Richmond

A fairly easy drive from London, a couple of minutes, parking is accessible and cheap. The entrance of the gardens cost about 15 Pound. But its worth it, trust me. The gardens feature so many things, from tropical to semi-arid, to the many flowers of the world. The restaurant / cafe features some of the U.Ks finest pastries too.

Just north of Regents Park, Primrose Hill provides a lovely sweeping panorama of London. It's just a short walk up to the top, where you can snap shots of the London skyline. It's best accessed from the Chalk Farm tube station -- it's about a 15min walk from the station to the hill. Head over to Regents Park afterwords, or explore nearby Camden market or St Johns Wood. 

Having moved to London recently, I found the big sprawling metropolis and constant grey skies quite suffocating. Luckily, after some research we located a small, but accessible crag to the south of London, near Gatwick Airport! Perfect to find some respite from the bustle of the city + some sick sandstone bouldering (be prepared for lots of slick slopers, some pockets, very bad feet).How to get...