So why not consider one of the city’s great outdoor pools or even swimming ponds? It’s where you’ll find the locals cooling down and soaking up the sun.

Park Road Leisure Centre

Park Road, Hornsey N8 8JN
Getting there: Finsbury Park Underground Station to the W7 bus which stops right outside.
Website

While this north London pool does get busy, at 50 metres it’s big enough to ensure you can still claim your patch of grass for the afternoon. To avoid the crowds head down early in the morning when the water is cooler and those who dare to brave it reap the rewards (my mother is a regular 8 AM swimmer!). The whole leisure center has been undergoing refurbishment this year, meaning the outdoor pool is not yet open for the summer, but it is due to open its doors in late July with a spangly new cafe, kiosk and changing rooms. Prices will be kept around the same as last year at £5.60 a swim.

Brockwell Lido makes a fine place to take a dip amid Art Deco architecture. Photo: stevecadman

Brockwell Lido

Dulwich Road, SE24 0AP
Tube: Herne Hill Overground Station
Website

Located within Brockwell Park, this Olympic sized lido is surrounded by Grade II listed Art Deco buildings and a real favorite with South Londoners. As has been the fate of many London lidos, it was closed in 1990, but heavy campaigning from locals led to it being reopened in 1994, and it is now a regular fixture on the summertime agenda and is often referred to as Brixton Beach. The pool is open from 6:30 AM until 8 PM for lane swimming or a general splash about. Entry prices are £3.10 for a pre-10am swim, £5.90 between 10 AM and 5 PM and £3.30 after 5 PM.

Related: Best views in London…for free!

Hampstead Ponds

Hampstead Heath, NW5 1QR
Tube: Hampstead Heath Overground Station
Website

Hampstead Heath offers some of London’s loveliest outdoor swimming and a truly unique experience. Nestled amongst the trees, you can choose from a women’s, men’s or mixed swimming pond, which you’ll be sharing with the ducks. All the pools are life guarded and open to the public every single day—the icy Christmas Day swim is a bit of an institution, but we’d recommend starting with a summertime dip. The pools aren’t heated, so even in summer it can be chilly, but the beautiful setting makes this a London day out to remember. What’s more, entry costs just £2 a person!

Serpentine Lido

Hyde Park, W2 2UH
Tube: Hyde Park Corner Underground Station
Website

For a truly central London swim that will likely fit in nicely with your sightseeing plans, head to Hyde Park and the Serpentine Lido. The pool forms part of the main Hyde Park lake and is open daily from 1 June to 12 September. It’s a good option for families too as, away from the unheated Lido, there is also a chlorinated paddling pool and play area for children. Entry is priced at £4.50 for adults and £1.50 for children.

Related: Five central hotels for under £100 per night in London

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The success of the festival, followed by the announcement that it will become an annual event, cemented the fact that cycling in London is going from strength to strength. And there’s no reason why visitors to the city shouldn’t get in on the action too—there are plenty of options for budding cyclists and serious pros to see the city from two wheels.

Here’s my pick of the most budget-friendly options:

Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme

“Boris Bikes”, as they are widely referred to since London’s mayor, Boris Johnson, launched the Barclay’s Cycle Hire program in 2010, are an accessible and affordable way to make short journeys in London. There are over 8,000 bikes and 500 docking stations across the city where you can collect or drop off your bike.

The “pay as you pedal” option is ideal for visitors who don’t wish to sign up for a membership—simply use a credit or debit card to pay the registration fee (£2 for 24 hours) and off you go. The first half-hour is completely free—after that the price will rise incrementally, from £1 for an hour, to £50 for 24 hours.

Savvy travelers can avoid any cost at all by docking their bike every half an hour and then taking it out again, but that isn’t the most practical strategy if you’re trying to see the city! Keep the bike for two hours and it will cost you a piddling £6, though three hours isn’t such good value at £15.

The main draw to hiring a bike this way is that it’s very convenient—you don’t have too venture far to pick up your bike and you don’t have to drop it off in the same place you started. You can check for the nearest docking/pick-up point and plan routes on the website or by downloading the official app for iPhone or Android.

Long-term bike hire

For those wishing to cycle longer, it’s a better value to get your bike somewhere other than Barclays. On Your Bike in London Bridge has some of the best prices in the city center. 24 hours starts at £18 and you can get a full week for £45. Additional days are just £10 each. Pick one up and follow the Thames Cultural Cycling Tour map to take in London’s key sights. Bargain!

Affordable cycling tours

If you’d rather not hit the roads alone, there are tons of different organized cycling tours worth considering. The London Bicycle Tour Company runs daily tours in central London and the West End from £18.95 for 2.5 hours (and they also rent bikes out from £20 for 24 hours). Fat Tire Bike Tours has a nice selection including a four-hour “Royal London” bike tour for £20 and a sunset River Thames tour for £32.

To get off the beaten track then check out Alternative London, which runs a weekly 3.5 hour bike tour on Saturdays (£20) and a two-hour street art bike tour every Friday (£12). Alternatively, Brake Away Bike Tours has a daily 3.5 hour “Secret London” tour for £18.

The post London’s bike share program and other cheapo cycling options appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

So to counteract the overindulgence, here are a few pointers on where to get fit in London. Oh, and by the way, all these options are free or dirt cheap, so don’t even try and tell me you don’t have the money to work out…

Free gyms

London has seen an increasing number of “adult playgrounds” opening up in parks over the last few years. These outdoor gyms allow you to do everything from cardio to suspension training without paying a penny.

We’ve got The Great Outdoor Gym Company and Open Gym to thank for running a huge number of outdoor gyms in some of London’s most central parks, making it practically impossible to come up with an excuse not to stop for a workout as you wander between museums. You can find your nearest gym by visiting the links above.

Fitness classes, military-style

If you’re looking for tough love, then British Military Fitness is a good place to whip you fitness levels into shape. Run by current and former members of the armed forces, these classes are notoriously tough but always good fun. You can try a class for free at any of the many London park locations, which include Hyde Park, Hampstead Heath, Richmond Park, Clapham Common, Finsbury Park and Canary Wharf.

Free group runs every Saturday morning

If running on your own doesn’t appeal to you, why not join an organized group? Park Run is a free 5 km timed run held on Saturdays at 9 a.m. in 39 parks across Greater London.

Locations include Finsbury Park, Richmond Park, Highbury Fields, Dulwich Park and Mile End Park. You just need to register online beforehand so the organizers know how many people are coming and then get ready to run! Afterwards the group grabs a celebratory coffee nearby so there’s a nice sociable element to it as well.

Tennis for free

You can suss out where to play tennis without spending up by checking out Tennis for Free. This great charity not only lists details of all the UK’s free tennis courts, but also offers free equipment loans and coaching for all ages and levels.

Not all of the courts profiled on the site need to be booked in advance, so you can just turn up without prior notice. With options like this, there really is no excuse not to start preparing for Wimbledon!

Cheap gyms in London

If the gym is your thing and you can’t face an outdoor workout in the icy winter months, there are several very affordable options in London that don’t require signing long contracts.

Pay As u Gym: Perhaps the most flexible option is Pay As U Gym. The idea is a bit like topping up a mobile phone and you use the money in your online gym account to pay for a one-day gym or swim pass at hundreds of participating health centers. You can choose from really central locations like Covent Garden and Islington, to Bethnal Green and Clapham. The benefit is that the day rate at that particular gym will either be cheaper than anywhere else or only on offer via Pay As U Gym. While there is no flat rate across all gyms, it’s a great option for people who visit London regularly and want to access gyms in different locations.

The Gym: Leading the more conventional budget gym scene is The Gym. With over 30 gyms across the country and nine different centers in London, it’s a fairly accessible option, and all the gyms are open 24/7. The most central London location is Waterloo and day passes cost £5. If you’re looking for something slightly longer term you can pay a £20 joining fee and then £19.99 per month.

Pure Gym: Although slightly less central, with gyms in Oval, Greenwich and Wandsworth, Pure Gym does offer day passes for £5.99, three-day passes for £12.99 and seven-day passes for £24.99, which must be used on consecutive days.

easyGym: And finally, as if planes and hotels weren’t enough, Stelios and the Easy.com team has opened EasyGym. There are currently four locations across the UK, with just one London gym in Wood Green. Not the most central area, but a well-kitted out health center where thankfully the orange paint has been kept to a minimum. Day passes are available for a flat rate of just £5, giving access to a class and all the gym facilities.

Also in our guide

If you’re currently planning a trip to London, be sure to swing by our budget guide to London, which includes cheap hotel recommendations and lots of budget tips. Fitness ideas aside, we have plenty of strategies to share to help you keep the pounds off your travel budget, as well.

The post London fitness: Affordable gyms, classes, and group runs appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Our London correspondent Nina Derham was among the reported 50,000 people who jammed into the park on Friday night to observe the opening night spectacular. The evening included a concert (featuring Duran Duran and the Stereophonics, among other bands), airplane flyover, and of course, a screening of the opening ceremony taking place at the nearby Olympic stadium.

Nina sent along the following shots to chronicle the experience.

A patriotic flyover of Hyde Park.

Sunset over Hyde Park

Screenings of Olympic events continues in Hyde Park through August 11. These stadium-sized screens, by the way, include the largest screen in the United Kingdom.

Entry is free and is open from 11 a.m. For more information, visit the London 2012 site’s article on parks with Olympics screenings.

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Here are some of my favorites spots to go skating in London:

Best for location

Somerset House
Open through January 23, 2011
Price: Adults £10.50-15, children £8.45-9.60
Web site

An extravagant outdoor ice-skating rink, the Somerset House rink is now in its 11th year. The stunning 18th-century courtyard at Somerset House is dramatically lit and over-shadowed by a vast Christmas tree, making it one of the most atmospheric spots for outdoor ice skating in London. On selected Friday and Saturday evenings, DJs provide a soundtrack for the icey moves and frosty nights.

Tower of London
Open through January 9, 2011
Price: Adults £10-12, children £7.50-8
Web site

If it’s impressive locations you’re after, then you can’t quite beat skating around the history steeped surroundings of the Tower of London. With Tower Bridge and the River Thames a snowballs throw away, you really will feel like a true tourist skating within the historic grounds.

The Natural History Museum
Open through January 9, 2011
Price: Adults: £13, children £8.50
Web site

Start or end your skating experience with a visit to the Natural History Museum, as the rink is a mere walk away in the magical east lawn. The Ice Rink at the Natural History Museum is complemented by their Christmas Fair, so there’s no shortage of things to do.

Best for views

London Eye Ice Rink
Open through January 5, 2011
Prices: For London Eye and Eye Skate, adults £28.45, children £17.00
Web site

For the first time ever, the London Eye will open its very own ice skating rink offering the opportunity to celebrate the festive season taking in the best views of London–both from the London Eye and from the Southbank’s first ice rink. After twisting and turning on the ice, warm up on a mulled Wine Flight on the London Eye or a Champagne Flight (which allows you to sip Pommery Champagne while enjoying the  breathtaking views from the London Eye). Happy Eye-skating!

Kew Gardens Ice Rink
Open November 29, 2010 – January 4
Price: £10, children £7.50
Web site

Forget springtime; winter is spectacular at Kew Gardens as Christmas lights and decorations adorn the trees and gardens and a large ice skating rink is constructed in front of the glass house. To get you into the spirit, there’s also festive evenings on December 13 and 14 when the shops stay open late and carol singing is on offer.

Best for all round Entertainment

Winter Wonderland
Hyde Park
Open through January 4, 2011
Price: Adults: £10, children from £8. Combination tickets which include entry to all the other attractions are also available.
Web site

Winter Wonderland, held annually in London’s famous Hyde Park, features an ice rink, toboggan slide, traditional German-style Christmas market, cafes and bars, Ferris wheel, carousel, helter-skelter, various fairground rides, Santa Claus and the Santa Express, a Zippo circus and more festive goodness than you can shake a stick at.

Westfield London
Westfield, Ariel Way, London, W12 7GF
Open through January 2
Price: Adults £9.50-10.50, children £6.50-7.50

Setting up shop under the glass roof of the Atrium in the huge Westfield mall, this skating rink could be the best way to unwind after a shopping spree. (Or perhaps you could just leave the little ones here while you head off to buy their presents.) There are offers at several Westfield eateries for skaters, too, if you feel like some food after your spin.

The post London: Ice Skating Rinks with Central Locations and Views appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

The Art Deco pool, dating from 1932, was closed for 18 years before being renovated and re-opened in 2006. The water here, set in an Olympic-sized 50-meter-long pool, is heated to a balmy 26º Celsius (78.8º Fahrenheit) all year round. The vast rectangle of blue is bordered by a broad concrete lounging area, in turn bounded by a series of lockers and changing booths in cheerful primary colors.

A relaxing open-air swim

The water is really clean, and as you bob along you’re overlooked by a block of flats, a few neighboring houses and a couple of the taller trees from London Fields itself. But the rest is open sky, and it’s strangely liberating to paddle about in the early evening and see a pale moon appear above you. Sessions range from public swimming to exercise in lanes according to speed (slow, medium or fast), and there are lessons on offer for various levels of proficiency.

The pool in winter. Photo by sarflondondunc.

Although winter is approaching, there are a select few who won’t be easing off on their outdoor exploits. Taking the plunge in December is just a bit too terrifying for the likes of me, but for proof that such brave people exist check out the excellent poolside photography series by Madeleine Waller, featuring winter portraits of the heartiest local swimmers.

Sartorial tip

Here’s a tip for the fashionistas out there: If you’re struggling to find a swimsuit that doesn’t make you cringe with dread, and you’re willing to pay a bit more, try the wonderful Samantha Sage. Her designs are about as flattering you can get, and they inject a bit of vintage-inspired fun into your exercise routine. If only you could find goggles this attractive.

London Fields Lido
Hackney
London
E8 3EU
Tel: +44 (0)20 7254 9038

Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 7:15 p.m. (Monday to Friday), 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Saturday and Sunday)
Prices for non-members: £4.10 (adults 16 and over), £2.45 (children)
Web site

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The best way to explore the bucolic rolling hills, sheep farms, and stone villages outside London is not behind the wheel of a car, but on foot.

I had my first experience with country walking last weekend. My boyfriend and I rented a City Car (London’s version of a Zipcar) and drove about an hour to the west to the Chiltern hills, where I’d read there was good walking. We grabbed a footpath map and walking directions at a shop in the village of Hambleden and off we went. Seven miles seemed like a good enough challenge. We’d be back before dinner, no problem.

I should have known it wasn’t going to be that easy from the first set of instructions on our map: “At a right-hand bend, fork left onto the right-hand of two paths (LE38), a gravel drive. Now go straight on, soon joining and following a left-hand boundary bank and ignoring a crossing path.” We must have looked for that stupid left-hand boundary bank for a good 30 minutes.

A quintessential countryside scene.

We eventually got the hang of it, though, and figuring out the directions became part of the fun. Plus, the scenery couldn’t have been more magnificent.

Because the public is legally permitted to cross all private land in the countryside, the footpath cut right through people’s farms, bringing us up close and personal with the cows and sheep. It also took us into beech-tree forests that were so dark and dense, they felt almost primeval.

Here are some tips on taking your own countryside walk:

1. Get a good map

Many footpaths are not signposted, so you need to find a map that includes very clear instructions on how to find your way. In most larger towns, you’ll be able to find one at a tourism information office; in villages, look for a food shop.

The Chiltern Society has 27 different walking maps of the hills west of London. Another good resource is the Guardian newspaper, which published an excellent series of “Great British Walks” this summer.

2. Be prepared

It should go without saying, but don’t embark on a five- or seven-mile hike without proper walking shoes, water and a cell phone in case you get lost. (Some guides even recommend bringing a compass.) The weather in England is famously unpredictable, so plan for the possibility of rain even on a sunny day.

If you do lose your way, look for a well-groomed path (the larger ones are called “bridle paths”) and follow it until you reach civilization. England is a small country—every path leads somewhere.

Admiring a cow from a safe distance.

3. Respect people’s property

When entering a farm, make sure to close and latch the gate behind you. And keep a safe distance from cattle—there have been isolated incidents of people being chased and attacked by ornery cows. Most importantly: Never get between a cow and her calf unless you are looking for a fight.

4. Dress for the conditions

Footpaths can be overgrown with grass and prickly weeds in the summer and fall, and you may have to make your way through dense vegetation or even crops. Long pants and a long-sleeved shirt are recommended.

5. Don’t drink and walk

You’ll regret having that pint of beer with lunch when you’re three miles into an afternoon trek. Save the country pub until after your walk. A great pub in Hambleden is The Stag & Huntsman, which has picnic tables in the large garden out back and serves a delicious pork and apple burger.

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