Hampstead Heath

About this place Hampstead Heath

Hampstead Heath in north London is the most storied gay cruising spot in Britain, with a documented history stretching back to the 19th century when homosexuality was still criminalised. West Heath — reached from Hampstead tube station by walking north along Heath Street — is the active section. The area is busy during the day and particularly at dusk. A large wooded section gives the cover the crowd needs; the Fuck Tree, a sessile oak on West Heath, has become something of a landmark. The crowd is genuinely diverse — age, background, regulars alongside first-timers. In 2025 anti-cruising posters appeared on the heath generating significant press coverage and pushback from the community. The area remains actively used. Access: Hampstead tube station, head north toward the heath, main entry to West Heath is where Jack Straw's Castle pub used to stand (the building is now residential).