AIBU to ask if Clapham is a good place for a day trip?.

[fourandahalfkids]

So we are taking a day trip to Clapham on Saturday. I say day trip but we are from Cornwall so most of it will be spent travelling. Dh has to be there for a couple of hours and we (dd3 14 and myself) are tagging along for the ride.
We are thinking about getting lunch and going to the common after dh has finished but we will have a couple of hours to spare so what would you recommend?
Are there any good shops/malls/markets worth visiting? Or any sightseeing?
Thank you

Posting here for traffic.

There is very little point going to Clapham for the day. I’d get on the tube and go into central London. The common is a big grassy space and the high street is full of bars.

I wouldn’t personally. It’s perfectly nice and has a common but it’s (inner) suburbia. No real tourist spots.

Central London is more the place for sightseeing. Would you like advice on that?

Are you travelling from Cornwall for the day? Or combining the trip with other day trips?

There's the common and pubs, and a high street that runs to Balham station. It's really not a visitor attraction.

Get the tube to London Bridge and mooch around tower bridge/borough market etc. Much more fun than Clapham.

sightseeing in Clapham????

You’d be better hopping on tube to Waterloo and wandering around south bank, Big Ben, London eye etc. Best thing about Clapham is it’s transport links to other places. People like Clapham Common but if you’re from Cornwall you won’t see what the fuss is about

Get the train in to central

If you are only there for a couple of hours you could (I think) get a short bus ride to Battersea park and hang out there? I have not been for about 8 years now but used to love it there, there used to be a zoo and definitely gardens, I would hope places to eat too?

I would jump on the tube from Clapham Common or Clapham North to Borough (no changes) and have a wander through Borough Market and then walk to the Southbank, get something to eat by the river and have a mooch around. Maybe even see a film at the BFI, if it’s open yet (book ahead). If you’re driving, parking under the national theatre (next to the BFI, all on the Southbank ) is extremely reasonable for London).

Actually we have a mini break booked for the whole family in Central London at the end of August. So advice for then would be great thanks @RickiTarr. Literally just popping up for the day and back again this time.
@LittleBearPad thankyou. Yeah we would definitely need some shops with the 14 year old in tow.

Hmm Clapham’s just a residential area, albeit quite a lively one. There are some nice restaurants (but the nicest/smartest may be booked up already for a Sat lunch) but no sightseeing or anything to visit really.

How are you getting to London? I wonder if there is somewhere you could stop off along the way. For example Richmond has the river, good shops and various historic buildings.

Or, get on the Northern Line tube at Clapham Common, quick journey to Waterloo or London Bridge, and walk along the South Bank - see lots of London sights that way. Or get off at Borough and see Borough Market if you are foodie. (Check it’s open first, not sure in these times!)

I’d stay on into the evening to make it worth it, TBH. Are you driving or training from Cornwall?

I'll echo everyone here and the pp who said it best, Clapham is nice for the people who live there, it's not a destination though really. I used to live near there and would go there for the cinema and a particular French restaurant. Its come on leaps and bounds since then. You may well have a nice time, but it's a quirky choice.

Agree that Battersea Park is much better than Clapham Common. The pizza place at the playground / Go Ape /mini golf is open at the moment. Or get some ** picky bits for a picnic. The zoo is for little kids really. Nice view of river compared to the busy roads road Clapham.

Go to London Bridge station and have a wander up to Tower Bridge.

You won't like Borough Market on a Saturday. It's heaving.

Well this time, if you’re driving, definitely do Southbank because it’s easy for your DH to drive to the National Theatre underground car park to come and meet you or pick you up once he’s finished in Clapham.

If you’re getting the train from Cornwall, I wouldn’t bother going to Clapham with him in the first place.

They are really generic shops and not worth being excited about. I simply can’t imagine visiting Clapham.

Go to London proper.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Davies_(Welsh_politician) Who remembers the “moment of madness” on Clapham Common? Reading through this so many years later and it’s all so quaint and old-fashioned that people would resign for this. Compare and contrast with the corruption and venality of the current lot.

why schlep all that way from wonderful cornwall, just for a few hours in suburban london, and then back again, with children.
what a pointless journey.

Best thing about Clapham is Clapham Junction train station where you can leave it.

Yep definitely not a tourist place! Jump on the tube into London.

After a drive from Cornwall to Clapham the most i'd be up for is collapsing on the common with a sandwich and a costa until it's time to drive all the way back! Eeek.

@ChardonnaysPetDragon

Best thing about Clapham is Clapham Junction train station where you can leave it.

Clapham Junction is in Battersea.

Erm, what they said. There is nothing to see in Clapham.

Sounds like a job interview and maybe OP is there for moral support. Worst case - picnic on the common.