Bronze Birdcage

Diana Memorial Walk - Explore The Beauty of the Royal Parks, Royal Palaces, Wildlife and the Lakes

Diana Memorial Walk is one of the longer London walks and covers a distance of seven miles. It is charted by 90 Diana Memorial Walk plaques set in the ground along the route which crosses four Royal Parks and within sight of three palaces and two mansions.

This walk, together with the Diana, Princess of Wales, Memorial Playground, was officially opened on 30th June 2000 to celebrate the Princess's affection for the open spaces around her home in Kensington Palace.

It is a circular route so you can decide where you want to start and just pick a plaque along the route (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.royalparks.org.uk/docs/tourists/Diana_Memorial_Walk_leaflet.pdf">route map</a>) and follow the plaques round until you come back to the same plaque.

However, a good place to start would be from the bridge across the lake in St James’s Park.  Facing Birdcage Walk move forward across the bridge, turn left and walk round St James’s Park Lake and exit St James’s Park at the Birdcage Walk end. Turn right and follow the route to Queen Victoria Memorial and Buckingham Palace.

Buckingham Palace is the Queens London residence and is used to receive and entertain guests on state, ceremonial and official occasions.

During August and September while the Queen makes her annual visit to Balmoral, visitors can tour the nineteen State Rooms which form the heart of the Palace and the Queen’s Gallery.

Move along Constitution Hill and use the pedestrian crossing to cross over to Wellington Arch.

Wellington Arch, located at Hyde Park Corner, is a landmark for Londoners and visitors alike. This monument was moved here in 1882 and was originally commissioned as a grand outer entrance to Buckingham Palace.

If you take the lift to the balconies just below the amazing bronze sculpture you can have a panoramic view over London's Royal Parks, the Houses of Parliament and the Household Cavalry passing beneath to and from the Changing of the Guard.

This is the largest bronze sculpture in Europe and depicts the angel of peace descending on the chariot of war. Inside the Arch, there are three floors of exhibits of its fascinating history.

Opposite the Wellington Arch in Hyde Park Corner, is Apsley House, the London home of the Duke of Wellington.

From Apsley Gate in Hyde Park Corner, follow the Diana Memorial Walk plaques into Hyde Park and you can see the statue of Achilles on the right.  Continue walking along the Broad Walk parallel to Park Lane in the direction of Marble Arch.

Midway between Hyde Park Corner and Speakers’ Corner turn left and follow the Diana Memorial Walk plaques. You will pass The Old Police House which is located in the middle of the Hyde Park.

Keep following the Diana Memorial Walk plaques until you come to the Long Water which is a continuation from the Serpentine. Carry on walking north until you reach the Italian Gardens and the fountains.

Turn left at the Italian Gardens and you are now in Kensington Gardens. Kensington Gardens is a beautiful Royal Park to the west of Hyde Park. Continue walking south along The Long Water until you see the statue of Peter Pan on the right.

Moving on south from the statue of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, follow the plaque and turn right and continue walking until you arrive at the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Playground. It is a good place to take a break and if you have kids with you let them spend a few minutes in the playground.

If you wish to take a longer break here, Queensway across the Bayswater Road has many good restaurants serving exotic food to satisfy almost everyone's palate.

After the break continue south along the Broad Walk until you see the statue of Queen Victoria on the right. The building in the background is Kensington Palace, the official residence of the late Princess Diana and where she brought up the young princes.

Follow the plaque along the Broad Walk and turn left to Queens Gate and continue walking until you reach the Albert Memorial. This memorial was commissioned by Queen Victoria in memory of her beloved husband, Prince Albert who died of typhoid  in 1861.

Opposite the Albert Memorial towards the south is the Royal Albert Hall – a popular music and entertainment venue in London.

From the Albert Memorial, keep following the plaques until you reach the Serpentine. Walk along the Serpentine and you will arrive at the Diana Memorial Fountain. Keep walking until you arrive back at Apsley Gate in Hyde Park Corner.

Walk back to Constitution Hill via the Wellington Arch but this time bear left and follow the Diana Memorial Walk plaque into Green Park. The path runs parallel to Piccadilly and leads to Devonshire Gate. The Ritz is located on Piccadilly, a short walking distance away from Devonshire Gate.

Green Park has more mature trees and grassland. During the Queen’s official birthday in June and at other times to mark state visits, 41 gun royal salutes are fired from Green Park.

From Devonshire Gate follow the plaques along the Broad Walk to Canada Gate. Canada Gate was part of the memorial to Queen Victoria, celebrating Canada’s contribution to the then British Empire. You can once again see Queen Victoria Memorial and Buckingham Palace from Canada Gate.

From Canada Gate follow the plaques to The Mall. As you walk up The Mall you can see on your left St James’s Palace, Clarence House and Spencer House, the former London town house of Diana’s family. Cross The Mall and walk back to St James’s Park and to the bridge to complete the Diana Memorial Walk.

Diana Memorial Walk is one of the more popular walks with the locals as well as with visitors. It covers four Royal Parks, three palaces, two mansions and lots of statues. Hope you have had a great time with this walk.

 

About the Author

Chow Siew is the webmaster of http://www.my-london-breaks.com . This site provides event news and activities in London including hotel accommodation , theatre and concert tickets and London Passes.