There are a million and one sports and activities to try in London,
from strenuous pastimes such as rock-climbing to kickboxing, to the
more leisurely: rollerblading, cycling, riding etc. Ice skating is
popular in the winter months, outdoors at Broadgate or Somerset House
(see below). We've included things like dancing on our nightlife
pages. As for the most passive activities such watching a football or
cricket match - they form the backbone of English social life. Activities
usually fall into two groups - those that involve alcohol and those
that don't. The English can't really handle alcohol and it can
be an intimidating experience being in the middle of a drunken,
violent crowd at a football match, though statistically you're more
likely to get hurt ice-skating.
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Active
:
Swimming outdoors:
Serpentine Lido on the Serpentine in Hyde Park, near the bridge, or
Hampstead Bathing Ponds, on the Heath are the two best, though the
latter is nudist.
Indoors: The Central YMCA off Tottenham Court road has a very large
pool, and the Porchester Center, at the top of Queensway is a popular
spa with an indoor pool. If you have club rights then the Landsdowne
(Berkeley Square) and RAC (Pall Mall) clubs have excellent private
pools.
Gymnasia/aerobics -
Due to insurance problems, visiting a gym in London can be a nightmare
as a compulsory, expensive, 'induction session' is usually necessary.
If you have a student card, or are an academic, then try the London
University Student's Union on Mallet St, just behind Tottenham Court
Road (Tube: Goodge St). For aerobics, try the Jubilee Hall in Covent
Garden's Plaza (Tel: 0207 836 4835), the Queen Mother Sports Centre at
the back of Victoria Station (Tel: 0207 630 5522), or the Pineapple
Dance Studio in Langley St , Covent Garden (tel: 0207 836 4004).
Rollerblading:
There are very few good places to do rollerblading, most of the parks
ban it, the best drag is in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens - enter
either via Hyde Park Corner for a fine long carriageway beside the
Serpentine, or via Queensway Gate into Kensington Gardens, but watch
out for the markings - skating off the prescribed areas is enforced
with a fine (sometimes). A cavalcade similar to the famous Parisien
one happens informally on Friday nights but does not have the support
of local councils as there is no profit to be made from it. For
everything there is to know about blading/skating in London, including
the Friday Night Cavalcades, lessons and hire see Cityskate's
excellent website
Hire from: Queens Skate shop, 35 Queensway, on the North Side
of Kensington Gardens 0207 727 4669 (Tube: Queensway or Bayswater)
Slick Willies at the south side of Kensington Gardens, 41 Kensington
High Street, 0207 937 3824 (tube: Kensington High Street)
Ice Skating:
Indoor: Queens Ice bowl: 45m x 20m rink, somewhat
pared-down version of its former self, as economics meant that gaming
machines and a ten pin bowling alley were bolted on to increase
profits on this prime site. However, the ice rink itself is
partitioned off from the noisy parts of the building. 17 Queensway,
Bayswater. tel: 0207 229 0172 Queensway (Central) or Bayswater
(Circle) tube.
Outdoor: Broadgate centre rink: open air, small circular rink,
good atmosphere. Above Liverpool St Station, seasonal, tel 0207 505
4068. Open Mon-Fri: 12:00 - 14.30, 15.30 - 18:00 and on Fridays 19:00
- 22:00, at weekends 11:00 - 13:00, 14:00 - 16:00, 17:00 - 18:30.
Skate hire available.
Somerset House's huge front quad is frozen over at Christmas (until
20th Jan) with a large rink and cafes etc. See HERE
List of UK skating rinks HERE
Golf: London
is ringed with golf courses, and booking a game is relatively easy.
For details, and how to book a game go here
Karting: there
are several kart tracks in London, the minimum age varies at each one:
West London: Daytona Raceway, 155 Union Gate, Atlas Road, Park Royal,
W10. Minimum age: 8 years old. Website
East London: F1 city karting, Gate 119, Connaught Bridge, Royal
Victoria Dock, E16 Website
South London: Playscape Pro Racing, 390 Streatham High Road, SW16,
Minimum age: 8 years old Website
Central London: Kings X raceway, York Way, Kings Cross N1. Minimum age
18 years old. Tel: 0207-833-1000
Ten Pin Bowling:
Queens Ice bowl: 17 Queensway, Bayswater. tel: 0207 229 0172 (see
skating, above) Website
Softball: Regent's
park, several informal games - see Time Out magazine for details.
Boating: on
the Serpentine in Hyde Park, or the Boating lake in Regent's park.
Sailing/windsurfing:
Queen Mary's Reservoir is the best bet - a large expanse of water
right under Heathrow's flightpath, but raised up 50 feet so it catches
the winds. Tel: 01784 248881. Train from Waterloo to Sunbury or
Ashford (beware this is NOT the Ashford in Kent) then bus or taxi.
Tennis:
most
of the parks have tennis grounds. Regent's Park's Inner Circle courts
(0207 486 4216) or Battersea park (tel 0208 871 7542) are best. The
latter has 13 floodlit courts.
Squash/Badminton:
Central
YMCA 112 Gt Russell St, off Tottenham Court Road is best and easiest.
Tube: Tottenham Court Road. Tel: 0207 343 1700.
Bicycling:
Despite pledges from government and Euro money, London is not
really the safest of places to cycle: cycling is not a big sport in
Britain and not enough of the movers and shakers do it for any impetus
to be behind campaigns such as Sustrans.
Cycle lanes are intermittent, and the road surface generally not
good. Where there is a good surface, such as in a Park, cycling
is usually banned. That said, if you are used to cycling in a
big city, then it's the fastest way to travel.
For hire try:
Bike Rack at Victoria Station and Waterloo Station, open 7 days a week
Website
The London Bicycle Tour Company: 1A Gabriel's Wharf, (See walk
one)
Website
Mountain Bike & Ski at 18 Gillingham Street, (behind Victoria
Station) which also hires rollerblades. It's where we buy our skis
from.
Bikepark at 250 Kings Road Chelsea.
There's a full list of bike hire shops here
Polo: The
British brought back this game from their time in India, codified it,
and re-exported it as a game for the rich. However in London you can
learn or actually play with little experience at Ascot. Courses at
weekends mostly. Website
Riding:
Riding
in Hyde Park on Rotton Row is a special, though expensive, treat - if
you want to do this then dress up (it's not compulsory, but adds to
the fun). Hyde
Park Stables (0207 723 2813) or Ross Nye Stables (0207 262 3791),
both in Bathhurst Mews, just north of the park are the places to go. Horse
Riding
Running: the
Serpentine Running Club in Hyde Park welcomes visitors Website
You might also wand to look at "The
British Golden Jubilee 10K open Road Race" - which is an
annual run that goes past the main tourist monuments...
Jogging: any
of the parks or along the South bank of the Thames (as far as
Greenwich is possible) or North Bank, out to Canary Wharf.
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Passive:
The English invented sport. Football, Cricket, Rugby, Tennis,
boxing, even downhill skiing, all had their origins here. Then
other people learned how to play and beat us at our own game. Thankfully
the English still believe in sportsmanship ("It's not
cricket", meaning 'it's not the done thing' is still a common
expression) and the importance of taking part, which for the past few
years is all their international teams have managed.
Soccer: we
suggest Chelsea
(in Chelsea) or Arsenal
(in Highbury) - both are top rate clubs, though ticket prices can be
high, and sell out very quickly, many local fans don't manage to get
tickets. The England team may lose out to small African
countries, but its clubs are still amongst the best: there are
more Manchester United supporters in Africa than there are in England.
Most Brits watch the games on television - look out for pubs
advertising large-screen transmission - a food site to find them is here.
It's also useful for watching your home team while you're here.
Cricket - at the
MCC or the Oval.
This is the most passive of spectator sports as a game can go on
for as long as five days, and whole mornings can pass when nothing
seems to happen. Best go for a one-day test and see England get
beaten by one of its small former colonies. Cricket
in UK Website
Rugby: Twickenham.
- more genteel than football, much more skillful than American
Football - derived from a famous cheat at Rugby School. Rugby
Website
Tennis:
Wimbledon, during the season. Website.
Rowing:
Henley,
during the season. Website
Polo:
on
Sunday afternoons you can watch this game of the rich at Ham Polo
club. Website
.
Racing, horses: Windsor,
Epsom
or Kempton
Park are the most easily accessible by public transport, special
train services are laid on for each meeting.
Racing, dogs:
Walthamstow Dog track (tube or train, Walthamstow) in the East End -
see their website
for details, or Catford Dogs at Catford Stadium (train Catford
Bridge from Charing Cross or Waterloo): Telephone: 020 8690 8000 Race
Days: Thursday and Saturday evenings, alternate Tuesday afternoons.
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