Has anyone else made the trip to London? I read the suggested tour by the owner of Loop in Islington and decided to travel to London. An old friend and co worker and I met in London and spent six glorious days there. My favorite spot was Liberty of London with Fortnam and Mason second. We saw the Princess Di exhibit in Kensington Palace, saw a show, Wicked, and loved it. The weather was beautiful, only one rainy day. Just wasn’t long enough, so much more to see.
5 Likes
I go to London fairly regularly as I grew up there and my Mum still lives in Chiswick. Are you interested in recommendations for anything in particular?
1 Like
My fifteen year son son is visiting London and three other areas in England next month w my 80 y.o.father. They will also have dinner one night with my niece, who is interning at Parliament this summer. We have been watching lots of documentaries, and reviewing history and architecture to get him ready for his big trip.
1 Like
JenACKnitwear http://forums.moderndailyknitting.com/u/jenacknitwear
June 8I go to London fairly regularly as I grew up there and my Mum still lives
in Chiswick. Are you interested in recommendations for anything in
particular?IVisit Topic
http://forums.moderndailyknitting.com/t/trip-to-london-uk/1328/2 or
reply to this email to respond.
I have been and am now home. Maybe my message was confusing. We had a
Doh! Sorry! Misread it. Still, I can offer recommendations to others I guess! 
2 Likes
I loved my trip to London in March. I went to Loop, Fortnum & Mason and Liberty and all were spectacular. I enjoyed Harrod’s but found it a bit overwhelming. The food halls are awesome though (for tea, jam, honey, sweets, I thought Fortnum had a more diverse selection).
I also had a manicure at Imarni in the BoxPark in Shoreditch. Even if you don’t need a mani and/or pedi, BoxPark is an awesome place to visit. There are teeny little shops on the street level, including local, artisanal and vintage goods (I scored three vintage silk blouses - all designer - at one shop; the prices were fantastic too). Excellent food and drink upstairs.
Continuing the pampering theme, I had a facial at Pfeffer Sal on my last evening, which was absolutely perfect.
I stayed at the Intercontinental Park Lane for the business portion of the trip. It was lovely and convenient for business, but not what I would be looking for on a vacation (not characterful, too expensive). For the mini-vacay bit, I moved to the Hoxton Holborn, which I LOVED. Great price, excellent service and a convenient location (on two tube lines).
Lastly, my favorite eats included dinner at Nobu (for business so not out of my pocket, happily) and breakfast at the Wolseley. The breakie at the Hoxton is also delicious. They have a half-size one which was perfect for me. Though I did manage to get through the much larger one at the Wolseley without much difficulty! A can’t miss stop for foodies is the Borough Market. It’s like Pike Place on steroids.
2 Likes
Wow! Sounds great. We stayed at Doubletree by Hilton in Kensington. Newly
remodeled rooms but VERY tiny rooms. Location was good. We had beautiful
weather.we stayed busy but didn’t see everything we wanted to. We loved
Liberty of London and Fortnum and Mason. I will file your suggestions away
for the next trip.
OH, I had forgotten about the Camden Lock Market. It has excellent food stalls, craft vendors and a variety of indie shops. It is at the end of the Camden High Street.
Skip the “Camden Market” which is on the way and confused me at first. It’s all tourist schlock and other uninteresting goods.
1 Like
Good to know. Will file your notes for our next trip.
I am taking my 16 year old granddaughter to London in late July and have written down all of the suggestions. We will be there for 7 full days. Two other days are for travel to and from. I have room reservations already that at near Hyde Park. I just need any ideas. I have been to London twice before for just for short periods. This is longer and we can see everything.
Jen, you said that you had more ideas. What are they.
Also, what kind of weather should we prepare for? It sounds like it will be in the high 50s and low 70s (Farenheit). Maybe a bit of rain? Raincoats? Or just umbrellas?
I will take her to a play or musical. That is easy. Also to the V and A and the Tate. And a high tea, somewhere. I would like to take her to a castle but a friend says that Windsor Castle is not worth it. I will avoid the London Tower and London Eye. .
Globe Theatre, Stratford upon Avon, Bath, Stonehenge, Oxford, Hampton Court, Westminster, Canterbury, and White Cliffs of Dover.
Windsor Castle is not far from the Cotswolds and is what I always think a castle would look like. I believe it is from the 11 century for King Henry.
Savoy Hotel for high tea.
1 Like
Have you been to Kew Gardens before? It’s really accessible by tube (on the District line which is quite straight forward from Hyde Park), and absolutely heaps and heaps to see. The Maids of Honour tea room is just between the tube station and the Gardens and does (IMHO) the best afternoon tea anywhere. My Gran always used to take us when she came to stay.
It’s still one of my favourite places to take our gang when we visit my Mum. 
2 Likes
We took a day trip to Shakespeare’ birthplace, Oxford, the Cotswolds and
Warwick castle. It was a good trip. Jen’ s suggestions from an earlier post
look good. The weather was warmer than usual the last of May, only one day
of rain. Princess Di’s clothing exhibit at Kensington Palace was good. Also
a great snack at Liberty of London. Get an Oyster card, but take the
express from the airport. The tube is too much work with luggage and "mind
the gap."
You will have fun!
1 Like
I am definitely planning on Kew Gardens. I learned about it while studying botany in college. I have been there before but not during the summer when there are tours through the establlishment. I remember eating lunch in a really quaint tea room . Maybe it is the place that you suggest. We will plan to eat there. Thanks.
2 Likes
I have copied all of your suggestions to a Word file and will take on advise. I had planned on purchasing train tickets for Salisbury, in order to get the bus to Stonehenge. We could visit the Salisbury Cathedral on the way. I then thought that we would continue on the train to Bath, eat dinner there and return to London in the evening.
In the North, there are such wonderful castles, but Maybe Windsor will work.
You think that the Savoy Hotel is the best for high tea?
It all sounds good.
1 Like
Maids of Honour that Jen mentioned also have wonderful quiches and savoury pastries you can pick up for picnics. They used to even rent out old fashioned picnic baskets and blankets if you need them.
My 15 y.o. son is going to London the last week of July through the first week of August so he will likely be there the same time as you and your granddaughter!
The lion statues you see at Trafalgar Square are modeled after the Barbary Lions which were members of the old Royal Zoo founded by King John at the Tower of London shortly around 1230. (Magna Carta/1215 is one of my timeline memory pegs) The zoo lasted until 1800s! It housed the exotic animals that were offered as gifts by visiting dignitaries.
1 Like
I have enjoyed quiche at Maids of Honour when my husband and were there in 1990. It is a really nice and cute place.
It is all sounding really good.
1 Like
Those are pretty much it; I was there for work and only had 2 full days and 2 half days. I missed all of the major sights except for the National Gallery (well worth it and doesn’t take up loads of time) and the British Museum. For the latter, I purposefully did a very abbreviated visit to see the Rosetta Stone, the Assyrian statues and the Parthenon Frieze. It took maybe half an hour. Even if you aren’t super interested in ancient history (I am not, but my husband is and recommended that itinerary for me), you will find them breathtaking. I got chills at all of them and cried in joy and awe at the Parthenon Frieze.
Two things I missed but would prioritize next time are the William Morris Gallery and Highgate Cemetery. I would also like to do an abbreviated trip through the Victoria and Albert as I am really only interested in the textiles and fashion.
Weather is pretty variable in London; if you don’t mind packing rain gear, I would suggest it. Otherwise, treat yourself to a fancy umbrella and/or Barbour jacket (I went with a Barbour) there and ship it home at the end of your trip. Dress in layers. If you’ve been to San Francisco or Seattle, it’s the same strategy.
Unrelated logistics tip: if you plan to buy tea and treats, I STRONGLY recommend having them shipped. It is rather costly but US customs massively freaks out if you bring it in your luggage, even if it isn’t actual contraband food.
2 Likes
I have been to London twice before. This time, we will have plenty of time to see what we want, although we will be there at the height of tourist season.
I need to start making reservations, soon.
I see they are having a heat wave (as are many others), so pack
accordingly. It was warm when we were there in May. I wish I were going
with you.