If you dread the approaching
holidays, LifeWest9 has some suggestions for original
days out.
For the chance to see parts of London that
few get access to, watch out for Open Garden Squares
Weekend, 7-8 June. More than 150 secret gardens unlock
their gates, so you don’t have to climb the walls like
Hugh Grant in Love Actually. Get access to all the
gardens throughout the weekend for a few pounds.
LifeWest9 editor Lola Bailey has her own
recommendation, “I discovered a lovely garden nicknamed
by local residents the ‘Secret Garden.’ Just down the
road in Cricklewood, it has a lovely quiet garden and a
pirate ship at the back for kids.” Mapesbury Dell is on
Hoveden Road, Mapesbury, NW2. The Dell has events and a
summer gardening club.
A venue for a wet day, Kew Bridge Steam
Museum is ideal for engine enthusiasts. A former pumping
house for London water, the museum houses the world’s
largest collection of steam pumping engines, and a steam
railway which runs on summer Sundays.
The Old Operating Theatre, just along from
London Bridge, is another indoor attraction. This museum
gives you an insight into an original hospital operating
theatre of the nineteenth
century.
For a day planned by someone else, go to
Treasure Days. For £25 you get a treasure hunt in a part
of London. Each well-researched hunt lets you see London
with fresh eyes. Opt for Hampstead Village and finish in
the historic Holly Bush pub, or take the family round
the Club and Theatreland hunt, with a detour to Hamleys
or the Trocadero. The hunts can be completed within two
hours or done at a leisurely pace.
So, whether you want something indoors or
out, nearby or the other side of town, London is packed
with interesting places to go. Tell us about your
favourite day trips too.
For more information on the venues:
Open Garden Squares Weekend -
www.opensquares.org
Mapesbury Dell - www.mapesbury-dell.org
Kew Bridge Steam Museum - www.kbsm.org |
020 8568 4757
Old Operating Theatre - www.thegarret.org.uk
| 020 7188 2679
Treasure Days - www.treasuredays.com |
020 8742 0551
