London, October 2022

I visited London with my mom in October 2022. We usually try for a yearly girls trip, but Covid had affected anything substantial for the last 2+ years.

 London was an easy flight, and they had done away with all vaccine and testing requirements, which had been a major hurdle to enter 95% of countries since covid began.

The weather in October was beautiful but a little chilly. We lucked out had sun every day but one! Definitely bring boots, sweaters and a scarf. Temps ranged from 50-60.

London is made up of many neighborhoods, each with its own charms. We stayed on the Southside of the Thames, in Waterloo. It was an easy walk, about a 15minute or .8 mile walk to the London Eye.

Our hotel was right near the Old Vic Theatre and we had a cute authentic pub, The Flowers of the Forest, right next door.

 The main sights around London can be a little spread out (the Tower of London to Buckingham Palace is 3 miles, so a far walk for some) but the hop on hop off buses are great for this. We opted for a 2 day ticket that also included a one way river cruise on the Thames from Tower of London to the Westminster Bridge.

Stops included St. Pauls, The Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, and a loop around the city.

St. Paul’s Cathedral

Tower of London

Westminster Abbey

Fun London Facts: Did you know, the Clink Prison dates back to 1144 and is the most notorious medieval prison? Bodies were displayed in the cage to deter additional illegal acts, and the sound of the metal prison doors closing gave this prison its name. This is also where the term “thrown in the clink” came from.

There is a really neat Graffiti tunnel that we stumbled upon while exploring near our hotel. The Leake St entrance is off Lower Marsh and goes under the Waterloo station (Britain’s largest and busiest station). This legal Graffiti tunnel, or Leake Street Arches, was started by Banksy in 2008 and is constantly changing, as anyone can come and paint their own masterpiece.

We took a day tour to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and Bath. It was a long day. Ideally, after taking the tour, I would have limited this to Windsor and Stonehenge. It was a lot of time on the bus and not enough time in any one place in my opinion.

You can also take the train pretty quickly from Waterloo or Victoria station to Windsor. The castle was really neat to see, but there is a lot more in the compound and also around this cute little town as well that we did not have time to experience. Bummer.

Stonehenge may have been the highlight of the trip for me. Ancient wonders have always fascinated me, and this was no exception. Just incredible to see in person!

By the time we arrived in Bath, we were famished. Decided to skip entering the Roman Baths (My mom had done this on a previous UK trip) and grab some lunch instead. We walked around a little, and the Bath Abbey was beautiful.

Back in London, we did a SOHO music and Pubs tour. This was really interesting and went through some of the pubs where Jimi Hendrix last drank, the studio where the Beatles recorded Hey Jude, and more. This walking tour stops off in some great little pubs for a pint and a break. Our guide Al was great and I would recommend this tour for anyone that loves music!

 We also did a day tour to the Costwolds which also included the Blenheim Palace and a Downton Abbey filming location. I haven’t seen the show, but was a big bucket list for mom.

The Cotswold’s town we visited was Bourton-on-the-water and it was so quant and picturesque. We also found the Cotswolds Distillery here, and tried these amazing Gin, apple and elderflower garden cocktails.

Blenheim Palace was beautiful and we had time to walk around the palace and grounds.

Lastly, we also did a Harry Potter walking tour. We saw Leadenhall Market, where Harry and Hagrid visit the Leaky Cauldron, and The Royal Exchange which Gringotts was inspired by. This tour also included a lot of general London history which I thoroughly enjoyed.

The tour ended at Borough Market, which I definitely recommend seeing. This market sits on a location of an original market, which has been around for about 1,000 years and has tons of local produce, honey, cheese, meat, etc. Grab a snack and walk around the stalls. There is a pub adjacent to the market where we stopped in for a pint.

I thoroughly enjoyed London and the surrounding areas, and will definitely be back!