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No set hours. North London's "green lung", Hampstead Heath is the city's most enjoyable public park. It may not have much of its original heathland left, but it packs a wonderful variety of bucolic scenery into its 800 acres. At its southern end are the rolling green pastures of Parliament Hill , north London's premier spot for kite-flying. On either side are numerous ponds, three of which - one for men, one for women and one mixed - you can swim in. The thickest woodland is to be found in the West Heath , beyond Whitestone Pond, also the site of the most formal section, Hill Garden , a secretive and romantic little gem with eccentric balustraded terraces and a ruined pergola. Beyond lies Golders Hill Park , where you can gaze at pygmy goats and fallow deer, and inspect the impeccably maintained aviaries, home to flamingos, cranes and other exotic birds. Finally, don't miss the landscaped grounds of Kenwood, in the north of the Heath, which are focused on the whitewashed, Neoclassical mansion of Kenwood House (daily: April-Sept 10am-6pm; Oct 10am-5pm; Nov-March 10am-4pm; free). The house is now home to the Iveagh Bequest ,  © 2003 by Rough Guides Ltd. as trustee for its Authors. Published by Rough Guides. All rights reserved. Rough Guides name is a trademark of Rough Guides Ltd. Buy the book here!
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a collection of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century art, including a handful of real masterpieces by the likes of Vermeer, Rembrandt, Boucher, Gainsborough and Reynolds. Of the house's period interiors, the most spectacular is Robert Adam's sky-blue and gold library , its book-filled apses separated from the central entertaining area by paired columns. To the south of the house, a grassy amphitheatre slopes down to a lake where outdoor classical concerts are held on summer evenings.
Your Tips For Hampstead Heath
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