Enjoy an approximately four and a half-mile country stroll in one of the most walkable cities in the world - a walk that includes the previous home of Princess Diana.

When Henry Jameswrote about a rustic walk in London over a hundred years ago, he talked about the bleating of lambs. Sheep grazing came to an end in 1935. Otherwise you can stride across the “soft, fine turf” in much the same way as he did and enjoy a country stroll in one of the most walkable cities in the world. Remember to take a London map with you.

Kensington Gardens

Start at the Orme Square Gate entrance to Kensington Gardens, take the path that forks to the left by the Round Pond along the Broad Walk, where dandies plus ladies in hoop-petticoats once strolled. Kensington Gardens were first opened to the public during the reign of George II , and then only on Sundays to “respectably dressed people”.

Nowadays it’s “anything goes” outside Kensington Palace, with the statue of Queen Victoria looking sternly down on visitors.

Kensington Palace looks more like a country house than a palace – which, in fact, it was before William and Mary bought it in 1689. It was later reconstructed by Christopher Wren and Nicholas Hawksmoor. There is, however, nothing modest about the interior.

The State Apartments, which are open to the public, are splendid, with a magnificent grand staircase lined with portraits of the royal family. They house a fascinating collection of court dress from the past 200 years. Unfortunately, Princess Diana’s wedding dress has been moved to Althorp House, her ancestral home in Northamptonshire

Head towards the Palace Gate entrance and turn left, where tourists pose for pictures beside the fountain with the dog in it. Step out along Flower Walk with its palm trees, brilliant floral displays and the splendidly gothic Albert Memorial, described by Osbert Sitwell as “that wistful, unique monument of widowhood”, and then turn left across the grass towards the Serpentine Gallery. The gallery is well worth a look. It might be small, but it has a big reputation. Henry Moore, Andy Warhol and Giacometti have all been represented here.

Walk north by the lake – if you have children with you, they will love the Peter Pan statue. The “boy who wouldn’t grow up” is surrounded by fairies, mice, squirrels and rabbits, whose floppy ears are worn shiny from generations of adoring children stroking them. The statue overlooks a part of the lake where water birds congregate in their dozens: heron, grebes, ducks of all colours and sizes. It is a great spot for bird watchers, with an informative notice board that identifies the different types to be seen.

Hyde Park

The imposing white buildings at the top of the lake are the Italian Water Gardens. With classical statuary and great spurting fountains, they are very impressive. Sit for a while and drink it all in. Down the other side of the Serpentine, Kensington Gardens merges with Hyde Park. Take special note of the old cast-iron gas lamps along the way. It’s a lovely walk in the early evening when the lights are just coming on.

Hyde Park was once part of a vast forest where wolves roamed. It belonged for some time to the monks of Westminster Abbey until Henry VIII got his hands on it and turned it into a hunting ground.

Early birds will catch a glimpse of horse riders cantering on Rotten Row. William III had 300 lamps hung from the branches of the trees along the route between Kensington Palace and St. James’s Park, making Rotten Row the first road in England to be lit at night. It was then called Route du Roi – literally the King’s Way.

Green Park

Walk across Rotten Row to Knightsbridge and enter the pedestrian subway – it also leads to the Underground and is marked as such. Follow the signs to Green Park to Exit 2 and take the left hand exit, which brings you into the plainest and most peaceful part of the walk. No historic buildings or statues here, just trees and lots of grass criss-crossed by many narrow paths, which make Green Park a good place to wander.

The busy road to your right is Constitution Hill. It supposedly gets its name from the constitutional walks that Charles II took here. Later, on this same route, another monarch, Queen Victoria, survived three assassination attempts.

St. James's Park

The park ends in front of Buckingham Palace. Cross the Mall to St. James’s Park, the most romantic of the parks, with its delicate bridge and weeping willows. Today it is far removed from medieval times when it was a soggy swamp where female lepers from the nearby St. James’s Hospice fed their pigs.

Walk along by the water to the bridge – the view from here has been described as the most romantic in London. It really is a dramatic skyline, with a wonderful view of the spires and domes of Whitehall and, the most recent addition, the London Eye The pelicans in the lake occasionally feed on the pigeons, which upsets some people - not to mention the pigeons.

Because of its proximity to the West End and Whitehall, St. James's park is popular, which means it can get crowded during the day. Still, it is a great place for people-watching, with office workers, civil servants, tourists and members of the nearby gentlemen’s clubs all coming to stretch their legs.

Make your exit at Horse Guards Parade but take a deep breath of the cool, green air as you prepare to rejoin the urban world.

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