England's Most Beautiful Picnic Spots

London offers an unrivalled number of parks and green spaces to enjoy, but one of the best spots for a picnic is Greenwich Park in East London. Famous for its observatory and the Prime Meridian – the line that dictates the world’s time zones, the park offers stunning views from its sloping lawns and lots of delights to discover.

Find a spot to set up a picnic here and you can take in views of Canary Wharf’s skyscrapers, including South Quay Plaza, standing tall at a staggering height of 220m, rising behind the Old Royal Naval College and the Queen’s House. While you sip on your cup of tea, you’ll also see the towering masts of the Cutty Sark, the world’s only surviving tea clipper, a ship that once brought tea to Britain from India and the Far East.

Once you’ve enjoyed your picnic, you can take a stroll along one of the many tree-lined avenues and gardens of Greenwich Park, such as the Rose Garden or the Herb Garden. There’s even a deer park with a resident herd of deer, as well as a playground and an Anglo-Saxon barrow field, so there’s truly something for everyone to explore and enjoy. 

The New Forest National Park offers many fantastic spots for a picnic, from tranquil lakes and riverside vistas, to forested areas and open grassy meadows. One of our favourite spots can be found at Bucklers Hard on the Beaulieu River. This historic riverside village was where Admiral Nelson’s fleet was constructed in the 18th century, and you can learn all about its maritime history as well as find a peaceful spot to sit and enjoy a picnic. 

There’s also Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary, a popular area for enjoying a picnic while watching the resident herd of fallow deer, or Anderwood picnic area for a perfectly shaded and wooded spot where you can be surrounded by the sounds of the forest. 

Windsor Great Park is part of the Windsor Estate, the weekend home of the British monarch, and offers many thousands of acres of parkland along with over a thousand years of history. As well as exploring its natural beauty and fascinating history, you’ll find plenty of fantastic places for a picnic, such as Virginia Water Lake. Just a 10 minute drive from Sunninghill Square, this park offers lots of tranquil spots along its banks to sit and enjoy a picnic with views across the placid waters.

Another great lakeside spot can be found at the Cumberland Obelisk and its surrounding lawns, or if you want a more forested location there’s the nearby Chapel Wood. Both locations offer lots of fantastic walking trails to explore before or after your picnic, including the beautiful Savill Garden and its seasonal displays. 

Box Hill can be found in the heart of the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, just south of Leatherhead. Box Hill itself is also designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and is managed by the National Trust. As well as the stunning views across the surrounding countryside, it really is the perfect spot to sit and enjoy a picnic. Naturally, any kind of open flame or barbecue is not allowed, but picnickers are very welcome.

After you’ve enjoyed the view and your picnic, there are woodland paths to explore with wildlife and plants to spot through the trees. During the summer, you can expect to see brightly coloured orchids and butterflies floating between the branches and if you fancy hopping on your bicycle, there are also some fantastic bike rides that wind through the woodland and the open countryside. 

Knole Park is a vast medieval deer park spread across 1,000 acres, as well as a historic house that was once a bishop’s palace. The park offers a stunning landscape of rolling hills and ancient woodland which is home to a majestic herd of deer as well as other wildlife.

There are plenty of designated picnic areas as well as perfect spots to spread out a blanket in the park’s open fields and lawns. After your lunch, you can explore the park and its woodland trails, and hopefully catch a glimpse of the wandering deer.

There’s also the house itself, showcasing an incredible collection of royal artefacts and Royal Stuart furniture, textiles, and paintings. The showrooms have been open as galleries for visitors for 400 years, allowing the public the opportunity to see these treasures up close. 

Once the home of Victorian statesman Benjamin Disraeli, Hughenden offers expansive parkland and gardens along with its stately red brick manor house. Only a short drive from Abbey Barn Park, Hughenden Park offers beautiful walled and formal gardens immediately around the manor, while its parkland provides some lovely spots to set up for a picnic with a view.

There’s plenty to do after your picnic, too. Take a walk over 600 acres of woodland and open countryside in the Chiltern Hills, or let the children explore the natural play area featuring stepping stones and wooden walkways. The house itself is also very much worth visiting, where the rooms are recreated as Disraeli would have known them. The library is still filled with a collection of his books, and upstairs you can see the robe worn by Disraeli during his time as Chancellor of the Exchequer.