Best London neighbourhoods for fitness

This ranking is for people whose week is built around training — gym sessions, classes, swimming, cycling or sport — rather than for people who simply want a park nearby. It weights gym density most heavily, then green space, walkability and safety, which is why areas with large parks and plenty of gyms and studios, such as Holland Park, Kensington, Battersea and Wimbledon, rank at the top.

London's fitness infrastructure is broader than gyms. The city has several outdoor lidos that open year-round or for most of the year — Tooting Bec, Brockwell, Parliament Hill and London Fields among them — and swimmers also use the ponds on Hampstead Heath and the reservoirs in Stoke Newington. Cyclists can use Cycleway routes and quiet streets through low-traffic neighbourhoods, and the Lee Valley, Richmond Park and the Surrey Hills beyond south-west London are popular longer rides. Many large parks host free outdoor gym equipment, boot camps and sports leagues.

The practical question is what you will actually use. Gym memberships vary widely in price and quality, and a chain gym near your office may matter more than one near home. If you swim, check how far the nearest pool or lido is and how busy it gets at your usual time. If you cycle, check the route to work as well as the weekend options. If you play team sport, check where leagues and pitches are, since football and rugby pitches cluster in places such as Hackney Marshes, Clapham Common and Wormwood Scrubs rather than in the top-ranked areas themselves.