Is London over-rated as a day out?

[londonstufftodo]

I don’t know if I’m being unimaginative

I’ve got two kids, a ten year old and a one year old. Today we went into London and it was alright but nothing special. We went to Kings Cross as it’s convenient for us, to have a mooch around. There is lots going on, outdoor cinema etc but it’s busy and I just felt like it was a lot of effort for not much gain…maybe I’m doing it wrong?

swimming in shitty sea water with tampons bobbing at your chin

Now that’s an image 😂

@CulturalFactors I’m sorry 🙈 😂

Hmm. Not sure that King’s Cross is one of the city’s highlights.

Next time, a walk along the Southbank on a sunny day is lovely.

You can take the Thames Clipper to Greenwich from London Bridge. walk through Hays Galleria ( amazing water sculpture thingy in there) to the Jetty. I’d buy a ticket online as the machines are a bit of a nightmare and there’s often no one in the ticket office. You can find the timetables online. They are about every 20 minutes, but they put on a few more in the holidays. The boats are Uber boats and comfy with toilets etc . You get a good view from the boat . It’s about 40 minutes ride to Greenwich. You can walk through the visitors centre, which has a lot of info. by the naval college, cross the road and you are by the maritime museum. Beware half the museum is closed for renovations at the moment and the one children’s gallery open is in need of an upgrade, but there’s a nice cafe and small playground at the back and an enormous playground in the park by the boating lake. You can visit the Cutty Sark too. You can also get the boat back to Battersea Park but that might be a bit much in one day. Sometimes we get the tube or DLR back.

Thank you so much @gerispringer
this is really useful info!!

Any ideas on Canary Wharf? I see I can take the Elizabeth line there. Is it a good place to visit do you think?

@londonstufftodo

I like Canary Wharf, I love the lights festival they put on in the winter.

https://canarywharf.com/past-events/winter-lights/

They've got various family-oriented things on during the summer holidays:

https://canarywharf.com/whats-on/alfresco-arts-family/

If you're down that way, check out the London Museum Docklands too - they've got things on for children during the summer.

https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/whats-on/seaside-in-the-city/

Canary Wharf wouldn't be my first choice with kids... Mostly shops and corporate imo.

But it does have the City of London Docklands, Cross rail Place roof gardens, and a trampoline park (Flip out).

Docklands museum at Canary Wharf is great, with loads for kids. You can then do a round trip out on the DLR to the cable car, over the river, then walk along the river side to Greenwich to the park and maritime museum, then DLR or boat back to Canary Wharf. Is a fabulous full day out.

Thank you @Aliceberrypie I forget to mention this was an excellent reply and I have written a lot of your idea down. Thank you !

Thank you @Artesia for a day out idea

and @Pookerrod excellent ideas

Ive written comprehensive notes on all of your ideas here and will be using them to frame our summer holidays. Thank you all.

love Mumsnet ☺️

All of London's amazing landmarks and for a 'day out' you choose... King's Cross!?

Is there another way you can travel OP? Relying on the few stations that have step-free access around London seriously restricts what you can do. Shame when the city has so much to offer.

Lived in London my whole life, much prefer villages for kids though it must be fun

This

I haven’t read all the replies but I don’t quite understand the need to only go to accessible stations. It’s not difficult to get a pushchair up an escalator especially if your older child isn’t a toddler needing their hand held at the same time. Just make sure that it’s the back wheels on the step.

Oh wow..now we've moved on to talking about Canary Wharf on this thread?!

...Canary Wharf?!

I worked there from 2012-2018. Unless it has changed radically since I left, it is a reasonably nice landscaped area with waterways, office blocks, a bit of a 'buzz' with some waterfront bars, and some decent shops if you go into the underground mall.

But as a destination to hang out? I think I just don't understand totally the OP's requirements from London. Canary Wharf is not somewhere I would consider a destination.

There are three ways for me to approach London:

• If you're going to 'mooch' about then go to places with energy. Seven Dials, Chinatown, Piccadilly, South Bank. There are often street performers in these areas, there's cheap eats and family friendly stuff, there's good shopping, there's the arts in South Bank. Portobello Road would also be a good place for energy.

• If you're prepared to do more than 'mooch', research the best destinations So places like Science Museum, Nat History, South Bank Centre, etc.. all free to get in, plenty of events throughout the day, but you have to know what you want to do and what your children are interested in. If they have interests, they will never run out of things to do in London

• If the weather is good, start with the parks Victoria Park, Regents Park, Hyde Park, Hampstead... so many great places to wander outdoors, but with good 'villages' or eating streets around them to get refreshed etc

So this is my point... I'm just not sure what hanging around Coal Drops Yard or Canary Wharf is going to bring anyone, unless you're seeking out somewhere buzzy to eat or drink, which seems against the requirements you said your kids like generally.

I've worked around both areas (KX, Wharf) and they're fine to work in, good bars and eateries, but ... hmm. I don't think I would travel in just to walk around them!

If you really want to come into central London to go to a petting farm
Freightliners City Farm (freightlinersfarm.org.uk)
@@
is a bus ride from Kings Cross - although if you're at the northern end of the northern line, there's probably a route that avoids zone 1.

Camley Street Natural Park, King’s Cross - King's Cross (kingscross.co.uk)

Canary Wharf - get off there and walk to Museum of Docklands ; I used to take baby dd there with her older sister and there used to be a good play area. Do check though! Then hop on the dlr at Canary Wharf and head a couple of stops to mudchute city farm for lunch.

still laughing (not in a mean way) that you took the dc to kings x for a day out. It’s a train interchange!

I had a similar age group and would base the day on something for DC1
I remember fun days at Cutty Sark, Tower of London, Natural History Museum, Tate Britain , Transport Museum, museum of childhood, museum of London...we would catch the bus from train terminal and see the sight then find lunch and have a walk eg Covent Garden, Hyde Park, Regents Park, Westminster Area, South Bank incorporating some running about , funny or interesting things to see, a shop or two maybe and then bus or shanks pony back to a useful railway terminal.

There's a Roman London Family Quest event happening in the City today and tomorrow, I think that they will be doing it in August too.

https://www.londonmithraeum.com/events/