General Chat

If you fancy visiting the civilised part (South London) either the Hornimans museum as Piglets Pall suggests

http://www.horniman.ac.uk/

Or a little further afield Chiselhurst caves tour with an oil lamp for the only illumination, :-0
wear a jumper though it's 10 degC all year round!

http://www.chislehurst-caves.co.uk/

Mayfield

Re. Highgate Cemetery. They used to do guided tours on the hour.

It depends very much who takes you around. I have been on quite a few, especially when the kids were doing Cub and Brownie badges.

Some guides take you to the Literary Section, some to the Celebrity graves, some to the Historial graves. It is very much pot luck.

They always include the Egyptian Avenue [if it looks familiar, remember all the Hammer Horror films] and the Cedar of Lebanon Circle.

A good hour well spent, provided it hasnt been raining.

:-)

Thanks, MotownGal, I've just booked tickets for a tour this Thursday - they only do one a day during the week.
So,that's one thing sorted! :-)

ripleys believe it or not is fab! right near MnM world to which i think is worth a visit :-D

Stray - my grandchildren fancy Ripleys, so we might take them during the summer hols. It's pretty expensive, but is included in the 2 for 1 offers we get with our train tickets. :-)

Albert hall and his statue ....the statue has been regolded since the war it was left as stone ...they removed the gold so the planes couldnt see the park !! so in 2000 they replaced it ..now also in the same park is kensington Palace,The peter pan statue and the parrots that fly free...Speakers corner and marble arch and the late diana fountain all walkable in a couple of hours and all this in Hyde park ....

Now IF you walk alot ...as we do you can do museums!!!!!

Remember tube statios are often only yards apart

Soho at night is both dangerous and exciting War hourse is a bit out the way so leave good time IF WALKING to it ...watch your money and phones ...best thing is take only what you need

And Have a great time ...sometimes just standing and watching is great fun to!!

Stray...Ripleys is great but £25.00 each to get in! i was really shocked!

Kempina - we will certainly see the Albert Hall, as that's where we will be seeing Mark Knopfler on Wednesday night!
As for walking, we certainly do a lot of that when we go to London - much more than we do at home in the country! :-)

A walk along the South Bank of the Thames is worth a trot.

Start at Waterloo Bridge, and walk past the Aquarium, then past Festival Hall, the Globe, and along to Tower Bridge.

Lots to see as you go, and plenty of pubs to rest your weary legs, and have a lemonade!

As it is Half Term, there will be entertainers down there too.
:-)

Is the cable car any good?

A cruise on the Thames is lovely :-)

The cable car, now that's an idea! Will look into that, KenSe.
Yes, SueMaid, a Thames Cruise is lovely, and it's a few years since we last did one.
We usually include a stroll along the South Bank, weather permitting. Doesn't look too good for tomorrow and Wednesday, but Thursday is looking OK. Lemonade, Motown? I think I can do better than that!

Thanks to all for these brilliant ideas, and I'm sure they will help others who plan to visit London.

Lynda x :-) :-)

Hope this thread stays. Some absolutely fabulous ideas for a day in London. Loved what Lynda wrote as it all sounds fascinating and you don't have to spend a fortune.

London seems to change so much. I remember the Clapham area in 1970's and it was a bit of a tip, to be honest. Went back in 1990's for some reason and there were the most fantastic shops and restaurants. Not sure exactly where - may have been South Clapham. And some of the best and cheapest restaurants in London were in Brixton, which is only a few minutes from Oxford St and Victoria on tube.

London is a fantastic place to visit - get off the beaten track and there are just so many hidden gems, many of which are free.

If you are interested in London and its history, people and places on BBC Radio London the Robert Elms show Mon - Fri 12-3 & Sat 9-12 is a must and Wednesday is notes and queries day when people phone in about the odd and unusual things they have seen and ask about them and then the listeners will phone in to inform what they have seen. in the years I have been listening there have only ever been 2 or 3 which have never been solved. And great music with it....

Been down to the Thames today. Lovely and sunny. The Thames looked like a bit murky though. We saw a few people with their metal detectors down on the 'beach' on the South Bank.

When you do go to Highgate Cemetery GinN, suggest your visit the tomb of Thomas Sayers the bare knuckle fighter. There is a lovely story to go with the headstone. I wont spoilt it for you, but it is well worth a visit if you can.

Now that I have established you are not tee-total, lol, when you come out of the Cemetery, continue up Swains Lane, until you get to Pond Square. Turn left. There are two pubs opposite each other, The Flask and The Gatehouse. Both comfy pubs with a beergarden should the weather be sunny for you.

Have a fabbo time!
:-)

The people on the shore on the southbank were mudlarks - they have a licence to do this - not just anyone can do this.

Mud Men on telly is all about them - Steve Brooker is a Mud Hero....

Thanks for the mention of the pubs, Motown. We will need something to eat and drink before wending our weary way back to Kings Cross Station and Norfolk!
A while ago, I read a novel by Audrey Niffenegger called Her Fearful Symmetry, set mostly in Highgate Cemetery - that's what made me want to go there!

IF your able to get to greenwich how about visiting the refubished cutty sark also you can walk along the river past the navel collage there are a couple of nice pubs as well. enjoy. :-) :-)

Thankyou to everyone who has made suggestions for our London visit - there are some great ideas.
We are about to set off, so when I get back, I'll let you know what we did, and if we found any more new place to visit.
Love from Lynda x :-)

Hi, all,- we're back from a very enjoyable, though tiring couple of days!
We were a bit later getting to London than we hoped - taxi we'd booked for the station forgot to turn up! Late afternoon, we went for a stroll arounc Covent Garden, then on to the theatre to seen War Horse. Thoroughly recommend it - amazing puppet work, in fact you soon forget that the horses are puppets!
Wednesday, we went to St. Pauls - hadn't been since I was 10, so enjoyed a good look around. Hubby went to the top of the tower, but I stayed down below. Walked around the area, too, and went onto the roof of the One New Exchange shopping centre for a good view. One interesting place we found in that area is the Postman's Park, the walls of which are lined with tombstones.
In the afternoon, we visited the Household Cavalry Museum - very interesting, and they were preparing for he Trooping of the Colour. Then went to the Jewel Tower in Whitehall. Spent the evening at the Albert Hall for a Mark Knopfler concert.
Thursday morning, returned to Whitehall, then crossed the bridge for a stroll along the South Bank - all the attractions had huge queues. Had a brief look into the Tate Modern and a forage into Borough Market. Then up to Highgate Cemetery, where we had a walk around the East Cemetery and a guided tour of the West. The gloomy damp weather added to the atmosphere! Had an hour or two in Camden market to round off the visit.
Phew! Very tiring, but we had a great time!
Lynda x :-D

Glad you enjoyed yourself! The weather did you no favours did it? I have been off work this week, and could not believe that it rained every day.

Did you see Thomas Sayers tomb, with the dog sleeping on it?

I have been up to Camden Lock this afternoon, and it seems to go further down the scale every time I go there. But yet again, I remember it when it first opened............

Put your feet up now, and have a cuppa.

Take care.
:-)