city walk #38: holland park

On Saturday Ant and I went on a walk in Holland Park. For my Easter present, Ant gave me a deck of cards of London walks. Each of the 50 cards has a map on the front and directions and information on the back (shown at the top of the picture). I plan to do quite a few walks over my holiday. Since Easter Ant and I did the Borough market and Tower Hill card and I have done three others on my own (Knightsbridge, Harrods, and Belgravia; Sloan Square and King's Road; and Battersea Park). The fold-out card at the bottom of the picture is the overview card showing the locations of all the walks.


Just west of Knightsbridge, the Holland Park walk includes the very peaceful Kyoto Garden, The garden has a waterfall, very fat Koi fish in the pond and very well manicured trees.


At the end of the walk we strolled along Kensington High Street to Sticky Fingers, a restaurant owned by former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman. We ordered drinks: a chocolate milkshake and a berry smoothie.


I really like the deck of walks cards. I only have to take one card with me when I go out. I don't have to take a guide book, thus avoiding looking like a tourist. The 50 cards cover lots of areas; some are more touristy hotspots (like Covent Garden or the West End) but others are just explorations of different London neighbourhoods (like Hoxton, Hampstead, or Stoke Newington).