The best things in life are free

And we can share them with the birds and bees! Summer holidays are ascending on us rapidly so for parents and carers with children at home finding affordable things to do is essential. Parks There are 3,000 parks in London all with free admission and many with additional family activities on this summer. 3,000 parks adds up to 35,000 acres of grass, streams, boating ponds, paddling pools, playgrounds, sports fields and flowerbeds. Something for everyone. We have one of the eight Royal Parks in London on our doorstep in Greenwich. A packet of sandwiches, a couple of apples, a bottle of water and a ball and you’ve got a great day sorted and some seriously well exercised and exhausted children by teatime. You can get the children to do a bit of online research looking for parks with features they most enjoy – boating, roaming deer, football facilities, paddling pool etc and plan to visit one or two each week during the holidays. The Thames A fantastic free day out. The Thames Path through London is cram packed with interesting things to see, hear, smell and do. There are the built up stretches around Westminster down to Tower Bridge rich with interesting buildings, history and people. And there’s the quieter stretches where birds and other wild life can be enjoyed at a much slower pace. The River Thames is England’s longest river flowing from the Cotwolds in the west to the North Sea in the East, covering 215 miles. Part of this long river is non-tidal and part is tidal. From Teddington through London right to the North Sea this is the tidal part of the Thames and the river rises and falls throughout the day. There are 75 non-tidal bridges and 29 tidal bridges across the Thames. Over the last 30 years at least 119 different species of fish have been found in the Thames. Seals can be found as far upstream as Waterloo Bridge during their breeding and nursing seasons. Waterloo Bridge is London’s longest bridge at 1250 feet or 381 metres. Nowadays we source approximately two thirds of London’s drinking water from the Thames. However, back in 1858 use of the Thames was suspended because it was just too smelly! Today there is much to enjoy and many gorgeous places to visit along the river banks. It’s true, some of the best things in life are free, Have a safe, happy and as cost- free, as possible, summer holidays.