There is definitely a place for well-groomed garde...

There is definitely a place for well-groomed gardens and play areas that meet all the health and safety standards of our age. But if you are looking for somewhere a little less manicured (except for Kenwood I suppose) in the middle of health and safety obsessed Britain - and perhaps the most manicured part of London (Hampstead!), well, Hampstead Heath will come as a pleasant surprise. Many of the paths are maintained largely by foot traffic and fallen trees are (largely) left to rot where they fell. Kids have to "make their own fun" and adults will have to use the sun (or their phones) to not get lost since there are precious few signs telling you which way to go. We'll be going back as soon as we can.