As we hurtle towards Christmas, I wanted to bring you some more pictures of the street lights and shop displays that are giving London a really festive look. Continue reading
All at sea in London with Nelson and Turner!
There are many reasons to visit Greenwich – the Cutty Sark, the world’s meridian, the painted hall, the Queen’s House and the permanent collections at the National Maritime Museum are a few of them. Now there are 2 more great reasons as the National Maritime Museum has opened its Nelson Galleries as well as a wonderful exhibition about Turner, one of my favourite painters. I was luckily enough to be shown around by the Curators for both exhibitions which is a privilege so if you ever see one advertised, do book yourself onto it for the inside track you get, bringing the exhibition to life. Continue reading
Finding Dr Who in London!
Saturday’s 50th anniversary Dr Who show was brilliant, very confusing but brilliant! As a self-confessed David Tennant fan, it was great to see him back as the Doctor in a programme that gave us all the Doctors, including the one yet to come as we saw the eyes of Peter Capaldi. Continue reading
It’s beginning to look a bit like Christmas in London!
London always looks beautiful at Christmas time as the shops, large and small, and the famous streets, like Regent Street and Oxford Street, put a huge effort into their lights and window displays. Most of them are up and twinkling now so I thought I’d give you a tour around London by night to enjoy these festive sights. Continue reading
Two great exhibitions in one with thanks to our Queen Elizabeth!
There is a gallery at Buckingham Palace called, unsurprisingly, the Queen’s Gallery, which I’ve visited several times and have seen some excellent exhibitions including Scott and Shackleton in 2011. This year they have excelled themselves by putting on 2 shows at the same time and I was lucky enough to be invited to the preview. Continue reading
Is it Art? A Visit to Frieze Fair London
That big question – what is art? I’ve been to thousands of art exhibitions and galleries, taken tens of art courses and I still have no real answer to that question but I don’t think I’m alone in this dilemma. Is it in the eye of the beholder? Like beauty, there is usually some agreement on what is and what is not but there is also space for the quirky one-offs. Continue reading
Day trips from London: the ancient sites of Stonehenge and Avebury
Now and again even I feel the need to head out of London to explore the wonderful countryside in the UK, whether it’s further afield to Scotland or to the great sights all around London. My most recent excursion took in not one but two Unesco World Heritage Sites, both within an easy day trip. Continue reading
How much can you squeeze into a day and a half in London?
As you’ll know from my bio I offer private tours of London for small groups and they all want to see loads of stuff in London without feeling like they have been rushed from one place to the next. So, I thought I would share with you my most recent tour which lasted a day and a half so you can see just how much you can pack in without exhausting yourself! Continue reading
London’s Amazing Hidden Treasures
London has some of the most famous sights in the world from the Tower of London and Tower Bridge to Buckingham Palace, Westminster Cathedral and St Paul’s Cathedral. However, there are hundreds of less well known, hidden treasures in London so this blog starts an occasional series which will bring these gems to you. Continue reading
Three More Great London Bars!
Did you see my recent blog on ‘3 of the best rooftop bars in London’? Check it out here if not. It struck me while writing that post that London has so many other great bars you need to know about, so I’ll be featuring them now and again in my blog. This week I’m taking you to a couple more rooftop ones with a great view and my favourite old pub. Continue reading