Rural Diaries – country life, the countryside and rural issues

Posted by Sally on January 16th, 2009 in Rants and Rambles

I was recently asked by a couple of countryside girls, off on their first trip to London to celebrate their 40th birthday, what to see and do in London without feeling like a fish out of water or spending a fortune.

Not for them the dazzling night life or a day shopping for designer wear, they want to see the sights without acting like city slickers but money is a concern as London is just so expensive, particularly on a farm workers salary.

As I have lived and worked in London and still pass through regularly I came up with a short list of ideas that may get you girls out of your wellies and dragging your men from the fields to have a weekend in London … just don’t tell the men there are no farms in London and they might fall for it.

On my last trip to London I stayed at the Pembridge Hotel ,its 3 star and rooms are basic (without drinks) but clean with half decent bathrooms (no shampoo though) very close to Hyde Park and Bayswater. Cost me £25 for one night, with breakfast, by myself in a twin room but had to go to the lobby to get a cup of tea or coffee. Breakfast was very basic but enough of it. Would stay there again though as it was convenient, clean and cheap. There is a tube station near by and a high street to grab a costa coffee or McD’s.

First thing to do is to grab a London Travelpass which can be used on tubes, buses and overground trains. Almost everything you would want to see is in zone 1 so a travelpass would cost just £5.60 for a day. You can buy them at tube stations or the automated ticket machines at many bus stops now. Believe me paying for each bus or tube ride can make any grown farmer cry at the end of a days sightseeing.

Go to Victoria one night and see a musical. I tend to stick to Victoria when I want to see a show because you don’t get sucked in to the expensive restaurants and bars of the West End.

If you want to see what’s on in London theatres or are looking for a particular show then go to the Whats On London Theatre website. Just press the month you will be in London on the West End calendar and then select a date, it will list all theatre shows including Victoria.

Visit a gallery and museum, most are free. The Science Museum is a must see if you are taking the kids along. The UK Guide website is great, if you click on a link the map will give you the location of the museum or gallery and clicking the link in the information balloon will tell you about the sight including any entry costs and the nearest tube station.

Grab a tour bus and see the sites, sounds daft but its a great way to see London although not a cheap way I have to admit. Don’t fancy shelling out for a bus tour, then …

London for Free has an amazing amount of ideas for doing London on the cheap, including a do it yourself London bus tour for under a fiver and their website provides all the information about the sights that a bus tour guide would offer.

For more creative ideas Timeout has an excellent article .. London on a budget, includes things to do for under a tenner.

or Go London has their top ten FREE things to do in London.

Like classical music? Head on over to St Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square (Charing Cross, Leicester Square or Embankment tube stations). Thursday, Friday and Saturday they have an evening concerts which are well worth the entry fee. If you are in London during weekdays they have free lunchtime concerts usually on Monday, Tuesday and Friday, donations of around £3.50 are appreciated.

If you want to feel uplifted then without doubt Westminster Cathedral has some of the most amazing choristers in the world. First mass is at 7am and they go on throughout the day until 5.30pm, with the choir singing daily. Based in Francis Street, Victoria this is ideally located if you want to listen to the choir at 5.30pm and then a two minute walk will take you to the nearby theatres. Victoria tube/rail.

Missing the countryside already … then head over to Londons secret garden, the Chelsea Physic Garden not the cheapest visit on the list at £8 per adult but they have over 5000 species so a must see. Opening times are restricted and they are closed for winter until 1st April. Sloane Square tube.

Make your MP show you the Houses of Parliament … apparently they have to say yes. Westminster Hall is one of Europe’s finest medieval buildings and of course you get to see Big Ben. Westminster tube.

Visit Chinatown … Leicester Square tube

Visit Soho … Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Tottenham Court Road

There is an absolute wealth of information about visiting the UK at the Information Britain website.