# Practicing drone flights in/around London (beginner) **URL:** \ **Category:** Introductions\ **Created:** [30 August 2026 14:08 UTC](https://greyarro.ws/t/practicing-drone-flights-in-around-london-beginner/115072 "2026-08-30T14:08:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Manon](https://greyarro.ws/user_avatar/greyarro.ws/manon/32/239982_2.png) [@Manon](https://greyarro.ws/u/Manon)\ **Post date:** [30 August 2026 14:08 UTC](https://greyarro.ws/t/practicing-drone-flights-in-around-london-beginner/115072/1 "2026-08-30T14:08:54Z")
Hi everyone, I am completely knew with drones. I just bought a DJI Flip drone (\< 250g) and have my OperatorID and FlyerID (training). I hold a Liability Insurance (but no Indemnity to Landowners/Principals - that could allow me to fly on The Flying Field in Richmond park). I’ve been spending so much time trying to find areas where I can fly the drone around London, but it seems sooooo complicated with all the restrictions. There are also too many different maps showing restricted areas but it’s so difficult to know which one is right or wrong. For example, on Drone Scene, the whole London is not showing red as it is on other maps (i.e. NATS or ukdronemap). My questions: 1. Where are the best places I can go to practice drone flying around London (I live in Brick Lane so anything closer to that or I don’t mind travelling 1h-2h away). 2. What app/website do you guys trust the most to check restrictions (that is user friendly)? 3. On top of Aviation restrictions, there are the landowners restrictions/bylaws - anything you recommend to easily check when I go somewhere? Many thanks for your help!! Manon ---
**Author:** ![PingSpike](https://greyarro.ws/user_avatar/greyarro.ws/pingspike/32/7393_2.png) [@PingSpike](https://greyarro.ws/u/PingSpike)\ **Post date:** [30 August 2026 14:11 UTC](https://greyarro.ws/t/practicing-drone-flights-in-around-london-beginner/115072/2 "2026-08-30T14:11:47Z")
Hi @Manon and welcome to Grey Arrows 👋🏻 * * * Looking for affordable Drone Public Liability Insurance that covers you throughout the UK and Europe? Unlike other insurance providers, Grey Arrows Drone Club only charges **£9 per year for £5,000,000 of Public Liability cover** , making us _the_ most affordable drone insurance provider in the UK. Our £5,000,000 Public Liability Insurance is available exclusively to our Gold Members. Find out more here: > **[Hobbyist Drone Public Liability Insurance for the UK and Europe](https://dronescene.co.uk/drone-public-liability-insurance)** > > Grey Arrows Drone Club provides hobbyist pilots with £5,000,000 Public Liability Insurance cover for drone flights across the UK and throughout Europe from just £9 per year. * * * Looking for recommendations of places to fly? Check out our interactive map on [Drone Scene](https://dronescene.co.uk/) and please feel free to add locations of your own too 😃 > **[Drone Scene – The interactive map and community for UK drone pilots](https://dronescene.co.uk/)** > > Explore the leading drone flight-planning map with live airspace data and thousands of recommended flying locations shared by real pilots. * * * Interested in upgrading your level of [membership](https://dronescene.co.uk/membership) of our Club? Read about all the [benefits of Silver and Gold membership](https://dronescene.co.uk/membership) at: > **[Drone club membership and £5m Public Liability Insurance](https://dronescene.co.uk/membership)** > > Whether you are an experienced pilot or just starting your aerial journey, our insurance coverage ensures that you can fly worry-free, knowing you're protected from potential legal and financial claims. * * * Wondering whether you can fly a particular model of drone under particular circumstances? Check out [Good 2 Go](https://dronescene.co.uk/good2go) where you’ll soon find the answer 😊 > **[Good 2 Go - Can I fly my drone here?](https://dronescene.co.uk/good2go/)** > > Take this short Q&A to find out whether you can fly your drone in certain places, what separation distances apply, and whether you need to broadcast Remote ID. * * * Have you seen our [Members Map](https://dronescene.co.uk/membersmap)? You may find some members living near you. > **[Members Map](https://dronescene.co.uk/membersmap)** > > View a map of club members to see who lives nearby and organise some local meet-ups! Feel free to [add yourself to the members map](https://greyarro.ws/t/members-location-map-a-guide/3652) too! * * * Flying a drone is great fun but sometimes you feel the need to have a purpose for doing so and the #Challenges category provides some great reasons for you to fly. There are regular challenges which are open to all, that attract members of all abilities. Support, advice and constructive criticism is freely available; still photography, video and the techniques for editing both are involved in the challenges. Suggestions, for subjects or for complete challenges, are always welcome - take a look in the #Challenges category for more information. * * * We’re a well established club with many knowledgeable members so it’s very likely that any issues you come across will have been discussed here before. Our discussion forum has [very powerful search features](https://greyarro.ws/search) which should help you find what you need but if you get stuck you can post a new question in the #Questions & Answers category. Our Bronze Members are able to enjoy a lot of great services for free but our [Silver and Gold Members](https://dronescene.co.uk/membership) are eligible for a whole lot more! Read all the details about our [Membership Benefits](https://dronescene.co.uk/membership#Benefits)? And finally, if you are new to drones and wondering what it’s all about, have a look at [Resources for a beginner](https://greyarro.ws/t/resources-for-a-beginner/68167). Welcome once again! ---
**Author:** ![Nik469](https://greyarro.ws/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Nik469](https://greyarro.ws/u/Nik469)\ **Post date:** [30 August 2026 14:16 UTC](https://greyarro.ws/t/practicing-drone-flights-in-around-london-beginner/115072/3 "2026-08-30T14:16:54Z")
Welcome. Do you drive? ---
**Author:** ![PingSpike](https://greyarro.ws/user_avatar/greyarro.ws/pingspike/32/7393_2.png) [@PingSpike](https://greyarro.ws/u/PingSpike)\ **Post date:** [30 August 2026 14:36 UTC](https://greyarro.ws/t/practicing-drone-flights-in-around-london-beginner/115072/4 "2026-08-30T14:36:13Z")
> [@Manon](#): > > on Drone Scene, the whole London is not showing red Rightly so, the whole of London is not covered by a Flight Restriction Zone 😁 Drone Scene filters out most things that don’t apply to drones, hopefully giving you a clearer view of the relevant airspace. Try a few searches here on the forum if you have any questions about a specific restriction, most of them will have been discussed here at some point over the last ten years 😊 ---
**Author:** ![Rocket](https://greyarro.ws/user_avatar/greyarro.ws/rocket/32/241765_2.png) [@Rocket](https://greyarro.ws/u/Rocket)\ **Post date:** [30 August 2026 14:53 UTC](https://greyarro.ws/t/practicing-drone-flights-in-around-london-beginner/115072/5 "2026-08-30T14:53:28Z")
Hi @Manon and welcome to GADC 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Manon](https://greyarro.ws/user_avatar/greyarro.ws/manon/32/239982_2.png) [@Manon](https://greyarro.ws/u/Manon)\ **Post date:** [30 August 2026 15:35 UTC](https://greyarro.ws/t/practicing-drone-flights-in-around-london-beginner/115072/6 "2026-08-30T15:35:36Z")
Hello, I don’t drive nope - just taking London public transports ---
**Author:** ![Manon](https://greyarro.ws/user_avatar/greyarro.ws/manon/32/239982_2.png) [@Manon](https://greyarro.ws/u/Manon)\ **Post date:** [30 August 2026 15:38 UTC](https://greyarro.ws/t/practicing-drone-flights-in-around-london-beginner/115072/7 "2026-08-30T15:38:49Z")
Hi, thanks for your answer! Do you know any place you can easily fly the drone in London? (without aviation restrictions AND landowners restrictions) ---
**Author:** ![PingSpike](https://greyarro.ws/user_avatar/greyarro.ws/pingspike/32/7393_2.png) [@PingSpike](https://greyarro.ws/u/PingSpike)\ **Post date:** [30 August 2026 15:56 UTC](https://greyarro.ws/t/practicing-drone-flights-in-around-london-beginner/115072/8 "2026-08-30T15:56:47Z")
@Manon have a look at the Drone Scene map. You can use the filters at the top to select just the London area. There are 63x recommended places to fly in London on the map already 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Manon](https://greyarro.ws/user_avatar/greyarro.ws/manon/32/239982_2.png) [@Manon](https://greyarro.ws/u/Manon)\ **Post date:** [30 August 2026 16:14 UTC](https://greyarro.ws/t/practicing-drone-flights-in-around-london-beginner/115072/11 "2026-08-30T16:14:29Z")
Oh I see so the list of places shown under the map are the recommended places where we can fly the drones without any issue? (see below image) ![image](https://d1q8cepst0v8xp.cloudfront.net/original/3X/9/4/94f27bd4889ef9cc5a680d48d3d1f3f694476dbf.png) Cause when you look at London, it’s pretty restricted 😅 (see image 2 below) ![image](https://d1q8cepst0v8xp.cloudfront.net/original/3X/9/5/9553f801fc33ac20501ac3353f718b796f118b08.png) ---
**Author:** ![Onanist](https://greyarro.ws/user_avatar/greyarro.ws/onanist/32/88334_2.png) [@Onanist](https://greyarro.ws/u/Onanist)\ **Post date:** [30 August 2026 16:57 UTC](https://greyarro.ws/t/practicing-drone-flights-in-around-london-beginner/115072/13 "2026-08-30T16:57:18Z")
Hi @Manon and welcome to GADC 👍 👍 ---
**Author:** ![WoolySheep](https://greyarro.ws/user_avatar/greyarro.ws/woolysheep/32/241330_2.png) [@WoolySheep](https://greyarro.ws/u/WoolySheep)\ **Post date:** [30 August 2026 17:01 UTC](https://greyarro.ws/t/practicing-drone-flights-in-around-london-beginner/115072/14 "2026-08-30T17:01:53Z")
Hi @Manon , welcome to GADC. ---
**Author:** ![OzoneVibe](https://greyarro.ws/user_avatar/greyarro.ws/ozonevibe/32/12764_2.png) [@OzoneVibe](https://greyarro.ws/u/OzoneVibe)\ **Post date:** [30 August 2026 17:09 UTC](https://greyarro.ws/t/practicing-drone-flights-in-around-london-beginner/115072/15 "2026-08-30T17:09:12Z")
> [@Manon](#): > > where we can fly the drones without any issue? Obviously, there is the chance that the local situation can have changed since locations were posted (some more than 8 years ago), so proper re-assessment should always be carried out before flying. But - they are a good starting point, and the more recently they were created the more up-to-date the info. ---
**Author:** ![Jhdee](https://greyarro.ws/user_avatar/greyarro.ws/jhdee/32/12763_2.png) [@Jhdee](https://greyarro.ws/u/Jhdee)\ **Post date:** [30 August 2026 17:15 UTC](https://greyarro.ws/t/practicing-drone-flights-in-around-london-beginner/115072/17 "2026-08-30T17:15:18Z")
Hi @Manon - welcome to GADC 👍 👍 👍 ---
**Author:** ![Nik469](https://greyarro.ws/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Nik469](https://greyarro.ws/u/Nik469)\ **Post date:** [30 August 2026 17:15 UTC](https://greyarro.ws/t/practicing-drone-flights-in-around-london-beginner/115072/18 "2026-08-30T17:15:47Z")
The first area that springs to mind is the park next to wormwood scrubs.. Admittedly its right next to the prison which is a definite no go area but the park itself is ok. Fairly easy access via public transport iirc ---
**Author:** ![GreenAJ](https://greyarro.ws/user_avatar/greyarro.ws/greenaj/32/241557_2.png) [@GreenAJ](https://greyarro.ws/u/GreenAJ)\ **Post date:** [30 August 2026 17:26 UTC](https://greyarro.ws/t/practicing-drone-flights-in-around-london-beginner/115072/19 "2026-08-30T17:26:19Z")
Hi Manon, my go to place when I need to test a new software update is Wormwood Scrubs Open Space ( Co-ordinates: [51.52245, -0.241849](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=51.52245,-0.241849) • what3words: [///blitz.host.things](https://what3words.com/blitz.host.things?maptype=satellite)) as they have a flying field there just north of the prison. ( I know, still weirds me out that we have a place to legally fly drones pushing up against a place where it is VERY illegal to fly drones, but hey ho.) You can see the Flight Restriction Zone very clearly on any NOTAM map you care to look at, and indeed I once accidentally flew my DJI Neo into it and my controller immediately told me what I had done, prompting me to hastily reverse course, though I am led to believe this isn’t a guaranteed feature. I wouldn’t recommend flying there tomorrow though, August bank Holiday as they still have their GPS Jammers active that they have been using to protect Notting Hill Carnival. Here at Grey arrows we have dronescene which is a fantastic resource showing you not only restriction zones, but spots that other members have flown and recommend in the area as well. That info and more is available for all members, but if you were to take the plunge and sign up for silver or gold membership I believe you get access to more information such as what local councils have bylaws that prevent taking off on their land, etc. Basic rule of thumb is you need permission from the landowner, so on private land that involves an ask, (and possibly a fee) and on public land as long as you have checked to make sure it’s allowed (bylaws, not in a restriction zone etc) you can go ahead as long as you follow the CAA Drone Code. ---
**Author:** ![Manon](https://greyarro.ws/user_avatar/greyarro.ws/manon/32/239982_2.png) [@Manon](https://greyarro.ws/u/Manon)\ **Post date:** [30 August 2026 18:18 UTC](https://greyarro.ws/t/practicing-drone-flights-in-around-london-beginner/115072/20 "2026-08-30T18:18:46Z")
Thank you so much, this is exactly what I needed!! I spent the day checking many of the “recommended” places around London from the Drone Scene map/list, using AI to get information on the local councils bylaws. This takes ages to check. So if you’re telling me the silver subscription could help me get this information directly, I might subscribe then! I saw that South Norwood Country Park might be a good fit too as Croydon Council’s current park byelaws do not contain a specific ban on drones. I might check there as it is way further from the Notting Hill GPS Jammers. Thanks a lot for your help! ---
**Author:** ![OzoneVibe](https://greyarro.ws/user_avatar/greyarro.ws/ozonevibe/32/12764_2.png) [@OzoneVibe](https://greyarro.ws/u/OzoneVibe)\ **Post date:** [30 August 2026 18:23 UTC](https://greyarro.ws/t/practicing-drone-flights-in-around-london-beginner/115072/21 "2026-08-30T18:23:44Z")
Take a look at the [videos](https://dronescene.co.uk/about) that explain everything that’s available on drone Scene. Also, Drone Scene is constantly evolving and improving. ---
**Author:** ![milkmanchris](https://greyarro.ws/user_avatar/greyarro.ws/milkmanchris/32/237713_2.png) [@milkmanchris](https://greyarro.ws/u/milkmanchris)\ **Post date:** [30 August 2026 18:30 UTC](https://greyarro.ws/t/practicing-drone-flights-in-around-london-beginner/115072/23 "2026-08-30T18:30:32Z")
> [@Manon](#): > > using AI to get information Over the info given from real people who have really flown there ? As per other answers, Drone Scene is your friend > [@Manon](#): > > I might subscribe then! Gold makes more sense, its always good to have some PLI, and its less than a pint of beer and a ruby murray in your neck of the woods ;o) ---
**Author:** ![Manon](https://greyarro.ws/user_avatar/greyarro.ws/manon/32/239982_2.png) [@Manon](https://greyarro.ws/u/Manon)\ **Post date:** [30 August 2026 18:37 UTC](https://greyarro.ws/t/practicing-drone-flights-in-around-london-beginner/115072/24 "2026-08-30T18:37:47Z")
It’s not because people flew to a place that it means they are allowed to fly there I’m using AI only to check the local councils bylaws as it seems some people here only talk about CAA restricted area and still go to places that actually doesn’t allow you to take off/land because of landowner restrictions 🙂 So yes I prefer to check by myself directly on the websites (confirming AI information) than relying on what people say when they only talk about CAA ok-to-fly places. Also things change over time so what someone said in 2024 might not apply today Okay thanks for your advice on the subscription! ---
**Author:** ![milkmanchris](https://greyarro.ws/user_avatar/greyarro.ws/milkmanchris/32/237713_2.png) [@milkmanchris](https://greyarro.ws/u/milkmanchris)\ **Post date:** [30 August 2026 18:42 UTC](https://greyarro.ws/t/practicing-drone-flights-in-around-london-beginner/115072/25 "2026-08-30T18:42:06Z")
> [@Manon](#): > > ’m using AI only to check the local councils bylaws as it seems some people here only talk about CAA restricted area and still go to places that actually doesn’t allow you to take off/land because of landowner restrictions > **[Grey Arrows Drone Club maps every UK Council Byelaw, PSPO & Policy into Drone...](https://arpas.uk/grey-arrows-drone-club-maps-every-uk-council-byelaw-pspo-policy-into-drone-scene/)** > > Grey Arrows Drone Club, the UK’s most popular drone club, has completed a nationwide project to map byelaws, Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) and council policies from every local authority… [Next page](https://greyarro.ws/t/practicing-drone-flights-in-around-london-beginner/115072.md?page=2)