To ask Londoners how much you explored London as a child?

[AdoptedBumpkin]

Was talking to an older man who grew up in South London yesterday, and he told me he only went to North London once before the age of 18.

I grew up in South London, mostly outer SW postcodes, and I travelled around London quite a lot as a child and more so as a teen, so I was a bit surprised by this.

If you lived in London as a youth, how often do you go to other parts of the city?

We never went East. Or South.... Shiver

Titsywoo I'm an exploring type. I'm now in Derbyshire so I've done a lot of more rural exploring recently. I miss the tube in some ways.

I did quite a bit. Not all the residential areas, but exploring central london by bus and tube etc. I grew up during IRA times, and I know there was a bit of caution around that. As a teenager I travelled to random parts for Athletics competitions.

I grew up in North London. As a family we’d go into central London in the school holidays to visit museums, parks, parades, shows etc. I started going by myself from about 11.

Never really visited south or west. East a little bit as some family were there.

1950s child here. We (incl mother) sometimes went up to the city, where my dad worked (artist not financial wizard) on the tube and saw him then we would go to an old shop by the Thames that sold biscuits in glass topped tins, where we were allowed to choose a biscuit each that we ate on an old wooden jetty whilst watching boat traffic (still a lot then) before going home again.There were loads of bombsites then. We also got taken to St Paul's, the Monument (my brother saw an American Indian -()can't remember new pc term -in full finery including headdress at the top).and then, when a roman temple was discovered during the rebuilding in same area, were taken up to see that before it had to be moved to allow building to go up. Also went up for Lord Mayor's show plus the museums and art galleries. Also, west end, zoo, parks, ice skating at queensway, later theatre (saw Sound of Music before it was made into a film. We did once go to Crystal Palace and another time visited Imperial War Museum but otherwise only saw South London if travelling through it to South coast. One of my current neighbours, who is about 20 yrs older than me, can remember, as a boy, going up to the "beach" below the walls of the Tower of London, where they all went swimming. He and his friends grew up in Deptford.

Buses were ten pence when I was a teen briefly living in Putney in the GLC years. I didn’t really take advantage though, but that was because I wasn’t a native Londoner.

Nowadays buses are free for my DC and they know Central London pretty well. But I’ve learned from accompanying them on school trips that a surprising number of DC (and their parents and teachers) from zone 2 schools really don’t know Central London at all.

That's interesting YesThisIsMe.

I’m from west London and used to go exploring all the time .
My best friend and I used to bunk off school and get the tube up to central .
I still love an explore with my husband and still finding lots of cool places I never knew existed

FizzyIce

Lived in North London and went to central London most weekends. Saw it all. Key tourist attractions, the lot.

Grew up in North London. Used to go to central London but never really went to South, East or West London until I was an adult.

I grew up in zone 1 and explored loads. My father used to take me and my sister out on these massive day long adventures at the weekends, mainly to give my mother a break, I now realise. We loved it though. Museums on rainy days, parks and adventure playgrounds when the weather was nice. Later on, when we were older, my sister and I spent loads of time hanging about Camden town, Covent Garden. Saturdays were often spent in the Oxford Circus Topshop. The freedom of the whole city was exhilarating, once I was allowed to take the tube on my own.
We didn't spend much time in South London, apart from visits to my grandparents in Streatham.

I grew up in an outer London suburb. We were taken to places like the National Gallery and the museums at South Ken, royal parks etc. We even made a special trip to go on the Jubilee line (the one launched to commemorate the Queen's Silver jubilee -1977?). We didn't eat out in restaurants or go to the theatre, I suspect that it would have been unaffordable. Even now as an adult, I get the odd frisson of excitement when I go to the theatre during the week!

Most places south of the river, all of central, bits of East and West and North. I only went to residential areas of E, W and N if I had friends there. I only went to Barnet very recently, for example, having been a Londoner all my life.

@Lippy1234 - Is the shop you're thinking of Scribbler?

Born in 1970, grew up in north London. By the early 80s was 'going up West' as we called it, on the 134 bus for 5p.
With my friends went regularly to hang out in Hamley's or Harrods (just to cause mischief and play on the luxury moving beds etc), Kensington Market, Covent Garden, Madame Tussaud's (got in free somehow), and we used to regularly bunk IN to London Zoo(!), once nearly landing in the wolf enclosure. When I was a bit older used to hang out in Camden Market every weekend and was clubbing at raves and warehouse parties from aged 17, so was quite well travelled to places like Brixton and Vauxhall but just at night really for the clubs.

I have a young colleague in her 20s from South East London. She told me she's never been to Covent Garden. I was gobsmacked tbh.

We used to go to the King's Road every Saturday in 1976/77, went to Biba and Liberty lots with my dad. My sister worked in M&S in Oxford Street around that time and everything shut on a Saturday afternoon because there was no one there. I used to go to a club in Covent Garden when it was still a market, then Soho LOTS in 1977/78 when it was full of weirdos and people on the margins. I remember Regent Street being almost derelict with most of the shops shut. Also getting about during the IRA days, we just kept calm and .....

I grew up in North London in the 90s. We traveled into the west end quite often and regularly visited other parts of N and NW at weekends.

We didnt venture south of the river too often - maybe a or 3 times a year?

I also grew up in same area OP

Travelled a lot around south and central London a little to the west north I’m not so sure I don’t remember going to north London and it certainly different from south London

By 12 I was going into central London and kings road with friends I can’t imagine ds doing this

I always feel I am home once I go over st alberts bridge

Charley50 Yes that’s the one!

I get you @EnthusiasmIsDisturbed

Some interesting answers guys.

Another south Londoner here. In the school holidays our mum would sometimes Chuck us out of the house to spend the day in central London. I can remember doing this from 8 years old with my brother, 10.
We’d go up to Charing Cross and wander round the West End, maybe visit our dad who worked next to the Tower of London. It was just normal to us.

Grew up in zone 4 and visited central a lot with parents to go to the museums etc and then went with friends as a teen 14/15 years up on the tubes to central London (1990's).

I don't live in London now but when I visit I still know my way around the tubes and central London as I used to.

In the 70s and early 80s my brothers and
I used to get a Red Bus Rover ticket and catch buses all over London by ourselves during the holidays from about age 9. It was brilliant!

My grandparents had a London flat. From about 10 I knew the way from the Army and Navy to Pimlico and all the cut throughs to JL. By 13 I was going to the shops at Ken High, Knigjtsbridge and Oxford St for a mooch. But then my mother used to seat me near the restaurant car, give the steward a couple of bob and an hour and 45 mins later grannie met me at Victoria. I was 8.

North Londoner here, we used to go into central London for museums etc as children in the days when you could just drive there and park outside. Then we used to go on public transport by ourselves to the zoo ( had free passes ) at about 11. From about 13 we used to go to Kensington market, and Biba, also Camden market, and all over for gigs. My friend's dad would sometimes pick us up from Hammersmith or the Rainbow, but mostly we'd get public transport . Fun times!