A Family Day Out in Surrey Quays: London’s Riverside Secret
Tucked along a bend of the Thames in south east London, Surrey Quays is the kind of place you stumble on and then wonder why you had never been before. There is a free city farm, forty two acres of woodland built on old timber docks, a boating lake with actual swans, and a watersports centre where the kids can try kayaking, all within a fifteen minute walk of each other.
We spent a full day exploring the area with our own crew in tow, and it turned into one of those days out that costs almost nothing and delivers more than most paid attractions. Here is everything we discovered, plus the practical details you will want before you go.
Key Takeaways
- Surrey Docks Farm is a free, working city farm right on the Thames in Rotherhithe
- Russia Dock Woodland and Stave Hill Ecology Park cover 42 acres of free green space
- Southwark Park has a boating lake, playground and café for a full family afternoon
- Canada Water station puts Canary Wharf just two minutes away by Jubilee line
- The whole route is buggy-friendly and walkable without needing a car
Why Surrey Quays Works So Well for a Family Day Out
Surrey Quays sits on what used to be the Surrey Commercial Docks, once one of the busiest timber import hubs in the world. When the docks closed in the 1970s, much of the area was left to nature or turned into parkland, which is exactly what makes it such a good match for a family day out today.
It has also become a genuinely popular place for young families to put down roots, and the Surrey Quays estate & letting agents team we spoke to said enquiries from families wanting to be near the woodland and the farm have grown steadily over the past few years.
Everything below is reachable on foot from Canada Water or Surrey Quays station, so you genuinely do not need a car.
Surrey Docks Farm: A Free City Farm on the Thames
Our first stop was Surrey Docks Farm, a working city farm on a 2.2 acre site right on the riverbank in Rotherhithe. Entry is free, and the kids spent a solid forty minutes meeting the pigs, sheep, goats, cows, ducks and geese in the open farmyard.
- Younger children can handle and stroke the ferrets, rabbits and guinea pigs
- There is an orchard, herb garden and vegetable plots to wander through
- The on-site café serves an all-day breakfast, useful for a mid-morning refuel
- The farm shop sells animal feed and farm produce if you want to bring something home
Good to Know: Surrey Docks Farm has no dedicated car park, so street parking is free at weekends but paid for up to four hours on weekdays. Walking or the Overground is the easiest way in.
Russia Dock Woodland and Stave Hill Ecology Park
From the farm, it is a short walk into Russia Dock Woodland, forty two acres of trails, ponds and native woodland built directly on top of the old timber dock. Once you cross into Stave Hill Ecology Park, an artificial hill built from wartime rubble, you get a genuinely surprising panoramic view over the London skyline for a spot that costs nothing to visit.
The paths are flat, buggy-friendly and well shaded, which made it an easy stretch for our youngest to walk himself rather than be carried.
Russia Dock Woodlands and Stave Hill Ecology Park together cover 42 acres of publicly accessible green space, created from the rubble and spoil left after the Surrey Commercial Docks closed.
Southwark Park: Boating Lake, Playground and Green Space
Southwark Park opened in 1869 and remains one of the largest green spaces in this part of London. The lower section has a boating lake, a children’s playground for ages up to fourteen, a café, and an art gallery, while the upper section has a bandstand, bowling green and tennis courts.
| Feature | What to Expect | Cost |
| Boating lake | Open April to October, most weekends and bank holidays | Small hire fee |
| Playground | Suitable for children up to 14 | Free |
| Pavilion café | Hot and cold food, ice cream, open daily | Pay as you go |
| Art gallery | Contemporary exhibitions, open Wed to Sun | Free |
We hired a rowing boat for twenty minutes and it was, without question, the highlight of the day for our two eldest. Just be warned that the resident geese take the lake very seriously and are not shy about letting you know it.
Getting Active: Watersports on Greenland Dock
For families with older children, Surrey Docks Fitness and Watersports Centre sits on the fully enclosed Greenland Dock and runs kayaking, sailing, windsurfing, canoeing and paddleboarding sessions. Kids’ courses run during school holidays, and because the dock is enclosed rather than open water, it feels a lot less daunting for first timers than heading out onto the Thames itself.
If your family enjoys getting outdoors together, this pairs nicely with the kind of outdoor activities the whole family will love that make a weekend feel like a proper adventure rather than just another day out.
Rainy Day Options: Canada Water Library and the Shopping Centre
London weather being what it is, it is worth knowing your indoor options too. Canada Water Library, designed by architect Piers Gough, overhangs the lake itself and has a ground floor café and quiet reading spaces upstairs that are genuinely pleasant to sit in with children.
Right next door, Surrey Quays Shopping Centre has a large supermarket and a run of cafés and food outlets, useful if the woodland walk gets rained off halfway through.
[VIDEO: “A Walk around Canada Water | London | 2025” — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djlflO8GR3Q]
This walking video gives a good feel for the layout of Canada Water and Surrey Quays before you visit, including the lake, library and dock views.
How to Get There
Canada Water station is the main hub for the area, sitting on both the Jubilee line and the London Overground, with Surrey Quays station one stop further round the Overground loop. It is one of the best connected corners of south east London, which is part of why so many families end up staying.
Figure 1: Direct Jubilee line journey times from Canada Water station.
A Thames Clipper river bus also stops at Greenland Pier, a scenic and slightly more novel way to arrive if you are coming from central London and want to make the journey part of the day out.
If you are travelling in from further afield and want to make a weekend of it, we’ve previously written about why we’d choose Bankside Hotel for a family trip to London, which sits on the river a short hop from Surrey Quays by boat or train.
Families Who Fall for the Area
What struck us most was how many of the parents we chatted to at the farm and the playground had moved to Surrey Quays specifically for days like the one we had just had. Free green space, a working farm, a boating lake and fast links into the city are a hard combination to find anywhere else in London at this price point.
If a weekend visit turns into more than that for your family, our trip felt similar in spirit to our trip to London to see Wicked, where what started as a one-off outing left us thinking about the city very differently.
Practical Tips for Visiting with Kids
- Wear comfortable shoes; the woodland paths and Stave Hill involve some gentle inclines
- Bring a picnic for the park, or budget for the farm café and the Southwark Park Pavilion Café
- Visit the boating lake earlier in the day during summer, as queues build by early afternoon
- Check the farm and library opening times before you travel, as both close one day a week
- Pack a change of clothes; between the farm animals and the boating lake, someone usually gets muddy
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Surrey Docks Farm really free to visit?
Yes. Surrey Docks Farm is a registered charity and is free to enter seven days a week, though donations are welcomed to support its education programmes.
How long does a family day out in Surrey Quays take?
Most families spend four to six hours covering the farm, the woodland and the park, with time for lunch. It comfortably fills a full day if you add the boating lake or watersports centre.
Is Surrey Quays suitable for a buggy?
Yes. The woodland paths, Southwark Park and the riverside walks are flat and well maintained, making the whole route buggy-friendly with only a couple of gentle inclines near Stave Hill.
Is there parking near Surrey Docks Farm?
Not directly. There is no dedicated car park at the farm, so most visitors arrive by Overground, bus or on foot from the station.
A Corner of London Worth Discovering
Surrey Quays is not going to appear on many first-time visitor itineraries, and that is rather the point. It gave our family a full day of farm animals, woodland trails and boating without a single queue or entry fee that stretched the budget, all a two-minute Tube ride from Canary Wharf.
If you are planning a London trip with children and want somewhere that feels like a genuine local discovery rather than another ticketed attraction, put this stretch of the Thames on your list.
References
Southwark Council, Southwark Park, 2026 — https://services.southwark.gov.uk/parks-and-open-spaces/parks/southwark-park
Transport for London, Canada Water Underground Station, 2026 — https://tfl.gov.uk/tube/stop/940GZZLUCWR/canada-water-underground-station/
Day Out With The Kids, Surrey Docks Farm, 2026 — https://www.dayoutwiththekids.co.uk/attractions/surrey-docks-farm-aeeffcc0
London Borough of Southwark, Water Sports in Southwark, 2026 — https://www.southwark.gov.uk/culture-and-sport/leisure-and-sport/outdoor-sports/water-sports
Garrett Whitelock, Surrey Quays Estate & Letting Agents — https://garrettwhitelock.co.uk/estate-agents/surrey-quays/
Fact Check: All statistics, journey times and opening details in this article were verified against official sources, including Southwark Council and Transport for London data, as of the article’s publication date. Sources are listed in the References section above.
