My Top 10 Things to Do in London!

There are clickable links in this post to see some of the places I talk about!

I often get asked where my favourite (also note my new MacBook now makes me type like a British person, so I now have u’s in all of my words) places are in London. It makes me very happy when people message me who are coming here for the first time, and ask what sights they should go see or areas to visit. I decided to make a little list of the top 10 places I like to go when I am in the city of London. In no particular order of course because that would make this even more difficult for me than picking just 10 places. 

#10. Afternoon tea: this is always something I tell people they need to do when they come to London. It is such a staple of the culture here. It’s like brunching in New York. I have now been to a few different places for afternoon tea but my all time favourite is Brigit’s Bakery. I talk about this place often because it really is the best. They have an afternoon tea bus tour, which was my first experience with them back in 2016 (my first summer in London). This is perfect for people who are in London for just a few days and want to cram in all the big sights at once. The staff are fantastic and chat to you while you travel around on the route master bus and eat their delicious food, cakes, and of course tea. They also have a sit down restaurant in Covent Garden (didn’t make the list but also a great spot to go while in London). I only recently went to their place in Covent Garden. I have done their bus tour twice now, once on their regular tour and another for their halloween special. Other notable places for afternoon tea are St Pancras by Searcy’s inside of the train station (especially if you are on your way out of London heading to France or Belgium) and Peggy Porschen in Chelsea (known for its long lines because of their famous store front decorated seasonally).

 

#9. The Markets; Old Spitalfields Market, Borough market, and Flat Iron Square: Borough market is another famous spot in the city of London. It is known for its diverse tastes and smelly cheeses. Old Spitalfields is on the other side of the river (closer to Tower of London) and is another great place to grab some food on your walk around the city and do s bit of shopping. Markets are a great place to go for a long walking day, whether it is raining or sunny the markets have plenty of coverings so you can walk around comfortably. Flat Iron Square is my go to place on really sunny days in the city. Its surrounded by food and drink and has picnic tables to hang out on. In the summer time there are usually a DJ’s playing to keep the party going into the night. 

#8. London Eye: how can you not go on the London Eye when in London?! It is notably the number one tourist attraction in the city. I have only done this once so far, but I will definitely be going on it again when my parents come to visit. The first time I went on it was for Valentine’s Day in 2016 (I did a lot that year). Sam took me on the champagne experience, which I highly recommend. When you do that option you get to wait inside the centre that has a bar, and then when it is your scheduled time to get on, you are escorted to the front of the line and onto the Eye. Once inside you get a glass of champagne as you go around and see London from more than 400 feet up. It takes 30 minutes to go around, and because we went during sunset we got some incredible pictures of the day. I am a bit biased but I would say that is the best time to go.

#7. South Bank: anywhere on the South Bank is a good place to be. There are plenty of bars and restaurants along the way to stop at, and walking along the water is always a good idea to get a beautiful view of the city. See the big sights like the London Eye, the Sea Life Aquarium, Shrek’s Adventure (so cute for kids but I very much enjoyed it as an adult), get a view of Big Ben across the river, and the Hayward Gallery (for you art lovers, and no it’s not my gallery hah). During the winter time it is a real stunner because of all the pop up stands that are covered in twinkle lights for the holidays, and Christmas market. 

#6. West End shows: going to see a show on the West End is another great experience to do while in London. It’s as important as going to see a broadway show in New York City. It is a must do, and the shows are always fantastic. Harry Potter fans can go to The Cursed Child (which I would say to go to if you have a longer period of time because it’s like seeing 2 shows). I have been to a few now West End shows now such as; Aladdin, Bend it Like Beckham, and my favourite I have seen so far & Juliet. I have told a few people to go and see it and they raved about how much they loved it after.

#5. The Parks; Regents, Hyde Park, Victoria, St. James: really any park in London is gorgeous and a must do on a walk around town. Hyde park has a bit more to see and is the equivalent to central park. It is massive and one of the main attractions there is the Peter Pan statue. They are full of friendly little squirrels (although I don’t advise you to be that tourist hand feeding them to get pictures, I’ve seen this go wrong). The parks are great for picnics, and often where I take my mid work day strolls to get some air. I love that there are parks all over the city. 

#4. Grab a pint at a pub: another big part of the culture of England is going to a local pub for a pint. Fair warning an American pint is different from an English pint so light weights beware! English pints are 4 oz. larger than American pints, almost an entire beer can more. It wasn’t until I had my first pint here that I realised how different they are. English beer is also less watered down than the more common American beers you get at the bar. And if you can go to a local pub during a quiz night even better! Personally I suck at them but I feel like that is half the fun. London has their fair share of cool pubs, and some of them are older than the country of America!

#3. The Breakfast Club Speak Easy: I love going to this place and I am always telling people about it. The Breakfast Club is a chain of bars all over, but this specific one close to Liverpool Street train station in Spitalfields has the speak easy. This place is awesome, for starters its name is a classic because who doesn’t love that movie? When you walk in it just looks like a small diner from the 80s. That part is great for having a diner style meal before you start a night of drinking, or even after the drinking really. But if you are a fan of delicious cocktails then here is the trick, under the diner is a speak easy with funky art on the walls and bathrooms that are covered in magazine cut outs. The trick is to tell the host/hostess that you want to see the Mayor of Scardey Cat Town. If you don’t say this they will NOT let you in. I have seen them reject people for just saying they want to go downstairs (also part of the fun). Once you give them the correct password you are lead through an old refrigerator from the 50s down a staircase and into the lounge/bar of the speak easy. 

#2. Wagamama: whenever I am asked where I want to eat on a night out it is always here. These chain restaurants are literally all over London but in my opinion the best ones are by the Tower of London (another great place to go while in London but did not make the list) because of the great views while you eat. They have all asian cuisine and I have literally never ordered something that I did not like, and now that I no longer eat meat their vegan menu is a dream. They opened up their first store in New York City just a few years ago and now they have 3 locations there. This place never disappoints. If you’re a fan of good ramen, sticky buns, or gyoza this is a must. 

#1. Camden: I LOVE this area and especially this market. The food they have there is UNREAL. I eat at The Mac Factory every time I go to Camden market. This place has the most heavenly macaroni and cheese I have ever eaten in my life. Just do not look at the calories or it will ruin the taste (but not really and then again you’ve been walking around all day you deserve a treat!). Camden market is also known for its shopping. There are tons of funky pop ups and shops around to get just about anything you can think of and especially some great souvenirs and one of a kind jewellery. Camden Town has some funky art all over the streets and has its fair share of characters walking along the roads. You also can go to the ZSL Zoo while you’re there. 

 

There it is my list of must do’s while in London. Trust me I had so many more places to write about, I could go on for ages. I love this city so much and could walk around for hours just staring at all the old and modern architecture that gives this city all of its personality. Let me know in the comments if you have been to any of these places and which of them are your favourites! I cannot wait for lockdown to be over so I can go hang out in the city and find new spots. 

Some Pawsitively Adorable Yoga Classes: Puppy Yoga in London!

Stoke Newington, London

City of London

Pawside Yoga (click for website)

Yoga Paws (click for website)

My favourite workout experience of all time has to be puppy yoga. It is exactly as wonderful as it sounds. A combination of young puppies (already owned unfortunately) and (some) yoga. I have been dabbling in yoga since November now, after swearing I would never do it again after a much failed attempt at a class in college. I have really fallen in love with it. I massively lacked the maturity and ability to sit still for a long period of time in my early 20’s, probably why I wasn’t the biggest fan of yoga then. Or maybe I enjoy it more now because I do 98% of my practice in the comfort of my home, without people making weird noises next to me, well besides when Sam joins in and does classes with me occasionally. I started with a free month trial to Yogaia, an app that allows you to take a live yoga class with an instructor that can see you and perfect your form. You can also do recorded classes at any time. I love that they offer all different types of yoga styles, as well as HIIT workouts, core classes, meditation, and yoga for runners. If you're looking to try some yoga I highly recommend this app. Click the name for a MONTH FREE trial: Yogaia (you're welcome). And now back to the real story of this post....

I have now completed two classes of puppy yoga, with two different companies. The first company I found was by chance on Instagram. I can confirm that the overwhelming experience of pure joy is the same in both companies. The company Yoga Paws (also great to follow them if you just want adorable puppy content) quickly had me falling in love with every dog on their page, so I decided I wanted to give the classes a go. These tickets literally sell out in minutes and to be honest are a bit pricey for an hour experience, but I guess not too far off  what you would pay for any single workout class. It was about £30/$35, I know it sounds like a lot but I had such a good time at each of the classes I really think that it is worth it to go at least once. I also never usually buy single class passes because I am very anti gym, but this was on a whole different level to any other class I had done before. I like my own space and hate having people look at me when I am working out, mostly because I suck at it. But when it comes to this kind of class bring on all the strangers! Also the fact that no one is looking at you because they are massively distracted by the adorable little creatures running around the room. 

The first time I went to a puppy yoga class was in February, with the company Yoga Paws. I decided to treat myself by going to a pre Valentines day class. I like the fact that this company was secretive with where the location was until the week before (I bought my tickets 2 weeks in advance because they do sell out that quickly once they go on sale). The only thing that you know before is the time of the class and the breed of puppies that will be in attendance. I chose the Labrador puppy class obviously. The locations are based all over free spaces in London so it changes often. I was ok with this since I get free travel with my TfL job and I love roaming around new neighbourhoods in London. After struggling to find the actual building in Stoke Newington (North East London about an hour and a bit from my house by train since it was during rush hour) I was ready to get my puppy cuddles. It was a small studio and as soon as I walked in I was greeted by one of the members of staff who told me where to leave all of my things. I’m surprised I even heard anything he said because as soon as I walked in I could hear the sweet angelic sounds of puppy barks. The hour session literally flew by. The 6-8 puppies are out the entire time and its just a massive free for all. Whatever puppy walked by you, you could scoop up and play with. All this was happening while the poor yoga instructor was trying to teach the class. I can confirm I did a whole 6 minutes of yoga in the hour class BUT after checking my heart rate on my apple watch I had ended up burning more calories than expected because of the fluctuation in my heart rate (basically I was so excited by the puppies and rolling around with them that was the real workout). There was about 15-20 yoga mats set up around the room and the instructor was in the middle. The room was pretty tiny so there was going to be ample time to play with the floofsters. The staff was also great about spreading the pooch love, because if they noticed you hadn’t had a dog yet they would move them around the room so everyone had their fair share. But to be honest since I was probably the only person on my own I got PLENTY of pup time (also good luck to the person who tries to take a puppy away from me without my willingness).

  

I want to say the actual yoga went on for about 35-40 minutes and then people were able to hold other pups in the room and take pictures for the gram of course. To be honest I wish I paid attention a little bit more to the yoga because the instructor was phenomenal. At the end of the session she rubbed essential oils on everyones temples and it was magical. During the free play time I got to talking to one of the staff members. I clearly was all about trying to bring a dog home, so I was asking who owned them, and general questions about the program. He told me that the puppies are from a breeder and they were all promised to homes already. The reason why the breeders use the puppies in the class is to help them socialise more with people before they go off to their forever homes (brilliant idea I thought). The pups were about 2 to 3 months old so they were only a couple of weeks off from going to their new homes. In environments like this it was so easy to just talk to people around me. Everyone was on cloud 9 and so nice to one another (if only everyone in the world could take a puppy yoga class WORLD PEACE!). When I left the studio to go back home I was beyond relaxed and just felt incredible for getting to play with some pups. 

The following month, I had a visit from my friend Agnes from New York. She was doing a solo trip to London and asked me to show her around. I quickly thought what a great opportunity to do another puppy yoga class and also show her the sights in central London. This is when I found the second company Pawside Yoga. Same exact idea the puppies were just a bit younger (less than 2 months old) and the dog parents of the pups would be there in the class as well. Since Agnes loves yoga too she quickly agreed and we got tickets for the mid afternoon session with shitzu fluffers. The venue was at Savage Garden in central London (very close to Tower bridge) so the scenery was breathtaking from the rooftop room the class was in. Funnily enough this was the same place that I rang in my 29th birthday, so I knew my way around the building which is located at the very top of a hotel. The views include perfect shots of the Gerkin, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and of course Tower Bridge. The room itself was gorgeously decorated to make you feel like you were in a log cabin in the alps. 

This company does it a little differently and I preferred it. The yoga instructor puts on a flow class for 30 minutes and the other 30 minutes are spent playing with the little fluff balls and taking pictures. I was shocked at how tiny the puppies were (they were literally feeding on their mom when we all came into the room). I obviously fell in love with a little pupster as soon as they came in. One little guy walked right over to me and Agnes and we barely let him go the entire time. I liked that the breeder was there with the dogs too, to keep a watchful eye out because I feel like I would be doing the exact same thing if my dogs were involved with something like that. They were all SO TINY they could fit in the palm of my hand. The instructor was also phenomenal at this class! And go figure she was American! I felt like we really got our moneys worth here with an actual yoga class, plenty of puppy time, and also the staff were great and took plenty of pictures for everyone. They even had a station for drinks and small snacks, but to be honest I didn’t even see them until we were walking out the door (I was clearly very distracted). Again everyone that was in the small class were all so friendly and chatting away with the people next to them. Every person walked out with huge smiles on their faces. 

Overall both classes were an incredible experience. I have been graciously offered VIP status with Pawside yoga and they have given me a discount code to use the next time I book with them. I love their company, how friendly the staff is, and the unreal venues of their classes. Once quarantine is over I will 100% be booking another class with them so I can get my puppy fix until Sam finally agrees to get one of ourselves (but don’t feel too sorry for me, we have something in the works that I will reveal when everything is sorted :)!!!). For April Pawside Yoga were also offering bunny yoga! Unfortunately this had to be postponed, but it might just be another class I will have to try with them. So if you want the feeling of pure happiness and some puppy cuddles, I highly recommend booking a puppy yoga class. I promise you it will not disappoint, and to be honest who won’t need something like this after all this isolation is over. 

Stay healthy, stay happy, and as always thank for reading! 

A Woodland Weekend Away: Center Parcs!

Center Parcs

Elveden Forest, Suffolk

Trip two of this year happened in late February when I went to Center Parcs with Sam and my in laws, Pat and Clive. Center Parcs has different locations around England and every time I told someone I was going they would quickly respond with “which one?!”. We stayed at the Elveden forest resort, which is only a couple of hours from where we live. This woodland place is filled with plenty of outdoor and indoor activities, and was everything that I was told it would be. Sam and his family have been going to Center Parcs since he was just 2 years old, so it had a lot to live up to for me. I had never been anywhere like Center Parcs before. I think the best way to describe it would be a very active weekend away in the woods. Since the grounds are massive the easiest thing to do is cycle everywhere you go (not my favourite thing in the world but it was all part of the experience). Plus my bum went numb after about the fist 10 minutes of riding. This was also a really special trip for me as I was meant to go here last year with the entire Hayward group, including my little nephew George, but couldn’t because I was still in New York waiting for my visa. My brother in law, John, Vicky, and little George could not make the trip this year because of the long awaited arrival of my niece Alice. 

                                   

The cabin was so quaint and the perfect size for the four of us. Since it is a family resort Sam and I slept in the “kids room” that had two twin size beds but could easily be pushed together (and yes Sam fell into the gap a good few times). The size of the cabins depends on the amount of people staying in them. There are also the insanely expensive “tree house” cabins that are complete with a hot tub and game room, and can sleep about 20 people or something crazy like that. All the cabins come with their own kitchenette, which is perfect for saving some money from the restaurants on resort and making your own meals (although I was very fond of the Bella Italia and American diner). There is also a convenient little supermarket in the middle of everything where you can get all your essentials for a dinner in. The cabins had a fireplace, that I found was perfect for roasting marshmallows inside on one of our cold winter’s night. I should also mention how this was the first time ANYONE other than me had ever had s’mores before! If you’re not American a s’more consists of graham crackers, usually Hershey’s chocolate bar (any chocolate will do), and a marshmellow that should have been roasted on the fire. And you better believe roasting marshmallows has its own art form. Since they didn’t have graham crackers at the supermarket, I had to improvise and used Digestive cookies, the ones coated with milk chocolate (genius I know). Apparently a s’more is more American than I thought because even the name was troublesome for my British family members to say. And of course the “s’more what?” pun happened a few times. 

On the first day we were eager to get to the indoor pool. This was the mecca of Center Parcs. It is always fairly packed, but always fun. I quickly turned into a child running from each water slide to the next and down the rapids pushing little kids out of the way as I slid past them (no children were harmed in my recklessness). This was definitely all of our favourite thing to do at Center Parcs. There is also the treacherous water slide called the Cyclone. The first time I went on it with the rest of the family, I thought I was going to go flying off the tube! I was shot up into the air, after taking a solid 15 foot drop down into the swirling room of water. It also didn’t help that Sam kept freaking me out by saying “are you holding on tight enough?!” the entire time we were on the ride. 

On one of the rainier days at Center Parcs we took it easy and played some mini golf. If you know me at all you’ll know that even in family fun environments, the minute any competition happens I’m all in guns blazing (and especially when it comes to mini golf). Since there was an unfair amount of wind happening whenever I seemed to putt the ball, there was an unfortunate amount of swear words that came from my mouth. Luckily there weren’t any children close by. After loosing at that, I had to blow off some steam at one of the arcades and beat Sam at air hockey and Mario Kart, to bring my sprits back up. But don’t even get me started on how horrible I was at bowling the next day! 

             

The other activity we took part in during the weekend was the exhilarating outdoor activity called The Drop. By far this was the most thrill seeking thing I have ever done (I’m not very fond of heights). The Drop consisted of a bunch of… well drops, throwing yourself off of high platforms. Some of them were free falls and others were with harnesses. The tallest free fall drop was from 10 meters (33 feet!) high onto a giant inflatable bag (absolutely zero harness or protective gear). I honestly couldn’t even believe I did it after struggling to jump off of the first platform that was 4.5 meters (almost 15 feet). And as the brochure states, it is not for the fainthearted. Again I unintentionally let out a few swear words while jumping off the edge (sorry mom). What didn’t help my fear was the fact that there was a little girl doing the experience with her dad, and she was easily flying off the platforms with zero fear in her. She was even impressing the instructors. 

The free falling onto the bag is usually the last part of the activity, but since the weather was pretty windy that day it had to be done first in case it got any worse. It was so windy that all previous sessions of that activity that day were cancelled (this just added to the fear of jumping for me). The instructors were really great and once they got to know us better they were having a real laugh with us. Then came the part where we were supposed to jump off the platform with our harness on and hang from a punching bag for a few seconds. The instructors thought that it would be really funny to extend how long Sam and I held on for. Then they went even further and asked us to let go of the bag with our legs and continue holding on. I was surprised how long I was able to hold on for, but when I heard loud gasps from below I was wondering what I had done wrong. But low and behold my husband who does not like to follow instructions because he “misheard” them let go of the bag with his arms instead of his legs and was dangling upside down with his harness wires wrapped all around him. I had never seen someone’s facial expressions change so quickly as the instructors went from laughing to panic. But whatever Sam, I was just waiting for the overdue signal for me to let go of the bag HELLO PEOPLE! Some of us did listen to the directions. I knew he would be fine. 

It really was an incredible experience and being someone who is not too fond of heights, I was getting more courageous after each drop falling backwards and forwards, and not wanting to death grip my harness. It had given me a little adrenaline junkie feel, and we’re already planning on giving their zip line experience a go next time we are at Center Parcs in October. That will be an exciting trip since it will be for Sam’s birthday and we will finally have all the Haywards with us, even little Alice! Hopefully we can go back during the warmer months too, so that we can do some of the water sports like kayaking and paddle boarding in the lake. 

I could really go on talking about this place for ages. There is just so much to take in there. I just loved being able to go on relaxing long walks, eating at all of the different types of restaurants each day, getting bags of candy at the sweet shop, seeing wildlife right outside your window, and enjoying a fun weekend away with family (just to name a few). I feel like everyone takes away something memorable there. Some people remember it for the hot chocolates at the main bars, the diner, or the potent smell of chlorine in the recreation building. But for me it was just the calming sense of not having a time table and doing as you feel throughout the day. No one dresses up there (besides for going to the bar or to eat at night). Most of the day was spent in sweats or leggings and sneakers (athleisure attire is the best). 

Even as a group of adults going it was still an unforgettable trip. This place really had so much to offer and loads of bars to hang out at night. As part of their birthday present, we got Pat and Clive a massage package at the spa. I will 100% be doing that next time, as they highly recommended it. Even though I think most people would go to Center Parcs in the warmer months, I think going in the winter was still fantastic. We were able to have those cozy nights in by the fire having a few drinks and playing board games. I can see why Sam loves this place so much. I have a feeling this place will become a tradition for Sam and I and our future family trips to come.