wellness
Kensington's Top Walking Trails Rated by Distance and Difficulty
New ratings released this week sort the borough's paths into clear categories based on length and elevation changes.
How we reported this
Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park together logged 14 new trail markers last month that assign each route a distance and difficulty score for the first time.
Wellness groups in the area report a 22 percent rise in outdoor activity registrations since the start of 2026, driven by residents seeking low-cost ways to maintain fitness amid rising indoor gym fees that now average £65 a month at chains along Kensington High Street.
The Friends of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens worked with the Royal Parks Authority to install the markers, which include QR codes linking to maps updated on 15 June. Holland Park’s Adventure Playground loop also received ratings after the park’s management added new signage near Abbotsbury Road.
Shorter options stay under 3km
The Diana Memorial Walk inside Kensington Gardens covers 2.1km on flat ground and carries an easy rating suitable for daily use. A second route along the north side of the Serpentine in Hyde Park measures 2.8km with one short incline near the Dell and is marked moderate. Both start from the same gate at the junction of Kensington Road and Exhibition Road, where free printed rating cards are available at the information kiosk.
Local data from the borough’s public health team shows residents who walk at least 2km three times a week record an average 1,800 more daily steps than those who do not, based on a sample of 1,450 participants tracked between January and May this year.
Longer routes add elevation
The full perimeter trail around Holland Park stretches 4.7km and includes 85 metres of climbing near the Kyoto Garden, placing it in the moderate-to-hard category. A separate 6.3km path that links Hyde Park’s eastern edge to the western boundary of Kensington Gardens via the Broad Walk is rated hard because of repeated short hills and a total distance that takes most walkers 90 minutes at a steady pace.
Park staff advise starting any route before 8am on weekdays to avoid peak foot traffic near the Albert Memorial. Maps and the full difficulty table are posted on the Royal Parks website and at notice boards beside the Kensington Palace ticket office.