial and the Royal Albert Hall - we’ll be returning to the Hall tonight with two golden tickets