Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PARTICIPATING SPORTS
The following section lists most of the
sporting activities
possible in the capital. As a rule, the most reasonably priced
facilities are provided by community leisure and sports centres, where you can simply turn up and pay to use the facilities.
Most boroughs also have membership schemes that allow you to use the facilities for free or give discounts to regular users.
Sat & Sun 9am-5pm.
Lee Valley Riding Centre
71 Lee Bridge Rd, E10
T
020
8556 2629,
W
visitleevalley.org.uk; Clapton train
station from Liverpool St.
Stables over in northeast
London by the River Lee. A 1hr class will cost around £25,
whereas private lessons cost upwards of £35/30min.
Mon-
Thurs 7.15am-9pm, Fri-Sun 8am-7pm.
Wimbledon Village Stables
24 High St, SW19
T
020
8946 8579,
W
wvstables.com;
!
Wimbledon.
Hack
over the wilds of Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park
from £55/hr. Private lessons available from British Horse
Society-approved instructors from £75/hr.
Tues-Sun
9.30am-4.30pm.
GOLF
At most places you don't need to be a member - a pay-
and-play round costs in the region of £15 - but it's
advisable to book ahead at the weekend. There are also a
few (often quite transitory) places closer to the centre,
where you can hone your driving and putting for less. For
more information visit
W
londongolf.info.
Central London Golf Centre
Burntwood Lane, SW17
T
020 8871 2468,
W
clgc.co.uk; Earlsfield train station
from Vauxhall.
“Central” might be stretching it, but still a
decent nine-hole pay-and-play course and a floodlit
driving range.
Daily 7am to 1hr before sunset.
Lee Valley Golf Course
Meridian Way, N9
T
020 8803
3611,
W
visitleevalley.org.uk; Ponders End train station
from Liverpool Street.
Public eighteen-hole course set in
the watery landscape along the River Lee.
Mon-Fri 8am to
dusk, Sat & Sun 7am to dusk.
Richmond Park Golf Club
Roehampton Gate, Priory
Lane, SW15
T
020 8876 3205,
W
richmondparkgolf
club.org.uk; Barnes train station from Waterloo or bus
#371 or #65 from
!
Richmond.
Two long-established
eighteen-hole courses and a driving range.
Daily 7am to
30min before sunset.
31
TENNIS
There are loads of outdoor
courts
in council-run parks,
costing £7.50-10/hr; the downside is that they're rarely
perfectly maintained. If you want to book in advance, you
might have to join the local borough's scheme (£20-30/year);
we've given phone numbers for courts in the main central
London parks or visit
W
londontennis.co.uk. During the day it's
generally possible to turn up and play within half an hour or
so, except in July and August, when Wimbledon (and decent
weather) spurs a mass of couch potatoes into activity.
Battersea Park
SW11 (19 floodlit courts)
T
020 8871
7542,
W
batterseapark.org; Battersea Park train
station from Victoria.
Highbury Fields
Baalbec Rd,
N1 (11 courts, 7 of them
floodlit)
T
020 7226 2334;
!
Highbury & Islington.
Holland Park
W8 (6 courts)
T
020 7602 2226;
!
High
Street Kensington.
Hyde Park Tennis and Sports Club
South Carriage
Drive,
W2 (6 courts)
T
020 7262 3474,
W
royalparks
.gov.uk;
!
South Kensington or Knightsbridge.
HORSERIDING
Strange though it might seem, there are places in the
metropolis where you can
saddle up
, though at a price -
£25/hr is the average. It's usually possible to borrow a hard
hat, but you must wear shoes or boots with a heel.
Hyde Park Stables
63 Bathurst Mews, W2
T
020 7723
2813,
W
hydeparkstables.com;
!
Lancaster Gate.
The
only stables in central London, situated on the north side of
Hyde Park. An hour's ride or lesson in a group costs from £69,
or from £95 for a private lesson.
Mon-Fri 7.30am-5pm,
CLIMBING WALLS
Indoor climbing centres
are run by serious climbers, and you must be a registered climber to
climb unsupervised. Registration is fairly straightforward, however, and you can rent helmet,
harness and footwear when you get there; total novices should book themselves on a course.
The Castle
Green Lanes, N4
T
020 8211 7000,
W
castle-climbing.co.uk;
!
Manor House.
London's
hippest climbing centre is housed in a Victorian water
pumping station that looks like a Hammer Horror Gothic
castle.
Mon-Fri noon-10pm, Sat & Sun 10am-7pm.
Mile End Climbing Wall
Haverfield Rd, E3
T
020
8980 0289,
W
mileendwall.org.uk;
!
Mile End.
Smaller climbing centre housed in an old pipe-bending
factory in the East End's Mile End Park.
Mon-Thurs
noon-9.30pm, Fri noon-9pm, Sat & Sun 10am-6pm.
Westway Climbing Centre
Crowthorne Rd, W10
T
020 8969 0992,
W
westwaysportscentre.org.uk;
!
Latimer Road.
Large-scale climbing centre in a
leisure centre that's tucked under the Westway flyover.
Mon-Wed & Fri 9.30am-10pm, Thurs 8am-10pm,
Sat & Sun 8am-8pm.
