Walking London in winter (and beating the dark home)

By mid-December London's daylight is going before 4pm, and January is cold and damp, so every walk below finishes near a café, a pub or a Tube station. Plan each one around the hours of light you have.

Central London: the parks, the canal and the river

The easiest long walk in central London doesn't need the Tube at all. Start at Kensington Palace, cut past the Round Pond, follow the north bank of the Serpentine east, then cross at Hyde Park Corner into Green Park and carry on down to St James's Park and the lake. Give it a relaxed morning with a coffee stop. From late November to early January, Hyde Park Winter Wonderland takes over the south-east corner of Hyde Park, so walk it before 10am or stick to the Kensington Gardens end.

The Regent's Canal gives you about two miles of towpath from Warwick Avenue on the Bakerloo line to Camden Lock. The canal runs along the top of Regent's Park and straight through London Zoo, and you can see into some of the enclosures from the path. It's flat, the cuttings and trees keep the wind off, and it takes about an hour. When it's wet the path gets slick and the cyclists don't slow down much, so wear shoes with proper soles and go single file under the bridges.

Only got an hour? Walk the south bank of the Thames from Westminster Bridge to Tower Bridge. It's paved, lit after dark and never far from a station, so it's the one to save for the evening.

Hampstead Heath, Waterlow Park and Highgate Cemetery

This is the best half-day walk in north London in winter, and a clear, cold day repays it. Climb Parliament Hill for the protected view across to St Paul's and the City, then head east through Highgate to Waterlow Park, which drops down the hill in terraces round three ponds. Lauderdale House, the 16th-century house in the park, runs a café.

Highgate Cemetery is next door. One all-day ticket gets you into both the East and West sides (£10 for adults), and the guided tours run about an hour and a quarter for £18. From November to February it shuts at 4pm, with last entry half an hour before, so if you're starting after lunch do the cemetery first and the heath second. Tour dates come out four weeks ahead, and it's worth booking the moment the window opens. Take the Northern line to Hampstead for the heath, or to Archway or Highgate for the cemetery end.

Further out: Richmond, Greenwich, Walthamstow and The Line

The Tamsin Trail loops the whole of Richmond Park in a little over seven miles, though most people just do a stretch. From Richmond Gate, walk south to Pembroke Lodge, whose tea rooms open at 9am and shut shortly before dusk. In the garden behind it, King Henry's Mound frames a view of St Paul's Cathedral some ten miles off. The red and fallow deer are why you come, so keep well back and never walk between a stag and the herd. The District line goes to Richmond, and from the station it's a stiff uphill walk to the gate or a short taxi.

In Greenwich Park, climb to the Royal Observatory and the General Wolfe statue and the whole of Canary Wharf and the City is laid out below. On a frosty morning it's the best free view in London, and we'd stand by that. Come down through the park to the river and the Cutty Sark, then take the DLR or a river bus back. Go on a weekday, since weekend afternoons are packed even in January.

Walthamstow Wetlands is one of the biggest urban wetlands in Europe, ten reservoirs' worth, and it's only been open to the public since 2017. Winter brings the wildfowl in numbers, the Grade II-listed Coppermill Tower gives you the overview, and the reserve is free. Take the Victoria line to Tottenham Hale and walk in. There's not much shelter out on the banks, so wrap up against the wind as well as the cold.

If you'd rather have art than trees, The Line follows the Greenwich Meridian from Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to The O2, with outdoor works by Damien Hirst, Eduardo Paolozzi and Thomas J Price on the way. It takes about four hours end to end and is free apart from the London Cable Car over the river and one short hop on the DLR.

Whichever route you pick, pack for the season:

• Waterproof shoes with grip: towpaths and heath paths stay muddy from November to March
• A contactless card or phone for the Tube home
• Gloves and a hat; December highs are only in single figures
• A torch app ready if you're out past mid-afternoon
• Cash or card for Highgate Cemetery and the cable car; everything else here is free

London weather by month

July is the warmest month, averaging 23°C by day. July has the fewest wet days (9) and October the most rain (80 mm). For sightseeing on foot, June scores best on our combined warmth-and-dryness measure.

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Rain	Wet days	Chance a 7-day stay sees a washout	Record high / low
January	8°C	2°C	74 mm	13	53%	16°C / -12°C
February	8°C	2°C	51 mm	10	43%	18°C / -8°C
March	11°C	4°C	45 mm	9	44%	23°C / -7°C
April	14°C	5°C	54 mm	10	44%	26°C / -3°C
May	17°C	8°C	54 mm	9	39%	30°C / -1°C
June	20°C	11°C	58 mm	9	35%	34°C / 2°C
July	23°C	13°C	52 mm	9	34%	34°C / 4°C
August	22°C	13°C	68 mm	9	37%	37°C / 4°C
September	19°C	11°C	62 mm	9	39%	29°C / 2°C
October	15°C	8°C	80 mm	11	47%	27°C / -2°C
November	11°C	5°C	76 mm	12	52%	18°C / -6°C
December	8°C	2°C	69 mm	12	50%	16°C / -8°C

Calculated NOAA GHCN-Daily observations at the Hampstead weather station, north London (records 1960–2015; averages from about 25 years per month). A wet day has 1 mm of rain or more.