The proper measure of a Chelsea summer afternoon is not how much you manage to get done, but how elegantly you can avoid doing it.

Happily, July makes a convincing case for indulgence. The pavements are warm, the afternoons stretch, and several of London’s best places for ice cream and gelato sit within strolling distance of Sloane Street, which removes the need to choose between them. What follows is a route, not a shortlist.

Start here, a minute from Sloane Square. The selection changes, so read the board before you commit to anything. Cornflake is the one to order if you are only ordering one — it tastes exactly like the milk left at the bottom of the bowl, which is either a childhood memory or a revelation, depending on your upbringing. Salted caramel and honeycomb are the two the regulars ask for by name. Take two scoops rather than one; you have a walk ahead of you and this is the last stop where you can eat standing up without anyone photographing it. Open 11am–10pm.

Down Symons Street and onto King’s Road. Amorino builds its gelato into rose petals, one flavour to a petal, which means the usual discipline of choosing does not apply. Ask for four. Pistachio, mango sorbet, stracciatella, dark chocolate — the flower holds. Order one scoop here and you have misunderstood the exercise.

Further along King’s Road is the the serious stop. Venchi is chocolate-led and unembarrassed about it: gianduja, hazelnut, pistachio, dark chocolate thick enough to stand a spoon in. This is where you go when sorbet has stopped feeling like enough. Order the gianduja in a cup, not a cone — it is too rich to chase down a wafer in summer.

Finish at The Village Hall, 11 Pont Street, where Anya Hindmarch’s Ice Cream Project returns until 16 August. This year’s flavours include Aunt Bessie’s Yorkshire pudding, Paxo sage and onion stuffing, OXO stock cube, Green Giant sweetcorn, Lurpak butter, McVitie’s Ginger Nuts and Euthymol toothpaste. Scoops start at £4.50 and tubs are £16.

The proper finale is the Blind Tasting Tea at Anya Café. Fifteen flavours arrive with wafers, sprinkles, a scorecard and pencil, followed by shortbread and pink lemonade or sparkling water. It must be booked at least 48 hours ahead, for a minimum of two people. Go with someone competitive. The OXO will tell you a lot.

If the weather holds, this is the Chelsea route to take slowly: Pavilion Road for the first scoop, King’s Road for the second, Pont Street for the surprise ending. Summer will not stay put forever. Best to order accordingly.