Hampstead Heath

The sun was shining on London last Sunday. It was one of those crisp, bright winter days where the promise of spring is just around the corner. (I'm trying to hold onto the thought of it right now, as I peer out of my window at the soggy streets below. Although, there are very few things cosier than snuggling up in bed listening to the sound of the wind and the rain lashing against your window.)

But I digress.

Last Sunday was gorgeous!

The mister and I decided to get the train to Hampstead and go for a walk across the Heath. We've been meaning to do this for ages but somehow TFL has always suggested really long over-complicated routes that are usually full of some kind of maintenance work at the weekend...but we then discovered it's super easy to get there on the overground, so on we hopped and soon after we arrived in Hampstead.

My gosh, it was worth it. One of my favourite things about London is that you can be in the middle of a bustling street full of shops one moment and then, the next moment, be in the midst of a beautiful green open space. Hampstead is just like that, but the Heath is slightly more wild and countryside-y (new word!) than somewhere like Hyde Park, which is a little more polished.

Hamsptead Heath is absolutely huge and so we only explored a small section of it, but we headed to the centre from where you can see wonderful views of London, tramping through long grass and muddy patches. I even occasionally managed to take my eyes off all the cute hounds running around (seriously, when I can have one?!) and snap a few photos. My mister's wonderful Granddad passed away last year and left me his camera, so this year I'm determined to bring it along with me more often so that I can practice and (hopefully!) start taking better pictures. You can see the full set of photos here, but I've included a few in this post because I'm quite proud of how they came out!

The one of the Parakeet is slightly bittersweet though because, after taking my photos, I trampled through the undergrowth quite loudly, causing them all to fly away just as the mister (who's an amazing photographer, even if I do say so myself) had lined them all up in the viewfinder of his camera, ready to take the shot. Quelle horreur :)

After spending a few hours exploring the Heath, we wandered over to Hampstead Village and spent a wee while rummaging around Daunt Books, where I picked up Essie Fox's new book The Goddess and the Thief. I've been wanting to read this since it was published in December and I don't want to put it down already, although I'm forcing myself to because I don't want to finish it too quickly. If you're in the mood for something a little gothic and Victorian, do pick up one of Essie Fox's wonderful books! I might pop a review up here when I've finished this one.

We then cosied up in a café with our new books and lots of tea before getting the train home. Bliss :) Here's to more Sundays just like that one!