So me and the girlfriend have come up with the idea of organising dates for each other but not telling what it is until the day. she currently lived in London and I will be as of May, as i dont live there yet and she has for a while i am at a bit of a disadvantage and need a little bit of help with thinking of ideas, i have ideas just not necessarily London related.
So if anyone can help me with suggesting places in London and the surrounding area that I can use for my ideas that would be great. I am hoping for suggestions of places that generally you wouldnt know about, not the obvious things like a trip on the eye or something and since i dont live there yet i dont really know any of these lesser know places and she already does.
e.g.
-Some secret garden or park which is really nice
-A town or village which can be reached by train nearby london thats worth visiting
-An unusual restaurant or bar which has something different about it
you get the idea, even if it isnt used for the dates idea then i would be interested to know of any funky places to visit myself for when i do move there.
cheers guys
Take her up the Oxo Tower.
links/photos would certainly be appreciated
There's some good reviews of it on Tripadvisor and other more specialist sites.
Yes - Oxo Tower is very good...
Rachel
Can I suggest the Chelsea Physic Garden ? A little oasis of calm in,er, Chelsea.Famous for the Chocolate Tree and open to the public from April.
http://www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk/
I took my girlfriend up the oxo tower once....
Highgate Cemetery?
Torture garden.
Chelsea Physic Garden.
Richmond, if you haven't been there, is worth the train/tube trip - very chi-chi and scenic, what with the park, the view from the hill, and the walk along the river.
The Troubadour wine bar in Earl's Court is a nice wee place in a "taps nose to the cognoscenti" type of way that feels like it has a bit of provenance and history to it.
Its a bus tour then a boat then a bus.........best done when its sunny!
http://www.londonducktours.co.uk/
deadslow i saw that thing drive past once!
great shout on the wine bar stef, looks real nice, we dont know much about wine so would be great to go for a wine tasting and learn something about which types we like!
+1 torture garden, best night out in london
also all night clubbing boat on the thames if you can get on one is great way to see the city
kensington roof gardens?
brompton cemetary they open up teh crypts twice a year
saatchi gallery on kings rd
camden/portabello market- not very secret though
John Soanes Museum
Some of the Churchs in the City - St Brides is a good one as it is the church of the press, printers and the paper industry.
Some pubs are great for history/decor: Ye Olde Mitre off Hatton Garden, the Blackfriar, the Bleeding Heart, Cheshire Cheese spring to mind. There are plenty of others.
Traditonal city places to eat are great like the George & Vulture and Sweetings (only open at lunch, no bookings and no credit cards)
Bagels from Brick Lane.
Borough Market.
Walk past the offices of State in Whitehall at night.
Concerts in St John Smith's Square.
Frankly, people walk past great places all the time in London.
Kensington Roof Gardens is interesting, though not particularly secret.
My favourite, though not what you're looking fro really, is the street sign for Little Compton St.
i took her for dinner at kensington roof gardens at new year when i visited 😉 the food is top notch there
we have done most of the obvious markets but they are great and i can imagine going most weekends!
but of course there is a website called secret london! thanks for the replies guys
sooo the torture garden as in the fetish club :S
Dingwalls in Cambden - Live Music Venue.
The Bridge House in Canning Town - Live Music Venue.
The Thames Barrier in Woolich - It stops London Flooding.
The Cutty Sark in Greenwich - A real Tea Clipper.
SB
Not wildly exciting but Eltham PAlace is a nice art deco house.
anus - Membergreat shout on the wine bar stef, looks real nice, we dont know much about wine so would be great to go for a wine tasting and learn something about which types we like!
[url= http://www.gordonswinebar.com/default.php ]Gordon's Wine Bar[/url] which is just outside Embankment Tube on Villiers St, is another good shout in the same vein. Can be combined with a walk across Hungerford Bridge and along the south bank.
If you're flush, [url= http://www.rules.co.uk/ ]Rules Restaurant[/url] in Covent Garden feels like stepping back into another century - especially if you go around Christmas time, when it's positively Dickensian.
Probably not that secret, either of them, but worth checking out if you haven't already.
sooo the torture garden as in the fetish club :S
Dress to impress.
yeah the dress code is very strict but its all worth it in the end.....
The garden museum at Lambeth
Torture Garden
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Depends what kind of girl she is.
Dogs at Walthamstow*
Dunno if they are still there but uit is surprisingly good fun !
Take her up the Oxo Tower.
is that a mumsnet reference?
I've always liked the Rex Whistler restaurant at Tate Britain. Not secret really but a nice wine list and good ambience.
Loads of places you can sometimes get to see with an invitation or if you ask nicely. Lawyers have some great places like the Inns and Temples, Livery Company houses, Bishop's palaces, MPs, military folk, aristocracy etc. If you don't know any of these folk to invite you in, quite a few have occasional public opening. Try this:
[url= http://www.londonopenhouse.org/ ]http://www.londonopenhouse.org/[/url]
Take her up the Oxo Tower.
is that a mumsnet reference?
With a name like yours I'm surprised no-one has suggested you take her up the Arsenal 🙄
Walthamstow dog track is now closed unfortunately. Still one in Wimbledon though I think.
Try the museum of brands and packaging. Bloody brilliant.
They have happy feet yoghurt, that pop drink from the 80's that began with a Q. All sorts. Kids would like it too.
You're sold already I know!
You could take the train out to Teddington, walk to Teddington Lock, walk along the river to Hampton Court Palace, have lunch at Hampton Court, then walk back to Teddington via Bushy Park. About 6-7 miles in total, nice walk on a sunny day. Or even keep going down the river a little to Lower Sunbury.
But pretty much anywhere on the River can be nice if the weather is good.
Not really London or secret, but I do feel very fortunate to live where I do. So close to Bushy Park, Wimbledon Common, Richmond Park, the River and Hampton Court Palace. But I did grow up in St Helens 😆
thanks guys keep them coming, some good suggestions...i dont get the oxo tower thing, maybe im too young?
The Wallace.
taking her up the oxo tower is a euphemism for bum sex, with your username youd think it wouldve been obvious 😉
that aside its a lovely restaraunt and they do some really nice and out there cocktails, check what time sunset is and make sure you are there to see it
FWIW i still think TG is the best night out in london, you do need to to be confident and up for a laugh and make an effort with the dress code
but it beats every other club/show/gallery/fancy dress party hands down
Go to secret cinema (google it) and you can both enjoy not knowing the details!
Try Chislehurst caves interesting and a little different not to far out of town.
Also a fan of Gordons wine bar here, excellent little place.
Little known places are rare as London is so vast and well populated, but people on here will know, you just need advice from the FLASH!
Kettners for cocktails. Oscar Wilde's favourite spot.
Cheshire Cheese for real olde worlde.
The perfectly preserved 3 or 4 streets of Hugenout terraces that still survive in Spitalfields, despite the best efforts of the Luftwaffe.
The tiny Georgean square tucked into Berry Brothers wine merchants on St James.
Berry Brothers cellars
Picnic on Primrose Hill at dusk. Hundreds of people enjoying the best spot in London, yet it feels like a secret.
The Blue Bar at the Berkeley Hotel.
The rooftop pool at the Berkeley on a warm day when they open the roof.
As others have said - Chelsea Physic Garden is nice, and a bit different.
Chislehurst caves are unique and not far out of town on the train.
I like Camden Market, but its not to everyones taste - however i'd suggest giving it a go, to make your own mind up. (you should be able to pick up some clobber for your night out at the torture garden!)
Some of London's parks are nice, Greenwich is good.
The Blue Bar at the Berkeley
Not for me, the American in the Savoy, the one in the Connaught, maybe the Dukes in St James, but not the Blue Bar, even the one in Claridges is better.
When I lived in London I used to go and relax in the secret garden near St John's Lodge in Regent's park.
Here: http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/the-garden-of-st-johns-lodge-london
Take her bowling at the Bloomsbury Lanes, a groovy retro 50's bowling alley that time forgot.
Also take her for dinner at Gordon Ramseys resturant at Bread Street, afterwards go for a drink in the bar upstairs at Bread St...both are stunning with views of St Pauls.
Or go for a walk around Richmond Park and stand on King Henrys mound and look through the viewing point to see London, then go for a drink at the Roebuck, take your beer across the road, sit outside and look across the river... the best view in London.
Get on a train to Dorking and take two bikes.
Re. "Bloomsbury Lanes, a groovy retro 50's bowling alley that time forgot", it opened in 2005....
Not a bad spot though 😉
A few more from me....
Cask, Pimlico. Beer nirvana. (Thanks for the hangover this morning, guys. Really, thanks...!)
The cemeteries. Brompton, Barnes, etc. OK, so they're popular with a certain male demographic, but as long as you avoid that, they're fantastically creepy and intereting places. Brompton is marvellous, such crazy Victoriana.
The Regency Café. Also in Pimlico. Classic greasy spoon.
And, my fave thing to do in any city. Go to the tube. Buy a ticket. Go four stops in either direction. Get out, turn left. See where it takes you! (Did this in Moscow recently, amazing!
The Regency Café as featured in that unpleasant scene in 'Layer Cake', nice for a cup of tea 😉
I reckon one of the best views of the city is from the tea hut in the middle of blackheath,
And, my fave thing to do in any city. Go to the tube. Buy a ticket. Go four stops in either direction.
Try that in St Asaph!
Apologies for the drift OT.
great job guys, this is a huge list! what i was hoping for
[url= http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums ]Hunterian museum?[/url] Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons. Closed Mondays and Sundays.
[url= http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms ]Cabinet War Rooms[/url] is also worth a visit. Ask her to dress in a 1940's dress before leaving?