If you are in London...

Etinox · 16/12/2020 10:43

Definitely avoid public transport. Thermos and walk
Horniman
Sydenham Hill
Ruskin Park
Streatham Common
Crystal Palace
Greenwich Park

it’s really hard.

StillDumDeDumming · 16/12/2020 10:54

I'm not in London. East but not SE is Postmans Park and St Dunstans in the East - both good for the soul as monuments to humanity and peace. Maybe walkable for you?

SelfIcellation · 16/12/2020 11:04

@Etinox

Definitely avoid public transport. Thermos and walk

Horniman Sydenham Hill Ruskin Park Streatham Common Crystal Palace Greenwich Park

it’s really hard.

All this (fellow S Londoner here) plus West End lights (Covent Garden usually goes all out), cemeteries, (make up stories from the names), look for food and coffee vans because takeaways are still allowed, Kew Gardens is open.

Where do you come from OP? Look on Google and Facebook to find your community. London has pretty much the world represented. Even though you can't meet up, you can start a conversation on Zoom or Teams.

Original poster

Frequentflier · 16/12/2020 11:07

Thanks both. Parks it will have to be, I guess. I will just have to dress warmer. I am in Greenwich park at least twice a week, and prob again today as the weather's so good.

I just discovered this though which DS may enjoy. secretldn.com/canary-wharf-connected-by-light/

It is hard, but definitely not as hard for me as for parents of toddlers and babies. I don't even know how they are managing with everything closed.

OP posts:

Palavah · 16/12/2020 11:10

I'd also avoid the tube but buses and trains with plenty of open windows off peak are ok - to get you to the river or somewhere else to walk?

helmetflask · 16/12/2020 11:18

Greenwich Park (though I am tired of going there weekly by now)
Food freshly made in Greenwich market (avoid if you don’t want to take the risk)
Walk through foot tunnel to Canary Wharf
Walk on river path to Bermondsey
If you cycle, cycle up to the City
Sit around outside Charlton shopping area and watch people (though closed now)

Stationfork · 16/12/2020 11:18

Maybe the same as the majority of the rest of the country are doing.

Yes poor Londoners. Or not. Sorry OP but people seem to have forgotten that there are whole cities that have NEVER come out of lockdown since March 20th. Yes we want to see our friends.

Be grateful you had your galleries etc open for that short time as we've already been restricted to just parks for 9 whole months.

bunwell · 16/12/2020 11:21

Tower of London and Hampton court are open outside and very quiet.

Lumene · 16/12/2020 11:23

Horniman is great. They had some delicious takeaway stuff available and a farmers market during lockdown which makes it feel more of a ‘trip’ if they are still there.

kirinm · 16/12/2020 11:24

I don't know how old your DS is but Peckham Riviera are doing a Santa thing. There are still places.

Dulwich woods is a nice walk too.

I like walking around the cemeteries too. Nunhead, Camberwell etc. All nice walks.

I totally understand walking to parks etc is dull now but as a mother of a 2 year old, that is all we've got! Peckham Rye park (and Dulwich park) serve alcohol too.

Lumene · 16/12/2020 11:25

Do you have a car OP?

We are also doing bake off style competitions to keep us going, although I know that is inside and not location-specific

kirinm · 16/12/2020 11:25

@Stationfork

Maybe the same as the majority of the rest of the country are doing.

Yes poor Londoners. Or not. Sorry OP but people seem to have forgotten that there are whole cities that have NEVER come out of lockdown since March 20th. Yes we want to see our friends.

Be grateful you had your galleries etc open for that short time as we've already been restricted to just parks for 9 whole months.

This is such a weird spiteful post.

Smallbus1 · 16/12/2020 11:25

I am in the same area and spend all my time in parks. Crystal Palace park (the cafe is still doing takeaway I think), Beckenham Place Park and the Horniman are my favourites.

corlan · 16/12/2020 11:28

Kew Gardens is open.
It's actually a good time to go walking around London .Get a book of London walks and immerse yourself in the history!

eurochick · 16/12/2020 11:30

Walk around limehouse and wapping by the river - loads of history.

WorraLiberty · 16/12/2020 11:32

@Stationfork

Maybe the same as the majority of the rest of the country are doing.

Yes poor Londoners. Or not. Sorry OP but people seem to have forgotten that there are whole cities that have NEVER come out of lockdown since March 20th. Yes we want to see our friends.

Be grateful you had your galleries etc open for that short time as we've already been restricted to just parks for 9 whole months.

How do you know she isn't grateful?

Anyway, what other cities have been doing has fuck all to do with the OP.

When someone can't finish their dinner, do you tell them there are kids starving in Africa?

QuimReaper · 16/12/2020 11:33

@Stationfork

Maybe the same as the majority of the rest of the country are doing.

Yes poor Londoners. Or not. Sorry OP but people seem to have forgotten that there are whole cities that have NEVER come out of lockdown since March 20th. Yes we want to see our friends.

Be grateful you had your galleries etc open for that short time as we've already been restricted to just parks for 9 whole months.

Huh? @Stationfork she was asking for local recommendations as she's new to the area, not for special sympathy for being in London. How hard did you have to contort yourself to find the OP offensive?

Hellandcoldwater · 16/12/2020 11:38

All of the above parks are great. Outdoor markets are still on- Crystal Palace has one on Sundays (visit the dinosaurs and the remains of the palace, Crystal Palace itself has some lovely shops and a separate market on Saturdays), as does Herne Hill (Sundays) and the Horniman as mentioned. Beckenham Place Park has had various markets too.

Swimming pools are open if you're into swimming (also the cold lake in Beckenham Place Park if you're hardy!). I like the heated Lido in London Fields (take the overground and then a short walk) or there is one in the Oasis in central London that's also outdoors. Olympic pool could be a trip?

Kew Gardens is open. Also London Zoo. Battersea Zoo for littles.

Paging @themuseummum who has a great blog with some lists of lockdown activities.

skippy67 · 16/12/2020 11:38

Well said Worra and Quim!

kirinm · 16/12/2020 11:39

@Hellandcoldwater

All of the above parks are great. Outdoor markets are still on- Crystal Palace has one on Sundays (visit the dinosaurs and the remains of the palace, Crystal Palace itself has some lovely shops and a separate market on Saturdays), as does Herne Hill (Sundays) and the Horniman as mentioned. Beckenham Place Park has had various markets too.

Swimming pools are open if you're into swimming (also the cold lake in Beckenham Place Park if you're hardy!). I like the heated Lido in London Fields (take the overground and then a short walk) or there is one in the Oasis in central London that's also outdoors. Olympic pool could be a trip?

Kew Gardens is open. Also London Zoo. Battersea Zoo for littles.

Paging @themuseummum who has a great blog with some lists of lockdown activities.

Are zoos open in Tier 3?

gannett · 16/12/2020 11:40

Thames walks - beautiful and fascinating historically. London Bridge through to the Isle of Dogs is worth doing on both sides. If you fancy a bit of a trek going even further east is interesting, but if you're less into the post-industrial aesthetic than me, going north on the Regents Canal or River Lea (which leads to the Olympic Park) is very pretty.

If you can brave public transport into central London, it's an ideal time to poke around the City, the Barbican and other weird little historic walks - much emptier than in Zone 2.

Apple1971 · 16/12/2020 11:40

@Frequentflier

what are you doing to stay sane and happy? I am in London and new to the UK anyway.I wasn't doing restaurants, but I was keeping myself sane by going to museums and galleries, which are now closed. I don't do malls. I don't have family or friends here; been trying to make friends but it's tough in these times. Work is slow at the moment too.

Am in a v small flat with DH working( loudly) from home and DS isolating. I definitely need to get out for my sanity, and have been walking in the parks, but it is getting chillier. Are there nice places in London I can go to which are open-ish, but not parks? I am in South East London.

Tbh, am not even sure I should be talking the tube, because DH is vulnerable.

Lots of gorgeous outdoor spaces you can visit. Greenwich Park. Blackheath (for a walk around the common and to see the church with a takeaway coffee).

(Just realised you said no parks but that does limit things)

I used to walk from Greenwich all the way along the river to the o2. Grab a takeaway and walk home again.

Hellandcoldwater · 16/12/2020 11:49

The outside bits of zoos are open in Tier 3, yes (so no reptile house etc)

Fink · 16/12/2020 11:54

There's a series of 3 pocket sized books called 'London's Hidden Walks'. They're brilliant. They each have a route to follow and talk you through all sorts of really interesting history along the way. Some of them are in genuinely beautiful places, others less so, but they're all fascinating.

Have you got a bike? You can get a lot further than walking but without the risk of the tube. If you live anywhere near a London Overground stop, they're often a lot quiter than the tube (although the ones that go South are busier because of the lack of tube lines), plus you can take your bike on outside of rush hour so mix and match.

Hellandcoldwater · 16/12/2020 12:01

Oh maybe the wetland centre in Barnes as well?