10 outdoor attractions to visit in and around London this summer

GoApe in Battersea Park or at Chessington World of Adventures
For outdoor climbing, try GoApe in Battersea Park or at Chessington World of Adventures–an attraction we reviewed last year. There are zip-trekking tree top adventures for both adults and children.

Garsons
For a pick your own farm near London, Garsons in Esher appears to be a popular choice. The farm offers a large variety of vegetables and fruits to pick from May to October, and the availability of crops to pick is updated online daily. When I checked today, the crops to pick included, among others, apples, potatoes, spinach and french beans.

Hobbledown Farm and Adventure Park
At Hobbledown Farm and Adventure Park in Surrey families can see a variety of animals as well as enjoy the large outdoor play areas and indoor play barn. In the outdoor play area, built in a medieval theme, children can dig for marbles, bounce on jumping pillows and much more. There is also the Hobbledown High Ropes Course with zip wire for older children, and in addition to seeing farm animals, families can enjoy the Wallaby Walk-Through, where visitors walk on a pathway and the wallabies roam around freely.

Bocketts Farm
The farm park I’ve visited the most times is Bocketts Farm–a truly charming farm park set in the beautiful hilly Surrey countryside. In addition to meeting and feeding animals, families can enjoy the large play areas outside at Bocketts Farm, and we spent a long time in the tunnels on the playground and on the jumping pillow. Older children can enjoy pony rides, and there’s a farm walk on the area, which is something I would like to explore some time. There are also indoor play areas, including soft play, slides, little tractors and a big tractor to climb into.

RHS Wisley Garden
The stunning RHS Garden at Wisley in Surrey has outdoor play areas, including an area with sticks that can be used for den building and several cafés. This summer, RHS Wisley Garden is celebrating Enid Blyton’s Famous Five with themed craft activities, garden games, storytelling, a self-guided trail and more.

Battersea Park Children’s Zoo
At Battersea Park Children’s Zoo families can see animals, such as monkeys, pigs and donkeys, and children can run around in the outdoor play area, where there are climbing towers, swings and water and sand play.

Willows Activity Farm
With a pretty and fun Peter Rabbit Adventure Playground and a wide range of activities, Willows Activity Farm near St Albans is also a fantastic destination for a unique family day out. We attended the 1-year anniversary of the fun and unique Peter Rabbit Adventure Playground designed for children under 6 this year, and I was taken aback with the lovely themed play areas at the farm. The farm park, which it took me around an hour to get to, boasts a large barn with horses, cows, sheep, rabbits and guinea pigs.

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
With outdoor family theatre shows, natural play spaces and tree climbing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, has an exciting programme for families this summer. There is a weekly calendar of activities ideal for families who want to go several times during the school holiday, and two shows to buy tickets to – The Wind in the Willows and Dream Fairies in Bubble Wood.

Odds Farm Park
Another farm park that is easy to get to from South West London is Odds Farm Park near High Wycombe, which we were invited to visit last year and it then took us around 50 minutes to drive there from Fulham. Odds Farm Park has a large animal barn with sheep and goats, rabbits and guinea pigs, as well as big outdoor and indoor play areas. The farm boasts an outdoor adventure play area with bridges, balancing beams, slides and more, and families can also enjoy tractor and trailer rides around the farm, weather permitting.

Putt in the Park
When the weather is good, I also want to try Putt in the Park, the fun mini golf courses that are located in Battersea Park, Wandsworth Park and Acton Park. Putting can make a great family activity!

WWT London Wetland Centre
At the WWT London Wetland Centre families can escape the city and go for walks in the peaceful surroundings, help feed the birds, see otters, play outdoors and much more. The outdoor play area includes a climbing wall, water games and zip wires.