Activities and sports

Many of the crucial international fixtures of football, rugby and cricket take place in the capital, and London also hosts one of the world’s top tennis tournaments, Wimbledon. London is the only city to have hosted the Olympics three times, and the 2012 Olympics supplied a number of new world-class arenas in the Olympic Park. Domestically, football (soccer) remains the most popular sport, with London clubs Chelsea and Arsenal among Europe’s top teams. The rest of the sporting calendar is chock-full of quality events, from the sedate pleasures of county cricket to the idiosyncrasies of greyhound racing. For those who’d rather compete than spectate, there’s a wide range of facilities, including inexpensive access to swimming pools, gyms, tennis courts, while even golf enthusiasts can find a course within the city limits.

SPECTATOR SPORTS

For the top international events, it can be almost impossible to track down a ticket without paying over the odds through a ticket agency. Should you be thwarted in your attempts to gain admission, you can often fall back on TV or radio coverage. BBC Radio 5 live (909 & 693 Mhz) has live commentaries on almost all major sporting events, while one of the free-to-view TV channels nearly always carries live transmission of international rugby and soccer. To watch some sports (including live Premiership football), you’ll need to find a TV that has the Sky stations – many pubs show Sky games (sometimes on big screens) to draw in custom.

FOOTBALL

The English football (soccer) season runs from mid-Aug to early May, when the FA Cup Final at Wembley finishes off the season. There are four professional leagues: at the top is the twenty-club Premiership, followed by the Championship and Leagues One and Two, each of which has 24 clubs. There are London clubs in every single division, with around five or six in the Premiership at any one time. Over the decades, London’s most successful club by far has been Arsenal. However, since the arrival of Russian oil tycoon Roman Abramovich, fellow London club Chelsea has had a resurgence, winning the league for the first time in fifty years in 2005, and twice more since then.

Tickets Tickets for most Premiership games start at £40–50 and are virtually impossible to get hold of on a casual basis, though you may be able to see one of the Cup fixtures. It’s a lot easier and cheaper to see a game in the Championship or one of the lower leagues, or to go on a stadium tour (see club websites for details).

Fixtures Most Premiership fixtures kick off at 3pm on Saturday, though there’s also an early and late kick-off on Saturday, plus a couple on Sunday and the occasional midweek match; all matches, apart from the Saturday 3pm kick-offs, are broadcast live on Sky TV.

NATIONAL STADIUM

Wembley Stadium Wembley Way (90,000 capacity)  0844 800 2755,  wembleystadium.com;  Wembley Park or Wembley Central. The new stadium, designed by Norman Foster and featuring a massive steel arch, is the world’s most expensive football ground, but it’ll never reach the iconic status of the old stadium, constructed for the 1924 British Empire Exhibition, and the main focus of the 1948 Olympic Games. The stadium’s most famous features were its “twin towers”, forever associated with England’s victory here in the 1966 World Cup Final. Erected as a mute reference to the old Raj, they were, in fact, only added in 1963, to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the Football League. Guided tours are available (daily 10am–4pm; £16).

FOOTBALL CLUBS

Arsenal (Premiership) Emirates Stadium, Ashburton Grove, N7 (60,000 capacity)  020 7619 5000,  arsenal.com;  Arsenal.

Brentford (League One) Griffin Park, Braemar Rd (12,300 capacity)  0845 345 6442,  brentfordfc.co.uk; Brentford train station from Waterloo.

Charlton Athletic (Championship) The Valley, Floyd Rd, SE7 (27,000 capacity)  0871 226 1905,  cafc.co.uk; Charlton train station from Charing Cross.

Chelsea (Premiership) Stamford Bridge, Fulham Rd, SW6 (41,800 capacity)  020 7835 6000,  chelseafc.com;  Fulham Broadway.

Crystal Palace (Premiership) Selhurst Park, Whitehorse Lane, SE25 (26,000 capacity)  020 8768 6010,  cpfc.co.uk; Selhurst train station from Victoria.

Dagenham & Redbridge (League Two) Victoria Rd, Dagenham (6000 capacity)  020 8592 1549,  daggers.co.uk;  Dagenham.

Fulham (Premiership) Craven Cottage, Stevenage Rd, SW6 (25,000 capacity)  0843 208 1222,  fulhamfc.com;  Putney Bridge.

Leyton Orient (League One) Matchroom Stadium, Brisbane Rd, E10 (9200 capacity)  0871 310 1881,  leytonorient.com;  Leyton.

Millwall (Championship) The Den, Zampa Rd, SE16 (20,000 capacity)  020 7232 1222,  millwallfc.co.uk; South Bermondsey train station from London Bridge.

Queens Park Rangers (Championship) Loftus Road Stadium, South Africa Rd, W12 (18,300 capacity)  020 8743 0262,  qpr.co.uk;  White City.

Tottenham Hotspur (Premiership) White Hart Lane Stadium, Tottenham High Rd, N17 (36,000 capacity)  0844 499 5000,  tottenhamhotspur.com; White Hart Lane train station from Liverpool Street.

West Ham United (Championship) Upton Park, Green St, E13 (35,500 capacity)  020 8548 2748,  whufc.com;  Upton Park.

Wimbledon (League Two) Kingsmeadow, Kingston-upon-Thames (4850 capacity)  020 8547 3528,  afcwimbledon.co.uk; Norbiton train station from Waterloo.

CRICKET

The cricket season runs from April to September. If you’re new to the sport, the best introduction is to go to an inter-county Twenty20 knock-out match, which take place in the evening, lasts three hours and represents the game at its most frenetic. The other option is to attend a match, either in one of the one-day competitions or in the old-fashioned county championship. Games in the latter take place over the course of four days and are never sold out. Two county teams are based in London: Middlesex, who play at Lord’s, and Surrey, who play at The Oval.

  Two international sides visit each summer and play a series of Test matches against England, which last up to five days. In tandem with the full-blown five-day Tests, there’s also a series of one-day internationals, two of which are usually held in London.

Tickets Test match tickets can be difficult unless you book months in advance, and cost £30 and upwards. However, not all matches last the full five days, so tickets for the fifth day are usually sold on the day and can cost as little as £10. Tickets for Twenty20 matches, one-day competitions and county championship matches cost in the region of £15–20.

CRICKET GROUNDS

Lord’s St John’s Wood, NW8 (28,000 capacity)  020 7616 8500,  lords.org;  St John’s Wood.

The Oval Kennington Oval, SE11 (23,500 capacity)  020 7820 5700,  kiaoval.com;  Oval.

RUGBY

There are two types of rugby played in England. Thirteen-a-side Rugby League is played almost exclusively in the north of England. However, the Super League does feature one London club, London Broncos, who play at the Twickenham Stoop. The season runs from February to September, and games traditionally take place on Sundays at 3pm, but there are now as many matches on Friday and Saturday. The final of the knock-out Challenge Cup is traditionally held at Wembley Stadium.

  In London, however, virtually all rugby clubs play fifteen-a-side Rugby Union, which has upper-class associations. Two teams in the Premiership play in London: Harlequins, who play at the same stadium as the London Broncos, and Saracens, who play at the Allianz Park in Hendon. Despite their names, London Wasps and London Irish play outside the city. Matches are traditionally on Saturdays at 3pm and the season runs from September until May, finishing off with the two knock-out finals organized by the European Rugby Cup – these are known as the Heineken Cup and the Challenge Cup.

Tickets International matches are played at Twickenham Stadium, but unless you’re affiliated to a rugby club, it’s tough (and expensive) to get a ticket. A better bet is to go and see a Premiership game, where there’s bound to be an international player or two on display – you can usually get in for £20–40.

MAJOR RUGBY STADIUMS AND CLUBS

Harlequins Twickenham Stoop Stadium, Langhorn Drive, Twickenham (14,800 capacity)  020 8410 6000,  quins.co.uk; Twickenham train station from Waterloo.

Twickenham Stadium Whitton Rd, Twickenham (82,000 capacity)  0871 222 2120,  rfu.com; Twickenham train station from Waterloo.

TENNIS

Tennis in England is synonymous with Wimbledon, the only Grand Slam tournament still played on grass. The Wimbledon championships last a fortnight, in the last week of June and the first week of July. An easier opportunity to see big-name players is the Men’s Championship at Queen’s Club in Hammersmith, which finishes a week before Wimbledon. Many of the male tennis stars use this tournament to acclimatize themselves to English grass-court conditions.

Tickets Getting hold of a ticket for Wimbledon is a bit of a palaver. You really need to camp overnight if you want to get one of the five hundred day tickets for the show courts (prices from around £35–90); otherwise, if you get there by 9am, you should get admission to the outside courts (where you’ll catch some top players in the first week of the tournament), which costs £15–20. Avoid the middle Saturday, when thousands of people camp overnight, and don’t bother queuing for show court tickets on the last five days as all seats are pre-sold. For advance tickets, you have to enter a public ballot: send a stamped, addressed envelope to the club for an application form (available from the August preceding the championship) and return it by December 31. As with Wimbledon, you have to apply for Queen’s tickets in advance, although there are ground tickets (£20) and a limited number of show court returns on sale at 10am each day (£35–100). For priority booking, you need to put your name on the Mailing List and you will be sent an application form in January.

TENNIS CLUBS

All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club Church Rd, Wimbledon, SW19  020 8944 1066,  wimbledon.com;  Southfields or Wimbledon Park.

Queen’s Club Palliser Rd, Hammersmith, W14;  020 7386 3400,  queensclub.co.uk;  Barons Court.

GREYHOUND RACING AND MOTORSPORT

Wimbledon Plough Lane  0870 840 8905,  lovethedogs.co.uk;  Wimbledon Park or Earlsfield train station from Waterloo. The most central London venue for watching greyhound racing (Fri & Sat evenings). Trackside admission costs £6. Evening meetings usually start around 7.30pm and finish at 10.30pm, and generally include around a dozen races. The stadium also hosts stock-car and banger races, every Sunday from October to April ( spedeworth.co.uk), with tickets from £14.

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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.

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  londongolf.info.

Central London Golf Centre Burntwood Lane, SW17  020 8871 2468,  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  020 8803 3611,  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  020 8876 3205,  richmondparkgolfclub.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.

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  020 8211 7000,  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  020 8980 0289,  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  020 8969 0992,  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.

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  020 7723 2813,  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, Sat & Sun 9am–5pm.

Lee Valley Riding Centre 71 Lee Bridge Rd, E10  020 8556 2629,  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  020 8946 8579,  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.

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  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)  020 8871 7542,  batterseapark.org; Battersea Park train station from Victoria.

Highbury Fields Baalbec Rd, N1 (11 courts, 7 of them floodlit)  020 7226 2334;  Highbury & Islington.

Holland Park W8 (6 courts)  020 7602 2226;  High Street Kensington.

Hyde Park Tennis and Sports Club South Carriage Drive, W2 (6 courts)  020 7262 3474,  royalparks.gov.uk;  South Kensington or Knightsbridge.

Islington Tennis Centre Market Rd, N7 (2 floodlit outdoor and 6 indoor courts)  020 7700 1370,  aquaterra.org;  Caledonian Road.

Lincoln Inn’s Fields, WC2 (3 courts)  020 7437 3662;  Holborn.

Paddington Recreation Ground Randolph Ave, W9 (12 floodlit courts)  020 7641 3642;  Maida Vale.

Regent’s Park South Lower Circle, NW1 (12 courts, 4 floodlit)  020 7486 4216,  royalparks.org.uk;  Baker Street.

SPAS, GYMS AND LEISURE CENTRES

Here is a selection of the best-equipped and most central multipurpose leisure centres: almost all have gyms, fitness classes and pools; for local addresses visit  yell.com.

Ironmonger Row Baths 1 Norman St, EC1  020 3642 5521,  spa-london.org;  Old Street. Newly refurbished, this place has a steam room, sauna, small plunge pool, masseurs, a lounge area with a large pool – from £25 for three hours. Women: Mon 11am–6pm, Thurs 10am–5.30pm, Fri 10am–9pm; Men: Tues 10am–9pm, Thurs 6–9pm; Mixed: Mon 6–9pm, Wed 10am–9pm, Sat & Sun 9am–6pm.

Porchester Spa Porchester Rd, W2  020 7792 3980,  better.org.uk;  Bayswater or Queensway. Built in the 1920s, the Porchester’s baths are well worth a visit for the Art Deco tiling alone. Admission is around £25 for a three-hour session, and entitles you to use the saunas, steam rooms, plunge pool, jacuzzi and swimming pool. Men: Mon, Wed & Sat 10am–10pm; Women: Tues, Thurs & Fri 10am–10pm, Sat 10am–2pm; Mixed Sun 4–10pm.

The Sanctuary 12 Floral St, WC2  0845 521 4567,  sanctuary.com;  Covent Garden. Women-only spa in the centre of London: the interior is filled with lush tropical plants. It’s a major investment at over £50 for day/eve membership, but your money gets you unlimited use of the pool, jacuzzi, sauna and steam room, plus one sunbed session. Mon, Wed & Fri 9.30am–10pm, Tues & Thurs 9.30am–6pm, Sat & Sun 9.30am–8pm.

OPEN-AIR SWIMS

If you fancy an alfresco dip, a swim will cost you £5 or less at the places listed here:

Brockwell Lido Brockwell Park, SE24  020 7274 3088,  fusion-lifestyle.com; Herne Hill train station from Victoria or St Pancras. Laidback lido at the heart of Brixton’s Brockwell Park. May & Sept Mon–Fri 6.30–10am & 4–8pm, Sat & Sun 8am–6pm; June–Aug Mon–Fri 6.30am–8pm, Sat & Sun 8am–6pm; reduced hours in winter.

Hampstead Ponds Hampstead Heath, NW3  020 7485 5757,  cityoflondon.gov.uk;  Hampstead. The Heath has three natural ponds: the Women’s and Men’s ponds are on the Highgate side (bus #214 from  Kentish Town), while the Mixed Bathing pond is nearer Hampstead. Daily 7 or 8am to 9pm or dusk.

Hampton Pool Hampton High St, Hampton  020 8255 1116,  www.hamptonpool.co.uk; Hampton train station from Waterloo. Heated outdoor pool on the western edge of Bushy Park, about a mile’s walk from Hampton Court Palace. Open all year; phone for hours.

London Fields Lido London Fields, E8  020 7254 9038,  gll.org; London Fields train station from Liverpool Street. Refurbished interwar lido with a 164ft heated outdoor pool. Open daily all year round, but hours vary (Tues eve women only).

Oasis 32 Endell St, WC2  020 7831 1804,  gll.org;  Covent Garden. The outdoor pool is small, but the water is a bath-like temperature and it’s open all year. Other facilities include a gym, a health suite with sauna and sunbed, massage and squash courts. Mon–Fri 6.30am–10pm, Sat & Sun 9.30am–6pm.

Parliament Hill Lido Gordon House Rd, NW5  020 7485 3873; Gospel Oak Overground. Beautiful 200ft by 90ft open-air pool with Art Deco touches and notoriously chilly water. Daily: May to mid-Sept 7am–6.30pm; mid-Sept to April 7am–noon.

Pools on the Park Old Deer Park, Richmond  020 8940 0561;  Richmond. Not in Richmond Park, but in the Old Deer Park near the Thames, adjacent to a modern leisure centre. Easter to Sept: Mon 6.30am–7.45pm, Tues–Fri 6.30am–8pm, Sat & Sun 7am–5.45pm.

Serpentine Lido Hyde Park, W2  020 7706 3422,  serpentinelido.com;  Knightsbridge. Offers 110yd of swimming in Hyde Park’s lake, plus a paddling pool; deck chairs and sun loungers for rent. May Sat & Sun 10am–6pm; June to mid-Sept daily 10am–6pm.

Tooting Bec Lido Tooting Bec Rd, SW16  020 8871 7198; bus #249 from  Tooting Bec. At 300ft by 100ft, this is England’s (and one of Europe’s) largest freshwater, open-air pools. Late May daily 6am–6pm; June–Aug daily 6am–8pm; Sept daily 6am–5pm.

WHITE WATER SPORTS

Lee Valley White Water Centre Station Rd, Waltham Cross  0845 677 0606,  gowhitewater.co.uk; Waltham Cross train station from Liverpool Street. Thanks to the 2012 Olympics, London has a whitewater rafting centre on the edge of the city, where you can shoot the rapids in a raft, canoe or kayak. Rafting starts at around £50; canoe/kayak paddling from £25. Wed–Sun 10am–6pm; longer hours in summer.

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