Festive London (The Sequel)

In November 2017, Mr Fletche and I headed down to London to catch a bit of festive spirit in our capital. We decided to do it all over again in December 2019. No Winter Wonderland this time. No Covent Garden. And no starring role in a photography exhibition. But instead there were old-fashioned pubs, meandering around Shoreditch and a West End show to boot. Here’s how we spent our second weekend in Festive London.

You can catch up with the first Festive London blog post here!

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Where we stayed

We like to mix it up a bit when we stay in London. Earlier in the year we stayed down in Farringdon, and on previous trips we’ve stayed in Covent Garden, and in an AirBnB out in Mile End. This time we stayed at Old Street, in the borough of Islington, bordering the cool and trendy Shoreditch on one side, and The City on the other. In fact it’s hard to tell where Shoreditch ends and Old Street begins. It’s served by its own tube station on the Northern Line. There’s a lot of construction and regeneration going on here at the moment – so it’s a bit like Brum.

We picked a Premier Inn to stay in this time. Just a five minute walk from the tube station, it was a great base. And one of the comfiest beds we’ve slept in for a while. There’s a bit of a refurb going on there at the moment, but we didn’t notice any noise.

Staying in the Kings Cross Area? Here are four great places to eat!

How we travelled

I pre-booked our train tickets from Birmingham to London Euston using Trainline. We used a couple of days annual leave so travelled off-peak on a Thursday, returning on the Saturday before Christmas. Unlike some of my train journeys this year there were no delays, cancellations or enforced train switches. For which we were very grateful.

When staying in London, we tend to do a lot of walking. A LOT. But I’m also a big fan of the London Underground when heading for a particular place. With our empty Oyster Cards languishing somewhere in a drawer back home, we planned to use our contactless bank cards to pay for travel. Except. I had mislaid my contactless bank card. At Tesco. Buying whiskey. Hence…

The Tube Faux-Pas

The queue for the ticket machines were huge at Euston tube station. Without my debit card, I decided to put my tube journey on my credit card. Mr Fletche goes through the barrier. I follow, only to be faced with a big red cross and a “Card Not Accepted” message. I hastily try again. Same problem. I back up through the crowd, and try another barrier. Same problem. The TFL staff watch me at yet another barrier and confirm that my card is definitely not accepted. What do I do now?

Tentatively, Mr Fletche offers me his debit card. The one he has just successfully got through the barriers with. And lo and behold, it lets me through. Reunited, we continue on our way, Central Line to Northern Line to Old Street. I swipe Mr Fletche’s card to exit. Green means go. I pass the card back to Mr Fletche. Big red cross, “Card Not Accepted”. Logically, the same card cannot be used for two journeys at the same time. We make pleading noises at the TFL staff, who kindly let us through,  but not without a stern warning of a potential £80 fine if we try that trick again.

I try my contactless credit card the following day. Just to see if it works. It does.

What we did in Festive London

Ate Honest Burgers

It’s 2:30pm and we haven’t eaten since breakfast. So our first mission is to find somewhere casual for a bite to eat. Our local pub is fully booked with pre-Christmas celebrations, so we wander a little bit further afield. And stumble upon Honest Burgers on Baldwin Street. It’s a small place but there are plenty of tables available; we pull up a stool and watch the world go by outside with a locally brewed beer. We both opt for classic burgers, beef for me and chicken for Mr Fletche. The burgers are perfectly cooked, but what really stands out are the rosemary salted fries. I’d go back again, just for those fries.

Drank in historic pubs in Wapping

During our Alternative Weekend in London in May 2017, we did many a mammoth walk. On the first night we walked from Mile End all the way down to the Houses of Parliament via Regents Canal, Limehouse Basin and the Thames Path. And I remember passing loads of inviting looking, old-fashioned pubs on the way. Whilst I don’t intend to walk all the way to Mile End, we decide to find some of those pubs.

It’s a pleasant late afternoon, not too cold, so we decide to walk. After the earlier debacle, I’m not sure if I can bear the Underground barriers rejecting me once more. We amble down through Shoreditch, and Moorgate, before veering off into the City, under the shadow of buildings called The Gherkin and The Walkie-Talkie. I enjoyed our previous Sky Garden visit, and kick myself for not booking us a timeslot this time round.

We eventually emerge at the Tower of London, all prettily lit up with an ice rink set up against the wall. We continue alongside the Thames, past St Katharine’s Docks. I’m momentarily tempted by the flower-bedecked Dickens Inn and for a while we get stuck in the maze of apartment blocks before finally finding ourselves on Wapping High Street. It’s a much longer walk than I’d remembered, but eventually the foggy windows and festive cheer of the Town of Ramsgate appear in the distance.

It’s the Thursday before Christmas and the after-work crowd is out in force. I am studiously ignored by the bar staff, until one good-willed customer points me out before I completely lose patience. We share a table with a group of gentlemen who sound as if they may have been “socialising” all day. The next stop on our mini Wapping pub crawl is the Prospect of Whitby. Except it’s absolutely heaving. People are pressed against the frosted glass windows. Trying to get served here would be like trying to get served at an O2 Venue during a Shed Seven gig. Not an experience I’m keen to repeat. We retrace our steps to the Captain Kidd, where we partake in the local Sam Smith’s beer whilst propping up the bar and watching a particularly violent game of “throwing hoops onto a reindeer antlers hat”. Office parties are such fun.

Finally, we weave our way through a housing estate to Turner’s Old Star. This is the kind of pub where locals look at you funny. It may have a certain charm, but it’s one akin to a social club. Wine is served from warm mini bottles, and the beer selection is mostly Carling, Guiness or Strongbow. It might be a recommended historic pub, but I’d probably give this one a miss.

Ate street food at the foot of the Shard

Hit the West End for a show, Chinese Food and the Christmas lights

We throw on a few sequins, a bit of lippie and head back out. Well, I do. No more long hikes planned, we take the Underground from Old Street to Tottenham Court Road. No matter how many times I walk around London, I always feel like the West End is a separate city all of its own. The busyness, the vibrancy, the blinking neon lights. We locate the Phoenix Theatre and head off to grab a pre-show drink nearby. We end up in The Cambridge. Again. This seems to be our go-to pub in the West End.

I’ve written about Come From Away here – it doesn’t take a genius to work out that I absolutely loved the show. Still buzzing afterwards, we head for Chinatown for post-show grub. Gerrard’s Corner may not offer the best or most authentic Chinese in town but the set menu is considerably cheaper than others around, the food is plentiful, and the service is quick.

Finally, we take a stroll along Regent Street to catch the angels keeping their watchful eye on the London traffic, before peeling off towards Carnaby Street. Their festive lights are always a sight to behold, and this year they depict an ocean scene, with recycled materials and sustainability at the heart of the theme.

Stayed out drinking past midnight in a craft beer bar

We leave the blinking West End behind. We’re now familiar with the area around Old Street Station so we decide to pop into The Craft Beer Co for a final drink of the night. There’s an impressive number of taps, and a great selection of keg and cask ales, as well as a fridge full of bottles and cans. It may be a gaudy red outside but inside is industrial minimalism. Of course, it’s pricey. It’s craft beer. In Shoreditch. We sensibly just have the one. After all, it’s well past midnight and the Fletches can’t party like they used to.

Is Festive London worth a visit?

London is always worth a visit. But Christmas in London is always a little bit special. The storefronts are beautifully decked out, the Christmas markets are aplenty and there’s always somewhere great to eat and drink. Some areas are  busy and crowded and crazy, so it’s always worth doing a bit of research to try and find a spot a little off the beaten track. I love festive London, and hopefully we’ll book another trip in the diary for Christmas 2020.

Well that was an unexpectedly long post! I hope I’ve given you some ideas about your next visit – a trip to London doesn’t have to be about the big tourist attraction sights. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I saw Buckingham Palace, or Trafalgar Square, and this was my first time exploring the Tower Bridge area for a long time. What are your favourite London spots that might be off the tourist radar?