Calling Londoners

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Hi. Planning some time in London over the summer and hoping to find new places/things. We've done all the obvious stuff.

If I tell you what we like, I'm hoping people might be able to come up with some lovely ideas for us! No kids.

Museums - favourites are the Wellcome, the Hunterian (sadly still closed, iirc), John Soanes, Maritime. Would visit Tate/National/V&A etc but only for special exhibitions. Will probably do the Royal Academy summer exhibition with maybe afternoon tea at The Wolseley or F&M on one afternoon. Or maybe Sketch???

Walks - love Highgate cemetery. Really enjoyed a walk from St Katherine's Docks, along through Wapping, Limehouse Basin etc as far as the cable cars. Greenwich park and river also a favourite, as is Richmond Park and river (the latter we've done as far as Ham House previously). Enjoyed a Fleet Street/Lincolns Inn etc walk previously, and also the canal walks from Kings Cross to Camden and to Islington. Love Primrose Hill. Wondering about a Rotherhithe walk maybe? I'm a big fan of old brick/warehouses etc!

Maybe somewhere like Leighton House, or Strawberry Hill or Hampton Court?

Beaches - we often go to Brighton on the train if we're staying in London. Is there anywhere else we might consider?

Theatre - the summer doesn't tend to be the best time for theatre, I know. Any gems we should be looking out for?

Food - thinking of trying The Gate on this trip. Anybody been? Also maybe either the Cinnamon Club, Trishna or Quilon. We'll probably go to Zedel because it's fun and the prices are relatively sensible. Any recs for great restaurants with really good set menus or lunch deals, maybe? Or low-key, small nice restaurants for casual dinners?

Chilled bars and old pubs - we usually go to Spiritland because we tend to stay in Kings Cross. Love a historical old pub though, especially if relatively quiet.

Thanks in advance to anybody who can help! :)

Coincidentally, I bought a new book of walks today and there's a Hammersmith and Chiswick one in there, ending at the steam museum.

Linley Sambourne House.

And if you like gardens/gardening then The Garden Museum is worth a visit. I have always found it a very peaceful and calm place: gardenmuseum.org.uk

Leighton and Sambourne houses currently closed according to their website.

Not sure I like gardens anywhere near enough to pay £14 each for a garden museum tbh.

Sorry - not trying to be awkward, but I probably sound it!

There's also Chiswick House, Hogarth's House and Syon House in that neck of the woods and Chiswick is good for restaurants. That would be a nice walk and not too far from Richmond.

Beach I would say Broadstairs/ Margate/ Camber/ Whitstable

Also Mersea island is worth a trip for the sea food place.

Green spaces:
Ally Pally - gorgeous theatre there & huge music venue

Epping forest
Wanstead flats
Regents Park
Trent Park
Hampstead Heath
Highgate Woods
The olympic park - walk through to Hackney Marshes

City Farms
Stepney
Spitalfields
Kentish Town
Freightliners

Shopping / markets
Angel
Camden
Broadway Market
Spitalfields

Music:
Brixton Academy
Ally Pally
Union Chapel
Koko
The Forum
Omeara
100 club
The Roundhouse

The Soho Theatre is also great for intimate comedy gigs

There are so many other places. That's off the top of my head.

Oh Finsbury Park Theatre
Horniman museum too.

I beg your pardon you’re right, that has changed since I was last there in lockdown.

also seem they’ve started repairs - wonders never cease.

the Mayflower and the other similar pubs down along Wapping are great, but will not be quiet. They will be busy.

Stepney City Farm’s cafe is relatively new and DELICIOUS

I was going to say the Horniman and the Parkland Walk but see both have already been mentioned. It's not a beach in the Brighton sense but we love a day out to Leigh on Sea. Get off the train at the stop before (can't remember the name) and walk to Old Leigh for a lunch of cockles etc and a pint. Also - it kind of counts as London still because the fishing fleet there (still active) have London as their port of registry

This is really wonderful.

There is another similar but even less open - 19 Princelet Street and Sambourne House

Also good and I think not mentioned:

Novelty Automation Museum (Holborn)
The Charterhouse (Farringdon)

Shall I ask the dc about cool music places and vegetarian restaurants - they are mid/late 20s and more into "modern" London than DH and me. We like a nice garden and music and DH works in London most days so we only go up for the opera, theatre and art exhibition nowadays. We are never here in August so not sure what's open then.

I do hope you have a lovely trip. Do you know where you are staying. Please update the thread when you have been because it will be lovely to hear what you got up to.

Tiffany and co are holding an exhibition of its history at the saatchi gallery. It is free and you get to try on 30k rings.

If you go to the Estorick Collection, wander round Camden Passage near Angel tube. It's not as interesting as it was when was all junk shops but still good! As you mentioned the Gate, which suggests an interest in good vegetarian food, I'd then go to the Duke of Cambridge for a meal. It's not vegetarian but was the uks first organic pub and always has excellent veggie/vegan options. You could also walk to spitalfields for Dennis severs house from Angel. Lovely part of the world.

Have you been to Charleston house in Sussex ? You can get the train to glynde and it's a 10 min cab (or less than an hour if you fancy a walk)

How about the immersive Van Gogh exhibition near Spitalfields?
went yesterday, it was amazing.

If you’re into immersive theatre, Burnt City by Punch Drunk is incredible.

These are great. Thanks so much.

@RosesAndHellebores I'd love it if your dc can recommend any good vegetarian friendly places. Thanks. Not really looking for music recs - I'm very set in my ways and although I might have been a bit 'cool' 30 years ago, I'm not now!

Always interested in recs for good veggie food. That pub sounds worth a look, @Cyberworrier

So far our pretty much definites are:

*Royal Academy Summer Exhibition followed by afternoon tea somewhere nearby or a late lunch in Gymkhana or Hakasan maybe

*A mooch around Spitalfields plus Dennis Severs house - would be good to combine this with a late dinner - any ideas? I've been looking at Lahpet in Shoreditch and also Bubala. Anybody been to either of these?

*A couple of riverside walks - possibly Chiswick/Hammersmith and Bermondsey/Rotherhithe - maybe the Brunel museum?

I'd love to do the Tiffany exhibition but not sure I can convince OH that he'd like it.

Ideally I'm trying to plan in half day chunks, with things within relatively close together within an area or walkable between areas.

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie have you been to Mildred’s before? Not sure which the original one is, but they are a small chain now.

Or maybe Gunpowder for dinner in Spitalfields?

Yes, but only for breakfast. Lovely!

Soho is the original Mildred's.

You could do a canal walk with the organic pub in Angel- it's close to the regents canal. I used to walk to Victoria park along the canal, or you can move off earlier and go down towards spitalfields via Colombia road market.

You might like Towpath for a bite to eat whilst strolling the canals...
It's in De Beauvoir so you could incorporate it with a nosey around columbia road on a sunday etc

www.towpathlondon.com

Went to Bubala recently and it was just ok.