Latest / UK Travel Planning / Top 10 Things to Do in London in 2026

Transcript

Top 10 Things to Do in London in 2026 · UK Travel Planning

0:00
SPEAKER_01: Afternoon tea in a royal palace, a murder mystery in a Victorian train carriage, Chelsea in full bloom, and a night in a 500-year-old castle.
0:09
SPEAKER_01: My favourite experiences from my recent trip to London and why each one earned its place.
0:15
SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the UK Travel Planning Podcast.
0:17
SPEAKER_00: Your host is the founder of the UK travel planning website, Tracy Collins.
0:22
SPEAKER_00: Each week, Tracy shares destination guides, travel tips and itinerary ideas, as well as interviews with a variety of guests who share their knowledge and experience of UK travel to help you plan your perfect UK vacation.
0:34
SPEAKER_00: Join us as we explore the UK from cosmopolitan cities to quaint villages, from historic castles to beautiful islands, and from the picturesque countryside to seaside towns.
0:48
SPEAKER_01: Hi everybody and welcome to this week's edition of the UK Travel Planning Podcast.
0:53
SPEAKER_01: Doug and I are recording this episode actually in Cape Town.
0:56
SPEAKER_01: We are.
0:57
SPEAKER_01: So we're actually now in South Africa, um, having left London at the weekend.
1:01
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so I thought it was going to be a good opportunity to do an episode and do a bit of a recap of my favourite experiences for in London for 2026.
1:13
SPEAKER_01: So Doug's agree Doug's done, you've done some of these experiences with me, haven't you?
1:16
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I've done some of these experiences.
1:17
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
1:18
SPEAKER_03: I arrived at the end of May and uh sort of joined the party.
1:21
SPEAKER_01: See who joined in and did some of them.
1:23
SPEAKER_01: So so some of the later experiences and things we did, we we actually did those together.
1:28
SPEAKER_01: So Doug can join in a little bit more on them, but otherwise he's gonna ask me some questions.
1:33
SPEAKER_01: And um these are always popular episodes, aren't they?
1:35
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, we've done them before though.
1:37
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we have.
1:37
SPEAKER_01: Every year when I've been I do um an episode.
1:40
SPEAKER_01: So um I have got some numbers if you want to.
1:43
SPEAKER_01: In fact, there's quite a few episodes that I've done these kind of roundups of my favourite things to do in London.
1:48
SPEAKER_01: Um, so episode 54, 105, 133, 165, and 187, similar, and they they all have different experiences in as well, I should say.
1:58
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it's like a podcast bingo.
2:00
SPEAKER_01: It is, isn't it?
2:01
SPEAKER_01: Got full house.
2:02
SPEAKER_01: Hey! Um, yeah, so they basically because every time I go back, I do different things and I try, I deliberately try to do different things.
2:10
SPEAKER_01: Um, there's gonna be always things that I absolutely love doing, um, that I would just do over and over again, but I have to stop myself and make myself do some new things every single time, as much as I can.
2:21
SPEAKER_01: Um, because so then I can report for you, so you can then figure out which ones you may want to fit into your London itinerary.
2:29
SPEAKER_01: So I did want to say before I'm gonna hand over the mic to Doug and stop talking, but yeah, um, that I want to say a huge, huge thank you.
2:39
SPEAKER_01: Uh, because some of you heard us talk recently about needing a little support to keep the podcast going.
2:44
SPEAKER_01: Um, and you answered, and I'm so so grateful.
2:48
SPEAKER_01: Um, so I want to say a huge thank you to our wonderful new sponsors this month.
2:53
SPEAKER_01: Uh uh, so this thank you to Jen S, Barb B, Elizabeth, Catherine, Valerie, and Joy.
3:01
SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for coming on board as monthly sponsors.
3:04
SPEAKER_01: You we really, really appreciate that the fact that you've taken your time out and then you've found the link, so you could do that via the tip um tip your guide button on the website.
3:13
SPEAKER_01: Also, we have a a link uh via Buzz Sprout, who actually hosts our podcast.
3:19
SPEAKER_01: Uh, we've also got a link there if you wanted to to do a monthly sponsorship.
3:24
SPEAKER_01: But uh, like Jen, Bob, Elizabeth, Catherine, Ballery, and Droy have done this one.
3:28
SPEAKER_03: Nice, thank you all.
3:29
SPEAKER_01: Thank you so, so much.
3:30
SPEAKER_01: Um, we love the fact that you enjoy the podcast and we love doing them, don't we?
3:34
SPEAKER_01: We do indeed.
3:34
SPEAKER_01: So we want to keep doing them, um, because they're a lot of fun.
3:38
SPEAKER_01: Anyway, are you how do you feel?
3:40
SPEAKER_01: You ready to go?
3:41
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I'm ready to go.
3:43
SPEAKER_03: So you should be able to allow time to speak.
3:46
SPEAKER_03: I'm so rude.
3:47
SPEAKER_03: Okay, so here we go.
3:48
SPEAKER_03: So you always say the best way to get to know place is to start with a tour, don't you?
3:52
SPEAKER_03: I do.
3:53
SPEAKER_03: And this trip you did a few things, a few things with walks and devour.
3:57
SPEAKER_03: Uh so where do you want to start?
3:59
SPEAKER_01: Well, I'm actually gonna first say it it was walks and devour, but walks and devour now become walks devour.
4:05
SPEAKER_01: So they've kind of amalgamated.
4:06
SPEAKER_01: Yes, and they're now walks devour um experiences and tours.
4:11
SPEAKER_01: And uh as everyone knows, I love doing walking tours and I love doing the food tours.
4:16
SPEAKER_01: And you also love food tours, to be fair.
4:18
SPEAKER_03: I do, I do, I really do.
4:19
SPEAKER_01: Um, so this trip, um, and I've done, I think I've done every single walks devour tour there is in London.
4:26
SPEAKER_01: Um, and my favourite one everybody knows is that is the So Remove the Keys, which you've also done and absolutely loved as well.
4:32
SPEAKER_03: That's fantastic.
4:32
SPEAKER_01: Um but this trip I I did, I was very lucky to go on the two food tours, which I have done before, one had slightly changed, um, which was the um Ultimate London food tour, which I did, which now goes across.
4:47
SPEAKER_01: So you start off in Borough Market and then you go over to Leadenhall Market.
4:52
SPEAKER_01: So that's slightly different from that because you've done that tour with me before.
4:55
SPEAKER_01: So that was really, really good fun.
4:57
SPEAKER_01: Um, and I also did the Taste Tales and Traditional Ales, um, which is the pub food and the pub, it's like the pub stories and the stuff.
5:05
SPEAKER_01: You rave about it.
5:06
SPEAKER_03: I love that you rave about that one.
5:08
SPEAKER_01: I love this tour, and what was so amazing about the tour this year is that we had Laurie and Lori, who we did a consult for.
5:16
SPEAKER_03: I remember her one.
5:17
SPEAKER_01: Yes, both Lori and Lori remember both of them, yeah.
5:20
SPEAKER_01: We did a we did a consult for, and they were on the tour with us.
5:24
SPEAKER_01: And that was so lovely.
5:25
SPEAKER_01: And Becky from Walks to Var, who has previously been in a previous episode, she was the tour guide.
5:31
SPEAKER_01: Um so it was fantastic.
5:33
SPEAKER_03: All came together.
5:34
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it was just amazing.
5:35
SPEAKER_01: So I love food tours because it's a great way to find out a where to get the best food or get the recommendations because your guide will tell you if you ask them where I should eat, what what's the best things to eat?
5:46
SPEAKER_01: Um, you get to try different foods that you may not be aware of.
5:49
SPEAKER_01: You know, British food's got a bad reputation, hasn't it?
5:52
SPEAKER_03: It has, unfortunately.
5:53
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but actually, I think everybody on the tour were like, Well, this is good.
5:56
SPEAKER_01: You know, loved that, loved the sausage roll or loved the the um the Scotch egg.
6:02
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I think that bad reputation is going back in time.
6:05
SPEAKER_03: I don't think it applies today.
6:07
SPEAKER_01: I think so, because the food is absolutely fantastic.
6:09
SPEAKER_03: But it is a good way to get to uh to know a place you did want it.
6:12
SPEAKER_01: It is, and also what uh the thing I love about that, the taste tales and traditional is that you go to some of these pubs you wouldn't find on your own, really.
6:18
SPEAKER_01: They're kind of down little alleyways and uh but some of the history, you know, you can have a you can sit and have a pint where Charles Dickens sat.
6:25
SPEAKER_03: I love that.
6:25
SPEAKER_03: That is true, true.
6:26
SPEAKER_01: Um it's just it's just crazy.
6:28
SPEAKER_01: So that that was those are two um food tours I actually did with them, but I also did uh a new tour that I'd not done with him before, which was the Kensington Palace and Royal London Day, which started off with Changing of the Guard, uh walk through Hyde Park in Kensington Gardens, past the Diana Memorial and the Albert Memorial, and an afternoon tea at the Orangery.
6:49
SPEAKER_01: Wow, very, very nice, which was really nice.
6:51
SPEAKER_01: So that's quite a lot of walking, I will say it's quite quite a long at a walk.
6:55
SPEAKER_01: Um, but it's but it was at a good pace, and we had a break, had a rest, um, learnt a lot, saw a lot, had the wonderful afternoon tea in the orange reach.
7:05
SPEAKER_03: I was going to say a cup of tea at the end of it sounds really, really welcome.
7:08
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, well, that's it.
7:09
SPEAKER_01: It's lovely, and the orangey is so beautiful.
7:11
SPEAKER_01: But not only that, a section at the end of it, because you get then tickets to go into Kensington Palace.
7:15
SPEAKER_01: Well, I personally really love Kensington Palace.
7:17
SPEAKER_01: Um, the staff are amazing in Penson Palace as well.
7:20
SPEAKER_01: Um, and you can go and see where Queen Victoria was born, you can go and see her toys.
7:24
SPEAKER_01: Uh, it's just really the it was just really good.
7:26
SPEAKER_01: I really enjoyed it.
7:27
SPEAKER_01: So that was an excellent tour.
7:29
SPEAKER_01: I know that they they it's a very popular tour that were telling me as well.
7:32
SPEAKER_01: So um, so again, so those are three different tours.
7:35
SPEAKER_01: If you haven't done them, if you want to do a food tour, those two food tours, excellent.
7:39
SPEAKER_01: If you want to do um a kind of slightly different walk and tour where you're gonna see some like gonna go from the changing of the guard, you're gonna go through a walk, hide Hyde Park, and end up with an afternoon tea and Kensington Palace, um, then that tour is excellent.
7:54
SPEAKER_01: So that Kensington Palace is Royal London tour.
7:57
SPEAKER_01: Oh, good stuff.
7:58
SPEAKER_01: So I will link to those in the show notes.
7:59
SPEAKER_01: Fantastic.
8:00
SPEAKER_03: Now it's not just about London, is it?
8:02
SPEAKER_03: I know you enjoy getting out of the city as well.
8:04
SPEAKER_03: So beyond London itself, you know, tell me a bit about your tours out there.
8:10
SPEAKER_01: Okay, so this is kind of our second favourite thing, but actually there's more than one thing in this.
8:15
SPEAKER_01: Um I did a couple of day trips out of London with the English Bus.
8:20
SPEAKER_01: And if you listen back to episode 99 of the podcast, you can hear me talking to um Chris Horsey, who owns English Bus, and Lucy, who took us on the tours that I went out with.
8:33
SPEAKER_01: Um, so that was actually the third tour I've done with the English bus.
8:36
SPEAKER_01: Um, so I've done three.
8:37
SPEAKER_01: So I did two this trip.
8:38
SPEAKER_01: I did the Kent, Dover, um, the White Cliffs of Dover, Dover Kessel, um, and then up to Canterbury.
8:47
SPEAKER_01: That was a great tour.
8:48
SPEAKER_01: And then I did one that went to Oxford and then uh Stratford and Cotchwalls villages.
8:53
SPEAKER_01: Fantastic.
8:54
SPEAKER_01: That was really cool as well.
8:55
SPEAKER_01: Great places, they're just really nice day trips, really nice.
8:58
SPEAKER_01: You know, I love London, but I also like to get out of London.
9:01
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, of course.
9:02
SPEAKER_01: And if you're based in London, there are really great trips to take.
9:05
SPEAKER_03: There's more to the UK than just London, we know that.
9:07
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, absolutely.
9:08
SPEAKER_01: And it gives you a taste.
9:08
SPEAKER_01: So if you're in London long enough, definitely go and take a day trip out and go to see it.
9:12
SPEAKER_01: And if you don't want to be, you know, if you want to do it easily, this is a great way to do it.
9:16
SPEAKER_01: A small group tour is a great way to do it.
9:18
SPEAKER_01: Um, and we do have a discount for five percent off any uh English on the English bus, which is UKTP5 is our um code to get that discount, and I'll put a link in to the English bus so you can uh book that.
9:31
SPEAKER_01: Um, and also hear more, as I say, in episode 99.
9:34
SPEAKER_01: Other trip that I did, um, which is something I've been wanting to do for ages, yes, and that was to go to Chawton to see Jane Austen's house.
9:45
SPEAKER_03: No, I don't know anything about this one really, I'll be honest.
9:47
SPEAKER_03: No, because you know, it's not really my area of expertise.
9:51
SPEAKER_03: That's more about trains, really, for me.
9:53
SPEAKER_03: But tell me a bit more about that.
9:55
SPEAKER_01: I just absolutely loved it.
9:57
SPEAKER_01: I really, really, really did.
9:59
SPEAKER_01: So I took a train um actually from Clapham Junction down to Alton.
10:03
SPEAKER_03: Because she was staying on in South London.
10:05
SPEAKER_01: Yes, I was staying in that kind of southwest London, so it was easy to get at Clapham Junction.
10:09
SPEAKER_01: Um, so went from there, really easy, just about an hour down to Alton.
10:13
SPEAKER_01: Outside the train station is a taxi company.
10:16
SPEAKER_01: Um, they have a set fare, I think it was£9.60.
10:20
SPEAKER_01: Um, and that dropped us off at Chauton, at Jane Austen's house in Chawton.
10:25
SPEAKER_01: Um we hadn't booked tickets, so we were a bit worried when we saw a sign saying that that they were busy until like one o'clock.
10:31
SPEAKER_01: But when we went in, we did get a time slot.
10:33
SPEAKER_01: So they only allow a certain number of people in the house at a time, which was amazing because actually, when we were looking around, in some of the rooms there were just us in the room, just one person, you know, and there just was hardly anybody, and it was busy, it wasn't like it wasn't busy, there was plenty of people wanting to go in the house, but I think they just they keep it so that it you really can enjoy the experience where there's not a lot of people in there, um, and it was great, and then we walked down to where her brother lived, which was kind of a bit of a grand house um in Chawton itself.
11:07
SPEAKER_01: Um, I thought it was like a manor house, I don't know what it's called now, but we kind of walked down there, but I actually just loved where Jane Austen sat and wrote her books, and there's a table that she it's tiny, this little table that she wrote her books on.
11:21
SPEAKER_01: It's really, really small.
11:22
SPEAKER_01: Um, so just the story of Jane Austen.
11:26
SPEAKER_03: I know you had a big smile on your face when you came back.
11:27
SPEAKER_03: You were raving about the whole day.
11:30
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely, I would 100% go there again.
11:33
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, 100%.
11:34
SPEAKER_01: And also, you know what, the village was so beautiful, yeah.
11:37
SPEAKER_01: It's such a beautiful village, and you know what I loved?
11:40
SPEAKER_01: Another thing, they just have this so well organised.
11:43
SPEAKER_01: So we went, and because we had to wait like half an hour before we could go in the house, they gave us a map of the village for some like pretty things to go and look at, some gorgeous cottages, and it's that was great.
11:53
SPEAKER_01: It's who I was.
11:54
SPEAKER_03: It's not just about the house itself, then is it?
11:56
SPEAKER_01: No, no.
11:56
SPEAKER_01: I mean, to be honest, we did look at the property prices in Traughton and then realised we couldn't afford it because I went with my friend Terry.
12:03
SPEAKER_01: Um we we we did we sat in the cafe and had a look at the property trap prices and went, no, not unless we win the lottery, can we ever afford to live in Traughton?
12:10
SPEAKER_01: Actually, what was really interesting when we got the taxi back, because we phoned and ordered a taxi back to to Alton, and the taxi driver was saying that um they used to be it used to be the main road used to go through through um Chauton.
12:24
SPEAKER_01: It was to be really, really busy, but now there's a bypass which has made the village just it's just beautiful.
12:30
SPEAKER_01: It really it really is that quintessential English village that you imagine.
12:33
SPEAKER_03: Nice weather too as well.
12:34
SPEAKER_01: It was a beautiful day, yes.
12:35
SPEAKER_01: I've I'll put some photos.
12:37
SPEAKER_01: I am actually going to write an article about how to get to Chawton and what to do and see there, so I am gonna put that together.
12:42
SPEAKER_01: Maybe not by the time the this webisode comes out, but it's on my list to do.
12:46
SPEAKER_03: But I will put some pictures in the because Jane Austen's you know incredibly popular.
12:51
SPEAKER_01: Yes, absolutely.
12:53
SPEAKER_03: Oh I'll say the word fantastic purposefully there, because go back into London, you did two walking tours with Robin.
13:01
SPEAKER_03: Hello Robin, if you listen.
13:03
SPEAKER_03: I did.
13:04
SPEAKER_03: I've been out with Robin myself or changing in the card, which was amazing.
13:07
SPEAKER_03: So the two tours that you did with Robin on this uh trip, so what did you sort of learn that you might have missed?
13:15
SPEAKER_01: So this is my third favourite thing, isn't it?
13:17
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and this is with Robin from Fantastic Walks.
13:19
SPEAKER_01: That's right.
13:20
SPEAKER_01: That sort of tour.
13:20
SPEAKER_03: Chose my word fantastic walks.
13:22
SPEAKER_01: You did, you kind of you you segued into that really well, Doug.
13:25
SPEAKER_01: You really, really did.
13:26
SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah, so so I mean, you you had gone out with Robin from Fantastic Walks last year, and you did his Changing of the Guard tour.
13:34
SPEAKER_01: It was amazing, and you thoroughly enjoyed that.
13:36
SPEAKER_01: You raved about that.
13:37
SPEAKER_01: So I thought, well, I have to do some tours for Robin, I'm not gonna get left out.
13:41
SPEAKER_01: Um so I did a hidden Westminster tour, which was really cool.
13:44
SPEAKER_01: I we got honestly, I didn't, I thought I knew Westminster.
13:48
SPEAKER_01: Honestly, I didn't.
13:48
SPEAKER_01: There's places that he he was explaining, and this church I did not know was there.
13:53
SPEAKER_01: Um, put it this way, it's it's near a very famous hotel.
13:57
SPEAKER_01: Right.
13:57
SPEAKER_01: Um and we went in, and obviously Robin knew the guy that I don't know, was running it, opening it, whatever.
14:04
SPEAKER_01: He he he he was it was fantastic, so he was explaining all about it.
14:08
SPEAKER_03: So you wouldn't know about these things if you know you didn't just walk past and miss.
14:11
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, absolutely, totally.
14:13
SPEAKER_01: And just things that I didn't know about or that Robin had pointed out that I probably had walked past and didn't know about the history of it or the significance of it.
14:23
SPEAKER_01: Um it could be really small things, just some quite big things that I was like, wow, I never really noticed that.
14:28
SPEAKER_03: Now, because I know Robin, I can imagine the energy he put into this as well.
14:33
SPEAKER_03: Yes, yeah, yeah.
14:34
SPEAKER_01: So, oh yeah, he's he's definitely um yeah, he's a good talker, he's a good guide, um, it's a lot of fun.
14:41
SPEAKER_01: So that hidden Westminster, I absolutely loved it.
14:44
SPEAKER_01: I know it's on his website, so you can book that.
14:46
SPEAKER_01: If they want to do something different, and I it was really good, honestly, I'd go on that again as well because I'm sure every time he'll come up with something different that he finds.
14:54
SPEAKER_01: Um, and the other one that I did that was was really interested in doing, um, and I it was something that you know I I'd spoken to a few people who've got a bit of interest in this, and this is a Soho music tour.
15:07
SPEAKER_02: Oh, okay, yeah.
15:08
SPEAKER_01: Um, so it's a music walk through Soho.
15:11
SPEAKER_01: Um, and I guess what's what what struck me the most is I was a big kind of Amy Winehouse fan, and uh we ended up in the in this the cafe, I think cafe, I don't know what call it cafe, where she um sang a lot of a song so there's lots of photos and stuff around, and that was really, really nice, but it was really interesting, and then actually as we're doing the tour, we've got this guy came up to us and he um had been to a lot of the gigs from the people that the different people that that Robin was talking about and these particular venues.
15:43
SPEAKER_01: Um so that was really interesting.
15:45
SPEAKER_01: It depends who you're interested in from that kind of that era, um the kind of 70s, 60s, 70s.
15:52
SPEAKER_01: Um, but it was really interesting, and that's something if you've got an interest in kind of rock and roll and and music, then that is definitely one to to add into our itinerary.
16:01
SPEAKER_01: Again, I'll put some links in for those.
16:03
SPEAKER_03: Both of those actually interest me, though.
16:04
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, Robin's excellent.
16:05
SPEAKER_01: Um, Robin's a really, really good, really energetic guide.
16:09
SPEAKER_01: Um, so everybody was really into it and um asking loads of questions.
16:12
SPEAKER_01: He asks you lots of questions about what you're interested in.
16:14
SPEAKER_03: It's very engaging.
16:15
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, he really is.
16:17
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so that was they were really good.
16:18
SPEAKER_01: Um, I love walking tours.
16:19
SPEAKER_01: I love walking tours, I love food tours.
16:22
SPEAKER_01: That's the best way, you know.
16:23
SPEAKER_01: You can put earphones in and do a walk and tour, but you it's not as interactive.
16:27
SPEAKER_01: You don't, I mean, like that guy stopping and talking to Robin and talking to all of us about the fact that he'd gone to these gigs uh, you know, in the 60s and 70s and talking about what it was like.
16:37
SPEAKER_02: It was incredible.
16:38
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely, everybody was kind of like, wow, this is this is incredible, yeah, just brilliant.
16:42
SPEAKER_03: Well, good stuff, thank you for that.
16:43
SPEAKER_03: Well, on to number four.
16:45
SPEAKER_01: Yep.
16:46
SPEAKER_03: So you visited two big exhibitions while you were there.
16:51
SPEAKER_03: So which ones did you sort of manage to get to?
16:55
SPEAKER_01: Well, um, yeah, um, there were two that I really wanted to get to, and I managed to include them in.
17:00
SPEAKER_01: Um, and one actually was in March, uh, and it was at the VA, which was the Marie Antoinette show.
17:07
SPEAKER_01: It was actually the influence of Marie Antoinette and fashion.
17:10
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
17:10
SPEAKER_01: Um, and it was sold out, so I joined the VA as a member for for the year, which meant that I got a ticket, um, which was really good.
17:18
SPEAKER_01: It was worth it for me to do that, and that was absolutely well.
17:21
SPEAKER_03: That was my next question.
17:22
SPEAKER_03: Are they worth it?
17:23
SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah, absolutely.
17:24
SPEAKER_01: I I it was fantastic, it was really, really good show.
17:27
SPEAKER_01: Um, and actually, it was just brilliant.
17:29
SPEAKER_01: And you saw a lot of Marie Antoinette's clothes.
17:32
SPEAKER_01: There was um just uh I think it was something that she wrote, the last thing that she wrote before um she was executed.
17:40
SPEAKER_01: Um it wouldn't be afterwards, would it?
17:42
SPEAKER_01: No, that's true.
17:43
SPEAKER_01: That is true.
17:44
SPEAKER_01: That is true.
17:46
SPEAKER_01: Um and then uh yeah, and then there was just like an influence on fashion and for fashion designers, uh, which was really cool as well.
17:54
SPEAKER_01: There's some of her jewelry there, uh it was a very, very, very popular show.
17:58
SPEAKER_01: Um, I you can see there's a bit of interest I've got here in clothes because the next show that I went to see, uh, exhibition, shall I say, rather than a show, um, was the late Queen's clothes that were on display at the King's Gallery.
18:11
SPEAKER_01: Wow, her life and style.
18:13
SPEAKER_03: That's a bit more recent, so I suppose you know you can sort visualise the Queen wearing these.
18:18
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know what?
18:19
SPEAKER_01: Amazed me just how tiny she was.
18:21
SPEAKER_01: She was so small, and she was so, you know, it throughout her life, even when she got older, she was still tiny.
18:26
SPEAKER_03: She's not a magnificent lady.
18:28
SPEAKER_01: She was amazing.
18:28
SPEAKER_01: The clothes were just phenomenal.
18:31
SPEAKER_01: And it that I'm so glad I got those tickets in January when they came out, but they have extended that exhibition until April next year because it has been so so incredibly popular.
18:41
SPEAKER_01: If you have any interest in fashion, if you are a royalist in any way, shape, or form, seriously get yourself these tickets and go and see the clothes because they're absolutely stunning.
18:52
SPEAKER_01: Some of the I mean, I I just took fit photos of all the orange dresses that she had because I love the colour orange.
18:58
SPEAKER_03: I'm not surprised at that one.
18:59
SPEAKER_03: That's fantastic.
19:00
SPEAKER_03: Now, the next one I'm going to ask you through gritted teeth, because I'm extremely jealous about this one.
19:06
SPEAKER_03: This is one thing I've always wanted to do myself, but it's been on your bucket list for a while, I know.
19:12
SPEAKER_03: So you finally got to Chelsea, you lucky thing.
19:16
SPEAKER_03: So, what was it like?
19:17
SPEAKER_03: I mean, that's Chelsea Flower Show this year.
19:21
SPEAKER_03: So tell me about it.
19:22
SPEAKER_01: Okay, so the fifth thing on my list that I managed to do was to go to the Chelsea Flower Show.
19:25
SPEAKER_01: Now I've been wanting to go to the Chelsea Flower Show forever, but because I used to teach in the UK, and the Chelsea Flower Show is on the week before we break up for the holidays.
19:36
SPEAKER_01: I could never get there.
19:38
SPEAKER_01: Never, ever, ever get to Chelsea.
19:40
SPEAKER_01: The closest I could get to go to Chelsea was watching it on television.
19:42
SPEAKER_02: Yes, yes.
19:43
SPEAKER_01: So this year, because I was going with my friend Melissa Jones was over from America, we were like, let's go to Chelsea together.
19:49
SPEAKER_01: So we got the tickets.
19:50
SPEAKER_01: Um, they're not cheap, I should say.
19:52
SPEAKER_01: There's over£100 for the ticket.
19:53
SPEAKER_01: Um, but it was fantastic.
19:55
SPEAKER_01: Now, I've got some tips to share if you're gonna go to the Chelsea Flower Show.
19:59
SPEAKER_01: Go ahead.
19:59
SPEAKER_01: Uh, right, first of all, go as early as possible.
20:02
SPEAKER_01: I think our ticket was eight o'clock in the morning.
20:04
SPEAKER_01: I reckon that we were in there by ten to eight.
20:07
SPEAKER_01: It was also a very, very hot day.
20:11
SPEAKER_01: Um, and it was incredibly busy.
20:14
SPEAKER_01: Incredibly busy anyway in London.
20:16
SPEAKER_01: Um, because I really wanted to go and see all the flowers that were on because there's a lot of flowers in the area that you can go and see, like Chelsea and Bloom, um, and I really went Belgravia and Bloom, and I really wanted to go and see all the flowers on and on the shops, which I'd done a few years ago.
20:32
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so I'd kind of figured I'd do that after going into Chelsea.
20:35
SPEAKER_01: So we went into Chelsea, we went and have a look around.
20:38
SPEAKER_01: Now, the the big halls were my favourite, uh the Proteas.
20:42
SPEAKER_01: Oh my goodness, the Proteus.
20:43
SPEAKER_01: I mean, we've we've just been too time, isn't it?
20:45
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, we've just been to Kirstenbosch today and just seeing lots of Proteas.
20:48
SPEAKER_01: Well, I love Proteus, you do, and um so we we spent a lot of time in there, which was fantastic, uh, in these kind of the big hall and in exploring all the exhibitions there.
20:58
SPEAKER_01: Um and Melissa loved roses, so we went to have a look at all the David Jones roses, which she loved.
21:05
SPEAKER_01: By the time we got outside to go and see the show guard David Austen Roses.
21:08
SPEAKER_01: Is it David?
21:09
SPEAKER_01: What did I say?
21:10
SPEAKER_03: David Jones.
21:11
SPEAKER_01: David Jones, that's a shop.
21:13
SPEAKER_01: David Austin Roses.
21:14
SPEAKER_01: Sorry, David Austin.
21:15
SPEAKER_01: Um, David Austin Roses, yes, so she loved that.
21:17
SPEAKER_01: But by the time we got outside, this time I reckon it was probably maybe half past nine-ish.
21:23
SPEAKER_01: And it was crazy, crazy.
21:26
SPEAKER_01: It was too busy.
21:27
SPEAKER_01: Um front, it was too busy.
21:29
SPEAKER_01: Uh it was so so so busy.
21:32
SPEAKER_01: We couldn't really get that close to the show gardens, which was a bit disappointing.
21:36
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but you were talking like five or six people deep, you couldn't get anywhere near.
21:41
SPEAKER_01: And so we kind of wandered up and down trying to see the show gardens and kind of gave up.
21:44
SPEAKER_01: Now, this isn't even 10 o'clock in the morning.
21:46
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so we did go and grab something to eat.
21:49
SPEAKER_01: I will say that we I won't mention the brand of drink, but I you know, it was 16 pounds, that's all I'm gonna say.
21:55
SPEAKER_01: So we didn't have one of those because that was I mean, crazy expensive, so it's very Expensive for food and drink in there.
22:02
SPEAKER_01: It was also let's say very, very hot.
22:04
SPEAKER_01: So we did have a drink because we needed one.
22:07
SPEAKER_01: And then we kind of tried to endeavour again to see a bit more of the show gardens.
22:11
SPEAKER_01: And to be honest, we kind of gave up.
22:13
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
22:14
SPEAKER_01: And as you come in, there was like a lot of a lot of like not shop less, I guess shop stalls, kind of shop stalls, with some very expensive merchandise in them.
22:23
SPEAKER_01: So we kind of walked up and down there and had a look.
22:25
SPEAKER_01: But I've had I've got a I've got a shot my on my I took a few pictures on my uh camera on my phone camera, and it was so this avenue was so packed, you were literally jostling with people just to get past.
22:38
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, sounds really fun to me.
22:39
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so I had I'm not quite sure.
22:41
SPEAKER_01: I mean we had an all-day ticket, but we were probably out of there by 11 o'clock.
22:46
SPEAKER_03: That's a shame.
22:46
SPEAKER_01: Which it I was a bit sad about because this is something I want to do for so long.
22:50
SPEAKER_01: Now it was the Friday, which is I think the last day of the show.
22:52
SPEAKER_01: So the I don't know if it's a the busiest day.
22:56
SPEAKER_01: I actually want to go on the Monday, which is when all the famous people go, because they're the ones that can actually get to see this without being just sort of like TV programme at the end of the yeah.
23:05
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, maybe maybe I'll I know, but it's like not the same as it was on the TV.
23:09
SPEAKER_01: So while I loved it, I was also a bit disappointed with it.
23:13
SPEAKER_01: Uh because I just think there it's just too many people, too, just too many people, basically.
23:19
SPEAKER_01: Um, so we we as I say, I think uh what we saw we loved.
23:23
SPEAKER_01: Um, and the best of it we saw were it was in the hall.
23:27
SPEAKER_01: Um, but as I say, I would like to have seen a bit more of the showgardens.
23:30
SPEAKER_01: Maybe that I would have seen better on the TV from home.
23:32
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, but it's also nice to see things with your own eyes and then watch the TV programme and saying, Well, I've been there, I've seen that.
23:38
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, true, true.
23:39
SPEAKER_01: But I it's it was a lot of money for what it was, but it I did enjoy it, so I'm not gonna moan about it.
23:44
SPEAKER_01: And I now have been, yes, absolutely.
23:45
SPEAKER_03: Okay, so we're now returning to food.
23:47
SPEAKER_03: It's a topic that we both enjoy.
23:49
SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
23:50
SPEAKER_03: So, apart from the food tours themselves, where did you find yourself eating out?
23:56
SPEAKER_01: Well, I went to a favourite a couple of times.
23:58
SPEAKER_01: In fact, we went to the first one I'm gonna mention because I absolutely love it, because I love cheese and you like cheese.
24:04
SPEAKER_03: We keep getting drawn back to this place.
24:05
SPEAKER_01: So we yeah, we went to pick and cheese in the seven dials, um, and I went with Melissa Jones to introduce her to it, and then you also wanted to go, so you went as well with me.
24:14
SPEAKER_01: So I've been twice to pick and cheese.
24:16
SPEAKER_01: Apparently, they've just opened a pick and cheese in New York as well.
24:19
SPEAKER_01: How cool is that! We're gonna have to go there at some point then exactly go and try that out.
24:23
SPEAKER_01: Um, so yeah, so we enjoy pick and cheese, which is basically like sushi but for cheese.
24:29
SPEAKER_01: So I usually order a glass of port and I sit and eat my body weight and cheese.
24:34
SPEAKER_03: Well, we both eat body weight and cheese.
24:36
SPEAKER_03: I don't drink alcohol though, but uh yeah, no.
24:38
SPEAKER_01: The other one I went to is somewhere that you had been to last October and I wanted to go to was Mikato Mayfair, which is kind of is it it's an old church, deconsecrated church that they've put into it's like a food market, so you go so you can go and try different types of food.
24:54
SPEAKER_01: Um so again I went with Melissa and we really enjoyed that.
24:58
SPEAKER_01: That was beautiful.
24:59
SPEAKER_01: It's actually a lovely lovely environment to to enjoy your food in.
25:02
SPEAKER_01: And the third, the third spot, the third uh place I really enjoyed uh a meal this trip um was something that Becky from Works Devard had recommended in February when we're I'd talk to her about her favourite places to eat in London, and of course asked where the best place that she recommended to eat a roast, Sunday roast in London, because there are so and we get asked this all the time, and there are so many places to choose from in London, it's impossible to eat in all of them.
25:30
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, um, so she had mentioned roast at Borough Market.
25:34
SPEAKER_01: Okay, uh, so I was determined to go and have Sunday roast at roast at Borough Market.
25:40
SPEAKER_01: So now I met Melissa there, Melissa Jones who was over.
25:43
SPEAKER_01: So I met Melissa there, and she did come out because it was a Sunday, how it was warm, borough market was really packed, and she I think there was a bit more people in it than she was kind of she said too many people.
25:53
SPEAKER_01: Um and she probably wouldn't have chosen to go to Borough Market on a Sunday.
25:57
SPEAKER_01: But we met outside uh roast and went and had the our Sunday roast.
26:02
SPEAKER_01: It was delicious.
26:03
SPEAKER_02: Really?
26:04
SPEAKER_01: It was really, really good, but also it's a beautiful environment because it's got flowers hanging out every oh it's it's just beautifully decorated.
26:10
SPEAKER_01: It's like an Instagram uh heaven.
26:13
SPEAKER_03: Oh, I do get um but the food was up to scratch the food was really good, the food was excellent, the service was really good.
26:19
SPEAKER_01: Um, it was a beautiful.
26:20
SPEAKER_01: I've got these all these stunning photos.
26:22
SPEAKER_01: Again, I'll try and I'll remember to put those in the show notes.
26:25
SPEAKER_01: If I forget, do get in touch and tell me to put those photos on.
26:29
SPEAKER_03: Yes, yes, we did.
26:30
SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, and it's not cheap, I will say that.
26:32
SPEAKER_01: I think maybe£70 each for uh Sunday roast.
26:36
SPEAKER_01: It was expensive.
26:37
SPEAKER_03: Pretty pricey.
26:38
SPEAKER_01: Um that was with the cocktail, then the cocktail I had was.
26:41
SPEAKER_03: I knew the cocktail there at some point.
26:43
SPEAKER_01: And the cocktail was amazing.
26:46
SPEAKER_01: So but it but really nice.
26:47
SPEAKER_01: Really, and actually afterwards, Melissa and I walked across the bridge, and then we did we went to um Postman's Park, we went to like did a little whole walk around the city of London because it was quiet on a Sunday.
26:57
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, that's right, that's right.
26:58
SPEAKER_01: So and then we ended up in Common Garden, actually, so we did a whole walk back.
27:01
SPEAKER_01: So that was a walked off the Sunday roast.
27:04
SPEAKER_03: Well, that's what you've got to do.
27:05
SPEAKER_03: Now, I know you also you're like me, you're like a nice green open space.
27:10
SPEAKER_03: So you visited some gardens in the months you've been back.
27:12
SPEAKER_03: So which ones do you did you visit this time?
27:16
SPEAKER_01: Right.
27:16
SPEAKER_01: Well, I'm gonna start off by saying I've I have heard um people mention that Hyde Park is the best place in London to visit.
27:22
SPEAKER_01: I mean, really, I kind of go, what when I hear that?
27:24
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, because Hyde Park really I question that as well.
27:26
SPEAKER_03: I find Hyde Park.
27:27
SPEAKER_03: It's a nice park.
27:28
SPEAKER_03: It's alright.
27:28
SPEAKER_03: It doesn't, it's not an exceptional.
27:30
SPEAKER_01: No, it's just it's just a big park.
27:32
SPEAKER_01: And so it's always funny when I hear people say that in the on the top things they want to go and visit Hyde Park.
27:36
SPEAKER_03: I would definitely question that.
27:37
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I question that as well.
27:38
SPEAKER_01: Or when you see people say it's the best place to visit in London, I'm like, uh no, don't think so.
27:42
SPEAKER_01: I mean, nothing against Shai Park, but really would not be on my list.
27:46
SPEAKER_01: Um so Kew Gardens went to Kew.
27:49
SPEAKER_01: Went to Kew actually around Easter time.
27:51
SPEAKER_01: It was that was there was a bit of a kind of heat wave in London around Easter.
27:55
SPEAKER_01: Um so when I think it was Easter Monday, I might have gone there.
27:57
SPEAKER_01: It was beautiful, lovely, just lovely place to walk around.
28:00
SPEAKER_01: Kew Gardens is fantastic.
28:02
SPEAKER_01: Um it was actually because it was a warm day, so I went into the greenhouses to get even well, glass houses to get even warmer.
28:08
SPEAKER_03: Very nice.
28:10
SPEAKER_01: Palm house, so yeah, absolutely um Kew Gardens in its UNESCO World Heritage site, actually.
28:15
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, Q as well.
28:16
SPEAKER_01: So Q is good.
28:17
SPEAKER_01: I went to the Kyoto Gardens, which I knew you'd been to last year, and I thought I wanted to go and call them parts to see their Kyoto Gardens, very, very lovely gardens.
28:25
SPEAKER_01: Um, and then because Melissa is a big uh rose lover, uh, we went to the Queen Mary's.
28:32
SPEAKER_01: We went to Queen Mary's Rose Garden.
28:34
SPEAKER_01: Oh my goodness, that was the smells were beautiful, the roses were beautiful.
28:37
SPEAKER_01: So I think we spent a good hour there admiring.
28:40
SPEAKER_01: We were probably about two weeks prior to when it would have been at peak, I think.
28:45
SPEAKER_02: Oh, lovely.
28:46
SPEAKER_01: Um, so we're just a bit too early, a little bit too early for some of the roses.
28:49
SPEAKER_01: Um, but again, got some beautiful photos, enjoyed it.
28:52
SPEAKER_01: So that was really nice.
28:53
SPEAKER_01: So those were kind of my three top gardens that I went to this trip.
28:57
SPEAKER_03: And the nice to fit in, nice, relaxing gardens like because London is a busy place.
29:01
SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
29:02
SPEAKER_03: You need to take a bit of time out for a bit of legend, a bit of chill time with some lovely gardens.
29:06
SPEAKER_01: And okay, so Q you have to pay for, because you do have to but but the Kyoto Gardens and the Queen Mary's Gardens are free.
29:12
SPEAKER_01: So there's actually quite a few people a day uh strolling around the Kyoto Garden, quite a few people strolling around the Queen Mary's Rose Garden, enjoying it, taking lots of photos, sitting around.
29:21
SPEAKER_01: Um, again, it was a lovely sunny, sunny uh day, so a perfect place to go.
29:26
SPEAKER_01: So I really enjoyed that.
29:28
SPEAKER_03: Very nice, right?
29:30
SPEAKER_03: So number eight.
29:31
SPEAKER_03: Now, I don't know the slightest thing about this one.
29:34
SPEAKER_03: I really I was totally in the dark.
29:36
SPEAKER_03: So you had one evening this too that was a little bit more theatrical.
29:41
SPEAKER_03: So tell everyone about the Fogs Night.
29:45
SPEAKER_01: Right.
29:45
SPEAKER_01: So I had seen this, I think it popped up on Instagram or something, or somebody sent me a reel with it on, and I just thought this looks a lot of fun.
29:54
SPEAKER_01: So it was basically Mr.
29:55
SPEAKER_01: Fogg's Society of Exploration for the Victorian Explorer.
30:01
SPEAKER_01: Um, so basically that's the setting.
30:03
SPEAKER_03: Sounds mysterious.
30:05
SPEAKER_01: Well, basically, it's a murder mystery evening set in a Victorian train carriage.
30:10
SPEAKER_01: Um so you you kind of do it yourself.
30:12
SPEAKER_01: So um I went again with a few friends.
30:14
SPEAKER_01: So the the the server, kind of the the waitress introduced introduced the evening, explained it, gave us the kind of clues.
30:22
SPEAKER_01: So you get like a briefcase, you get all these clues that you've got to go through, and then you've got to solve them, and you've got to basically cross off who murdered who, what what time the person was murdered, and it's basically on this trip on the Orient Express.
30:37
SPEAKER_01: How fantastic on the murder on the Fox Express, probably not the Orient Express.
30:42
SPEAKER_03: Not for the person being murdered, but no.
30:45
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
30:45
SPEAKER_01: Now I it what is really funny, and I'm sure that Melissa and Terry are gonna we're not gonna be happy with that.
30:50
SPEAKER_01: We we didn't solve it.
30:51
SPEAKER_03: Uh oh.
30:52
SPEAKER_01: Uh the the waitress was like, she's I can't believe you got it wrong.
30:56
SPEAKER_01: Um so we don't we have no idea where we went wrong because there was another couple few couples in that train carriage with us and they solved it, no problem.
31:04
SPEAKER_01: And we we didn't solve it.
31:06
SPEAKER_03: Can I ask you if there's gin and tonics involved?
31:09
SPEAKER_01: There were a couple of cocktails involved, yes, there were.
31:11
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
31:12
SPEAKER_01: So but it was really cool.
31:13
SPEAKER_01: And I went to the one in Cov I think there's a couple, but this the one that we went to uh that does that the murder mystery one um is in Covent Garden.
31:23
SPEAKER_01: So that's that's where we went, and it was it was really good, but you have to book that ahead of time.
31:29
SPEAKER_01: Um otherwise it's gonna get it can get fully booked.
31:33
SPEAKER_03: Okay.
31:33
SPEAKER_03: So on to museums next, then so obviously in London you are incredibly spoiled for choices, something for absolutely everyone there.
31:42
SPEAKER_03: I know.
31:43
SPEAKER_03: So which ones made your list?
31:44
SPEAKER_03: Um before you answer, I can 99%, if not 100%, guarantee one of them's gonna be the VA.
31:52
SPEAKER_03: So tell me which museums you went to this time.
31:54
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, well, I kind of talked about I kind of brought that up before because I did the Moriento.
31:58
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, fashion thing there.
32:00
SPEAKER_01: So I kinda had I I did spend a bit of time on the V and A.
32:03
SPEAKER_01: And to be fair, um, you did I did drag you in there last week so we could do a a top 10, my top 10 things to see and do in the big VA, um, which will go on YouTube when we get that put together.
32:14
SPEAKER_03: I was actually bribed with tea and cake.
32:16
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I you did get promised to go to the cafe, which we did.
32:20
SPEAKER_01: Um, so yes, obviously the VA features in there, and and if you subscribe to our YouTube UK travel planning, very soon I'm gonna put my top ten things to see, things that you shouldn't miss when you go to the VA, because I get asked that all the time.
32:32
SPEAKER_01: I get all people always asking, what are your favourite things to do?
32:35
SPEAKER_03: I get asked and I have no idea what how to answer.
32:38
SPEAKER_01: Just say ask, Tracy.
32:39
SPEAKER_01: That's the best way to do it.
32:41
SPEAKER_01: So now we did an episode back in March of our favourite top ten museums in London.
32:45
SPEAKER_01: So this trip we wanted to do some of the lesser known museums, right?
32:49
SPEAKER_01: So we obviously did the VA and we did go to the Natural History Museum.
32:53
SPEAKER_01: We did.
32:53
SPEAKER_01: So those are big free museums in London.
32:56
SPEAKER_01: Uh apart from if it's like if it's an exhibition like the Marie Antoinette one, that's a ticketed one.
33:01
SPEAKER_01: But the they're free to get into, which people always think is crazy.
33:04
SPEAKER_01: It's like, wow.
33:05
SPEAKER_01: Um, so so the VA and the Natural History Museum we did.
33:09
SPEAKER_01: We highly recommend.
33:10
SPEAKER_01: They're in South Kensington, 100%.
33:12
SPEAKER_01: If you're into museums, that's where you go.
33:14
SPEAKER_01: Even if you're not into museums, please go to the VA.
33:16
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, they're close to each other.
33:17
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they're right next to each other.
33:19
SPEAKER_01: Um, but we decided that we're gonna, in fact, I'd like to have fitted in more of the museums this trip that I did.
33:24
SPEAKER_01: So unfortunately, there's I I was gonna get to a few that I kind of said I would get to, but didn't.
33:29
SPEAKER_01: I just couldn't fit them in.
33:31
SPEAKER_01: Um, but we did do one I kept putting off because you wanted to do it, it was the postal museum.
33:36
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I did obviously from our railway background.
33:38
SPEAKER_03: I was aware of the post train, uh, it was well known within the industry, so yeah, that closed in the early 2000s.
33:45
SPEAKER_03: So the postal museum is something that I've wanted to do for a while.
33:49
SPEAKER_01: And mail rail, you wanted to ride the mail rail, didn't you?
33:52
SPEAKER_03: I really did, yeah.
33:52
SPEAKER_03: So we did fantastic.
33:53
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I loved it.
33:54
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, now also can I just mention about the mail rail?
33:57
SPEAKER_01: Because I did enjoy it, but I get a bit claustrophobic, and I did struggle for the first few minutes until I just kind of calmed myself down a bit because it's quite small, the carriage you're in, and it's got got a little grass glass roof, and they do kind of have to kind of let you in.
34:12
SPEAKER_01: You're not a seatbelt in or anything, but they have to let you in.
34:15
SPEAKER_01: And it goes through these tiny little tunnels.
34:17
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, but restrictive.
34:19
SPEAKER_03: So it takes a while to get used to it, isn't it?
34:21
SPEAKER_01: It took me a little bit to just calm myself down, um, because really I couldn't have got out of it.
34:26
SPEAKER_01: So I was like, had to just to but apart from that, it was I I don't I think I probably would struggle to do it again, but it was great.
34:34
SPEAKER_01: I loved it, and I'd we took some great pictures and great videos, yeah.
34:37
SPEAKER_01: Um and it was really good fun.
34:38
SPEAKER_01: Oh my goodness, it was interesting.
34:40
SPEAKER_03: It's so interesting, yeah.
34:42
SPEAKER_01: Um the fact that that was running around under the under the kind of ground, underground in London, delivering mail here then everywhere, it was incredibly overwhelming.
34:54
SPEAKER_01: I will also say actually, it's really, really, really inclusive.
34:57
SPEAKER_01: It's a very, very inclusive museum.
35:01
SPEAKER_01: Um, it's very family-oriented, so great for kids.
35:05
SPEAKER_02: Yep.
35:05
SPEAKER_01: Um, accessibility wise.
35:07
SPEAKER_01: I think it might be a struggle to get into the actual train itself.
35:10
SPEAKER_01: Could be a truck, but they do have this other kind of way to experience it.
35:15
SPEAKER_01: So you kind of sit in this room and it kind of takes you on this video and stuff.
35:19
SPEAKER_01: So they're really, really very good.
35:21
SPEAKER_01: Large print stuff everywhere.
35:22
SPEAKER_03: So yeah, they have very much thought about a lot of uh a lot of effort to make it totally inclusive, inclusive, absolutely, yeah.
35:30
SPEAKER_01: So um, so really enjoyed that, and that was something different that we'd not done.
35:34
SPEAKER_01: Now, one museum that I want to go to that you didn't you you sat in the cafe at the postal museum.
35:39
SPEAKER_03: Several cups of tea while you were gone, yes.
35:41
SPEAKER_01: So I went to the Charles Dickens Museum, which is around the corner from the Postal Museum, which which was actually quite interesting.
35:48
SPEAKER_01: Um, just to so basically there's two houses next to each other, and you go in through the house next door, um, which actually wasn't Charles Dickens' house, but you kind of enter into the hall um through this door, and it's then you enter Charles Dickens' house as it was.
36:04
SPEAKER_02: Yep.
36:05
SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah, so it was interesting.
36:07
SPEAKER_01: If you're a Dickens fan, definitely worth going to have a look.
36:10
SPEAKER_01: I didn't maybe took maybe was it gone, maybe 40 minutes, 45 minutes, something like that.
36:15
SPEAKER_01: It's gonna take a long time, but um the staff were really interesting as well to chat to.
36:19
SPEAKER_01: Um and it's interesting, just the you can see the desk where he you know wrote his amazing novels.
36:24
SPEAKER_03: And a bit about his life as well.
36:26
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, a bit about his life, and yeah, the fact that like that he he had built this um like a reading station because he read read excerpts of the book out, um, and that's how he started making money because he had like to serialize it, and I think then he it he started making money reading books.
36:41
SPEAKER_01: If hopefully I've got that right.
36:43
SPEAKER_01: If I have got that wrong, I apologise to the Dickens Society, but um that was the impression I got.
36:47
SPEAKER_01: So that was really interesting.
36:48
SPEAKER_01: A lot of his possessions there as well, which is always you know, when you when you're somewhere like that, this it's actually not that long ago that these people were living and writing the same with Jen Austen.
36:58
SPEAKER_01: I was thinking we're we're not talking that long ago, really.
37:01
SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, it you it think how quick time goes these days as you get older, it just seems to go faster.
37:08
SPEAKER_01: Um, but it's not that long ago, but you can actually there's just a sense of always feeling about the people you could just sort of I it I don't know, it's part of me just kind of wants to go back in time and just be there watching them writing the books, you know, creating these amazing things and just kind of I don't know, just living the normal day-to-day lives.
37:26
SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, so that was that was really interesting.
37:28
SPEAKER_01: There were two two kind of new museums, and you actually went to the um Sherlock Holmes Museum as well, didn't you?
37:34
SPEAKER_03: I did indeed.
37:35
SPEAKER_03: I've walked past it so many times on Baker Street, but never actually got into it.
37:40
SPEAKER_03: So, yes, I I did the Sherlock Holmes Museum this time.
37:43
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so out of those, obviously you didn't go to the Charles Dickens one.
37:48
SPEAKER_01: I did I went to that one.
37:49
SPEAKER_01: You went to the Sherlock Holmes one, but the postal museum, I guess, would be the one that you choose out of two.
37:54
SPEAKER_03: And I've got to be honest, I will be going back there as well, yeah.
37:57
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, because it's an annual pass that you get as well.
38:00
SPEAKER_03: So you can go back.
38:01
SPEAKER_03: Now, this next one, number 10, we did this together, and I can't stress this enough.
38:09
SPEAKER_03: I loved absolutely every single second of this.
38:12
SPEAKER_03: I was exhausted, truthfully, but I loved it.
38:15
SPEAKER_03: Now, this is the mystery guides.
38:17
SPEAKER_03: Uh so do you want to tell everybody about the mystery of the holy grail?
38:23
SPEAKER_01: Well, I could, but I actually was saying a little bit about the mystery guides, I think.
38:26
SPEAKER_01: Because first, yeah.
38:27
SPEAKER_01: Um, so the the the mystery guide that we did was called the mystery of the holy grail.
38:31
SPEAKER_01: Now, mystery guides, if you go back to episode 187, you will hear me talking all about Jack Wells and talking to Jack Wells, who I think is an absolute genius.
38:40
SPEAKER_01: Everybody knows that I think.
38:41
SPEAKER_03: Well, I do I think he is now.
38:43
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, exactly.
38:43
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, Jack Wells is an absolute genius.
38:45
SPEAKER_01: I actually went down to Portsmouth to the historic dockyard and met Jack, which was amazing.
38:50
SPEAKER_01: I just think he's he's just a fabulous guy.
38:52
SPEAKER_01: He's really brilliant with what he's done.
38:54
SPEAKER_01: And the mystery guides are basically that like it's a self-guided mystery trail.
38:59
SPEAKER_01: So you solve the clues um and you find things you wouldn't have found.
39:03
SPEAKER_03: I think I think they're absolute gold.
39:04
SPEAKER_03: I really do.
39:05
SPEAKER_01: And it's how much fun did we have?
39:07
SPEAKER_03: Oh, we had a great time.
39:08
SPEAKER_01: We absolutely, I mean, I walked a lot, but um we we also sat down a lot.
39:12
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we looked through the book a lot, we we chatted a lot, we sat in the pubs.
39:16
SPEAKER_01: There's got two pubs on this one that we did, which was great as well.
39:19
SPEAKER_03: Well, yes.
39:20
SPEAKER_03: Um, so and it is it say like I'm dying to say something about it, but I don't want to.
39:24
SPEAKER_03: I want somebody else to go and do it.
39:26
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
39:27
SPEAKER_01: Not even give away.
39:28
SPEAKER_01: We have got this because there's a few in London actually, and Jack did send us the other one for the the Channel of London, but we didn't do that one with Crown Jewels.
39:36
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we didn't do we didn't get a chance to do that mystery guide.
39:38
SPEAKER_01: But yeah, I know you I'll give that to you if you go back to London this year.
39:41
SPEAKER_01: I know you'll want to do it.
39:42
SPEAKER_03: I really do.
39:42
SPEAKER_03: If anybody wants to do that with me, if I go back, let me know.
39:46
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
39:46
SPEAKER_03: Because I'll be on my own for that one.
39:48
SPEAKER_01: So, what was it?
39:48
SPEAKER_01: Because I've done mystery guides before, and I know a lot of our listeners have done mystery guides.
39:52
SPEAKER_01: So basically, if you want to do a mystery guide, we've got a 15% code off, discount off from Jack for his books, UKTP 15.
40:00
SPEAKER_01: And you can go on the mystery guides.co.uk site and order.
40:04
SPEAKER_01: Now, what he'll do as well is if you know where your accommodation is, he'll get that sent to your hotel, and lots of people have done that and picked them up.
40:11
SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, so if you're going to York or you're going to Edinburgh, you're going to Bath, you're going for a few days, it'll take a couple of hours, but you will discover things that you would not have found.
40:21
SPEAKER_03: No.
40:22
SPEAKER_03: It was only after tell you how much we enjoyed it.
40:25
SPEAKER_03: We did not realize how many steps we'd done until we're finished.
40:28
SPEAKER_03: That's true.
40:28
SPEAKER_03: So, do you want to just explain a little bit how the the mystery guides work?
40:32
SPEAKER_03: So we've talked a bit about generally, but just tell a little.
40:35
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so basically you you get the book.
40:37
SPEAKER_01: So your book comes through the post, it's really well packaged in a lovely envelope, and then it's got a little pen.
40:42
SPEAKER_01: Um, and you start it tells you where your starting point is in the mystery guide.
40:46
SPEAKER_01: So you basically get your first clue to to where you've got to start, and when you get to that particular place, you'll get your kind of first clue that you have to solve, and it'll be in that area, and it'll give you something to look at on a wall or on the ground or um on a building or on a pub, or um, and it'll it'll you'll have to kind of solve the the puzzle, yeah.
41:10
SPEAKER_01: And then that'll help you cross off um either like whoever was the um the person who maybe was that stole the treasure that who knew where the treasure was hidden and what the treasure was.
41:25
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, okay.
41:26
SPEAKER_01: Um so it's all like clues, and at the end of it you end up with just the the one name and the the one um the one clue, don't you?
41:34
SPEAKER_01: That for what it was.
41:36
SPEAKER_03: We won't actually say we solved this one.
41:38
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we did.
41:38
SPEAKER_01: We did.
41:39
SPEAKER_01: We did.
41:39
SPEAKER_03: Just because you failed on the murder one.
41:41
SPEAKER_03: So I know.
41:43
SPEAKER_03: I think we're the only people that ever I better save you a bit.
41:45
SPEAKER_01: So yeah, um, we did solve the mushroom.
41:48
SPEAKER_01: But I'm not gonna I'm not gonna tell any more.
41:50
SPEAKER_01: I just think that you should do it.
41:51
SPEAKER_03: But I can tell everyone, I 100% recommend it.
41:54
SPEAKER_03: They were fantastic.
41:55
SPEAKER_01: You really enjoyed it.
41:56
SPEAKER_01: So it was the first time Doug had done it.
41:58
SPEAKER_01: So um I think I'm trying to remember how many Jack said he's got.
42:02
SPEAKER_01: I think it's maybe 40 something or 30 something he's got, but it it covers most um major cities in the UK.
42:10
SPEAKER_01: So there's one for um Bath, there's one for Winchester, there's one for Brighton, there's one for Edinburgh, there's one for York.
42:20
SPEAKER_01: So most of the places that you go into you can find, and he's got a huge list of places like on say where he's right.
42:26
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
42:26
SPEAKER_01: I've done quite a few.
42:27
SPEAKER_01: I just always think they're just fantastic to do.
42:30
SPEAKER_01: Um, this one was great because it included a couple of pubs, which is really brilliant.
42:33
SPEAKER_03: I enjoyed that part of it, yeah.
42:35
SPEAKER_01: Well, you need that, just have that bit of a better rest and put your feel.
42:39
SPEAKER_01: But you know, if you pace yourself and take your time, we we actually kind of left it to end of quite a long day, and then we we we decided we've got to do these mistr mystery guide.
42:47
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so it was quite, I mean, it took us probably about three hours.
42:50
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, probably probably three hours to do.
42:52
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, um, but yeah, how highly highly worth it.
42:55
SPEAKER_01: It was really good fun.
42:56
SPEAKER_01: And we've got we'll put actually we've got a real that we'll put together showing that as well.
42:59
SPEAKER_01: So casing it.
43:00
SPEAKER_01: Um, do or solving this mystery guide without giving too many things away.
43:05
SPEAKER_03: Very good, nice one.
43:06
SPEAKER_03: Now we have a bonus right here at the end.
43:09
SPEAKER_03: So we stayed at Thornbury Castle.
43:12
SPEAKER_03: Now I was with you for this one.
43:13
SPEAKER_03: You were absolutely fantastic.
43:15
SPEAKER_03: So it's not in London, but it is a castle.
43:18
SPEAKER_01: And it's not far from London, to be fair.
43:20
SPEAKER_03: No, no, we you catch the train from London out to Bristol Parkway, not the Bristol Temple means Bristol Parkway is the closest station, and that takes about an hour and 40 minutes.
43:31
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and then it's and then a short taxi ride.
43:34
SPEAKER_01: Or you know, if you if you're doing a bit of a tour and you're going out of London, you're gonna do a bit more of a you know a drive-in trip around around the UK.
43:42
SPEAKER_01: Um, and we get asked all the time about um castles.
43:45
SPEAKER_01: Uh Castanian castles.
43:47
SPEAKER_01: And I really wanted to introdu I really wanted to introduce this one to you.
43:51
SPEAKER_01: If you've you if you get our emails, you'll probably know because I have sent an email out just saying how much we loved Thornbury Castle.
43:57
SPEAKER_01: Um, but I wanted to kind of put it in this.
44:00
SPEAKER_01: As well as an additional bonus one, just to kind of raise your awareness about how amazing if you want to go and stay in a castle, you're based in London.
44:08
SPEAKER_01: This is somewhere in castle.
44:09
SPEAKER_03: This is a real castle.
44:10
SPEAKER_01: This is a real 500-year castle that actually Henry VIII and Amberlynn slept in.
44:14
SPEAKER_01: Did um so you can't the providence of this place is amazing, it's just incredible.
44:19
SPEAKER_01: Um, they also have a Tudor Hall, original Tudor Hall, um, where actually, again, Henry VIII and Amberlynn ate in this hall, which is incredible.
44:27
SPEAKER_01: We went in and had a look around as well.
44:30
SPEAKER_01: Um, so it's just beautiful.
44:33
SPEAKER_01: And if you want to, if you're on your book at list, when you're in the UK, you want to spend a night in a in a hotel.
44:39
SPEAKER_01: I cannot, we both loved it, didn't we?
44:41
SPEAKER_01: We did.
44:41
SPEAKER_01: So we'll say a couple of things.
44:43
SPEAKER_01: Staff were amazing.
44:44
SPEAKER_01: Big shout out to Kayla and Leanne.
44:45
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, Kayla and reception, Leanne, who uh was our uh was over it at dinner, and the dinner was oh my goodness, the food was phenomenal.
44:53
SPEAKER_01: It was breathtaking.
44:54
SPEAKER_01: Um staff with the grounds are beautiful, the castle itself is just incredible.
44:59
SPEAKER_01: Uh as I say the history of it is amazing.
45:01
SPEAKER_01: Um but yeah, just the whole experience.
45:05
SPEAKER_03: I really loved it.
45:06
SPEAKER_01: Um just incredible.
45:07
SPEAKER_01: So if you I will include um a link to Thornbury Castle, check it out.
45:13
SPEAKER_01: If you want to treat yourself, you want to go to a castle, this is the one to go to.
45:17
SPEAKER_01: Honestly, go there, um, go and spend a night, then go to bath the next day, go and spend a bit of time at bath, and then head back to London.
45:24
SPEAKER_01: So no, not at all.
45:26
SPEAKER_01: Um, is there anything else you want to say about Thornbury Castle except book it and go stay?
45:31
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you mentioned the staff there, and I can honestly say they were absolutely fantastic.
45:36
SPEAKER_03: I especially remember Leanne because she was so knowledgeable, so kind, so patient.
45:42
SPEAKER_03: She even laughed at my laughed at my jokes, which was nice.
45:44
SPEAKER_01: Oh, at dinner?
45:45
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
45:46
SPEAKER_03: She was lovely.
45:47
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, she was lovely.
45:48
SPEAKER_01: So, yeah, I just think I'd highly recommend that if you want to have that additional experience.
45:52
SPEAKER_01: And again, something slightly different that you can add in if you're in London long enough.
45:57
SPEAKER_01: Just go and have a night out and go and stay in a couple.
45:59
SPEAKER_03: Spoil yourself.
46:00
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, just go and stay in a castle and enjoy it.
46:02
SPEAKER_03: Now most definitely.
46:03
SPEAKER_01: Um I think that's kind of mentioned lots of different lots of different experiences.
46:08
SPEAKER_01: We've talked about food tours, we've talked about walking tours, we've talked about um like Chelsea Flower Show.
46:13
SPEAKER_01: I know that's only on at some times in the year, but if you're going to be there, mate, it's something worth considering.
46:19
SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, I've talked about mystery guide that you can do, talked about some of the museums, some of the places that we recommend that to eat.
46:27
SPEAKER_01: So again, it's slightly different from our other episodes and that have focused on some different and the murder you went on.
46:33
SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah, of course.
46:34
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, the the um the uh Mr.
46:37
SPEAKER_01: Fogg Society of Exploration, which is really good.
46:41
SPEAKER_01: I think I would have been you know what, if I'd lived in that time, I would have been I would have been with Mr.
46:45
SPEAKER_01: Fogg going exploring the world.
46:47
SPEAKER_01: Probably definitely.
46:49
SPEAKER_01: Uh nothing would have held me back, even in the Victorian year.
46:51
SPEAKER_01: I would have been out and about exploring.
46:53
SPEAKER_01: Now, so I guess that's that's my list for this trip.
46:56
SPEAKER_01: Maybe when you come back and do some time in London, we'll we'll do a Doug's list.
47:00
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
47:00
SPEAKER_01: Yours is just gonna be trains though.
47:02
SPEAKER_03: I I can also say there's gonna be lots of trains involved with mine, yes.
47:06
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, there will be.
47:07
SPEAKER_01: Now I will actually And tea.
47:09
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, tea.
47:10
SPEAKER_01: Oh yes, tea, Doug also loves tea.
47:12
SPEAKER_01: Um, so everything that's been mentioned, I will put in the show notes with links and the discount codes uh where we have them as well.
47:19
SPEAKER_01: So do check those out.
47:21
SPEAKER_01: Um if you have a question after listening or you've got a favourite thing that you enjoy doing in London, send us a message via Speakpipe.
47:30
SPEAKER_01: We'll love to hear from them.
47:31
SPEAKER_01: And remember, if you've got anybody that you know who's planning a trip to the UK or andor London, um, to share the episode with them because that's really cool to do, and that helps us as well.
47:42
SPEAKER_01: Um, otherwise, I think that's about it.
47:44
SPEAKER_03: I think so.
47:45
SPEAKER_01: Um, should we sign off for this week, then Doug?
47:47
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think so.
47:48
SPEAKER_01: Okay then.
47:48
SPEAKER_01: So we'll end with our usual Happy UK Travel Planning.
47:55
SPEAKER_01: Thank you for tuning in to this week's episode of the UK Travel Planning Podcast.
47:59
SPEAKER_01: As always, show notes can be found at uktravelplanning.com.
48:03
SPEAKER_01: If you've enjoyed the show, why not leave us feedback via text or a review on your favourite podcast app?
48:09
SPEAKER_01: We love to hear from you, and you never know, you may receive a shout out in a future episode.
48:15
SPEAKER_01: But as always, that just leaves me to say until next week, happy UK travel planning.