Spare day in London

[Guitar Beard]

Hi
I have a spare day in London on Monday 1st August. I was going to visit the summer exhibition at the Royal Academy but they are closed on a Monday - any other suggestions to kill a few hours?
Jay

 

[gintonic]

whereabouts in London? what do you like?

Postal Museum
Kew Gardens
Walk some of the Thames footpath
Tower Bridge Experience

 

[CraShWilliams]

British Museum?

If you're in town relatively early, a walk around Covent Garden and Soho is quite nice - grab a coffee and watch it all come to life, get lunch somewhere nice? Duck Soup in Soho is quite nice.

 

[gintonic]

British Museum

rammed - school hols. We were sat outside a pub opposite, and the queues were snaking round the corner.

I'd avoid all galleries and museums. Some of the lesser known ones like the Wallace Collection might be quieter.

 

[mandryka]

Hi
I have a spare day in London on Monday 1st August. I was going to visit the summer exhibition at the Royal Academy but they are closed on a Monday - any other suggestions to kill a few hours?
Jay

Munch at the Courtauld
In the Black Fantastic at the Hayward

Boat trip to Greenwich.

 

[narabdela]

Some of the lesser known ones like the Wallace Collection might be quieter.

Great suggestion. Highly recommended.

 

[Guitar Beard]

Great suggestions, South Bank is often a destination for us - great for just zoning out and people watching.
Love all things street art and Urban art

Not been to the Postal museum so may give that a go.
Also the design museum often has interesting exhibitions

whereabouts in London? what do you like?

Postal Museum
Kew Gardens
Walk some of the Thames footpath
Tower Bridge Experience

 

[Andrewxyz]

Wallace Museum is excellent, the Courtauld has recently re-opened after renovation & is always worth a visit.

 

[Guitar Beard]

Should have said - starting in Stratford as we are at the Velodrome on Sunday evening
J

 

[Wolfmancatsup]

Either/both Tates?

 

[Tony L]

Honest Jon’s, Rough Trade, Sister Ray, whatever is left of MVE, Ray’s Jazz Shop (last seen in Foyles bookshop) etc etc. It’s a long time since I’ve been down and every time it seems worse than the last time for record hunting, but still well worth a look.

 

[PsB]

Depending on how well you know London of course, why not just pick a part you don't know and walk around that. Examples:
- From the Temple (gardens and Temple church, lots of Christopher Wren churches dotted around parts of the City) to St Paul's.
- Southwark (Cathedral, Borough Market, Shakespeare's Globe, Millenium Bridge, Shard, Tate Modern)
- A walk along the canal north of Paddington and south of Maida Vale, forgotten the name, towards Regent's Park
- Smithfield/Charterhouse/Barbican/Guildhall (nice mix of Brutalist and traditional)

 

[Ponty]

At the weekend, I’d wander around the City. Fascinating when you stop and look at it. Usually very quiet. Quick walk over the river to shad Thames or borough market for some buzz and lunch etc.

Sorry, just seen it’s a Monday! I’d still go, many are still WFH!

 

[gintonic]

some interesting bits of the Thames footpath around Rotherhithe, Island Gardens, Wapping etc


you can visit the Prospect of Whitby pub

 

[hifinutt]

Depending on how well you know London of course, why not just pick a part you don't know and walk around that. Examples:
- From the Temple (gardens and Temple church, lots of Christopher Wren churches dotted around parts of the City) to St Paul's.
- Southwark (Cathedral, Borough Market, Shakespeare's Globe, Millenium Bridge, Shard, Tate Modern)
- A walk along the canal north of Paddington and south of Maida Vale, forgotten the name, towards Regent's Park
- Smithfield/Charterhouse/Barbican/Guildhall (nice mix of Brutalist and traditional)

great suggestion , the temple church is of course where they played the organ music featured in the incredible fim interstellar

 

[PsB]

great suggestion , the temple church is of course where they played the organ music featured in the incredible fim interstellar

The tricky part IME is to find a time when it is actually open to visit.

 

[gintonic]

Bermondsey beer mile, Borough Market

 

[Guitar Beard]

Thanks for all of the suggestions, we do like a good casual mooch around - you never know what you might find
J

 

[paulfromcamden]

Honest Jon’s, Rough Trade, Sister Ray, whatever is left of MVE, Ray’s Jazz Shop (last seen in Foyles bookshop) etc etc. It’s a long time since I’ve been down and every time it seems worse than the last time for record hunting, but still well worth a look.

Soho isn't what it was - a fraction of the number of record shops that used to be there. Sounds of the Universe is thankfully still there.

You need to travel east a bit now to find records. A new shop seems to open every month in Hackney.

 

[MUTTY1]

I used to love visiting London just for all the motorbike shops on the South Circular. Shops dedicated to Vincent or Velocette still survived at that time in the early seventies.