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?

my brother bought a flat in North London some yrs ago. Our mum cried because it's so far away! I live 15mins walk from her 😊

No real Londoner has been inside the Tower of London have they?

I've been loads, as a kid with family, school trips, as a young adult, with my dc. I love it!

Brought up in SE London .

Been to London plenty as a child, school pupil, mother and just too and from work .
I think my favourite places as a child were Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square and I liked the river as it had old warehouses along it still back then .
Also as a teenager me and my friends used to get a one day Red Rover card .

I have been to the Tower of London twice .

Once when I was little by my parents and once when I took my older two DCs about 20 years ago now. To my memory I enjoyed it and though not cheap there was plenty to see and do.

Im going to the Tower of London in s couple of weeks time to watch the Ceremony of the Keys (you have to book in advance but its free). 4th or 5th trip to the Tower for this Londoner.

Huge extended family in North London - used to go all over with my cousins, sometimes just to Brent Cross or Ally Pally, other times up west. I moved south of the river and none of my family will visit me as they come over all funny when they cross the Thames.

Used to go south to Bromley to posh uncle and aunt who had a big house for Christmas, my cousin was always sick in the car just as we went into the tunnel.

@Siameasy Camden in the 90s as a teenager. I miss those days...

Brought up in central London, saw plenty of that because we were allowed to roam free, different times. Also roamed City of London.

Went to school in north London and had lots of relatives that way so knew Highgate, Hampstead, Holloway and Camden, Primrose Hill.

Knew a tiny bit of South London.

East London and West London were unexplored until much later in life.

Born and bred in London. Loved exploring and used to get the tube to central London from home in South London, zone two most weekends with friends or on my own from the age of 14/15. Began with shopping around covent garden, Camden or Kensington market and moved onto clubbing in the west end, camden from aged 16 getting the night bus home. Eye-opening and exciting. I loved it. Moved to zone four when 17 so had a longer journey in but that didn't deter me.

I now feel I know London well as I met people from all over the city and we'd travel to different places to meet/ go out. I know tube and bus routes really well as a result which is very useful. No need to look at the tube map.

It's a shame that many children these days don't get the chance to visit on their own until they're older. There's no adventure in doing it when you're an adult.

We used to get the tube from Bounds Green to Holborn to see my Great Nan, who died when I was 8. It wasn’t unusual then for children to get the bus on their own.

DD and her mates have been going into Town at night now and then for a couple of years (she's nearly 17). They go to eat somewhere cheap then hang round Leicester Square and Trafalgar Square and get the tube home. We are only Zone 2 though. I think they should do it a lot more but of course I'm forgetting that they can't get in anywhere because of ID rules. We were in and out of pubs, gigs and clubs from 15 onwards and No one batted an eyelid

Brought up in North London. Went to central London loads (museums parks shopping clubs etc etc) and quite a lot of different parts of North London as friends moved around.

Didn’t go to South London until I was an adult. I think mostly cos you’d have to go through central London to get to it and why on earth would you pass by Covent Garden to visit Clapham or whatever.

We got taken to the sights occasionally eg Buckingham Palace, Downing Street (we’re able to have pictures taken outside no 20 then) , Trafalgar Sq etc
Would sometimes go to Oxford Street etc.
As teens would go to Covent Garden,Camden Market sometimes independently.
We’re north Londoners, would sometimes go south to visit family but otherwise stayed north.

No 10, not 20

Really interesting mixture of answers 👍🤗