London Calling!

Reading time: 10 minutes...

Sunday – 4 January

We woke to a freezing cold Kettering! It felt much colder than the forecast suggested. Well, at least it was dry! 🙄

But we weren’t at home for long, as we’re off to our favourite City – London – where it was a tad ‘warmer’.

We’re with friends, John & Trish and in celebration of Trish’s birthday on Monday, where we’re going to be tourists for a few days! It’s a packed programme!!

With the programme sorted for the next few days, we grabbed the 11.48 out of Kettering. Despite the weather, the train was initially on time, but in true tradition, ended up arriving slightly late into St Pancras International.

1.30pm: We’d booked the 2pm slot at Mail Rail, and because we were now slightly short on time, we decided to grab a cab (instead of taking the Tube/Bus) to drop off our suitcases at the Premier Inn, The Cut, Southwark. I thought I knew that area quite well, but the immediate surroundings seemed to have changed quite a bit, with our Hotel literally next door to the restaurant where we’d booked a table for tonight! It was clearly new to our seasoned Black Cab driver Larry too, who took a few turns to get us to where we needed to be.

1.40pm: With our suitcases safely stored at the Premier Inn, our next stop was Mail Rail at Mount Pleasant, courtesy of Larry and his Cab, ticking over outside.

London’s ‘Mail Rail’

1.58pm: We were on the 2pm timed-ticket and in an example of perfect timing, we arrived with just a few minutes to spare!

We were first here back in December 2023 as part of our Wedding Anniversary celebrations.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with ‘Mail Rail’, we’d totally recommend it. It’s the rail service that ran under the streets of London from 1920 until 2003. These days, it’s a tourist attraction where you can become ‘a letter for 60 minutes’ and experience part of that journey in a ‘converted carriage’. It was a bit cramped, and we recommend just ONE person in the two-seaters (unless it’s a first date! 😉). It was totally worth the slightly cramped accommodation though!

Part exhibition, part audio-visual presentation, from the comfort of a slightly ‘cramped carriage’, we learned the history of this unique, but valuable part of London’s mail sorting and delivery process. There was plenty to see from the glass-topped carriages – either looking at the well-lit tunnels or in areas where the ‘station’ walls had been repainted white to act as a screen. Great stuff! 👍👍

It was all very well put together and gave an entertaining and informative account of the importance of this service that processed millions of letters a day at its height.

Want more? After leaving the Train, there was an Exhibition on-site showing a wide range of the mechanical marvels that made up the Mail Rail service. From trains to carriages – and pretty much everything in between!

We weren’t done yet! A quick 5 minute wander up the road, led to The Postal Museum – and a short break for coffee & hot chocolate! Well, HOT was a bit of a stretch for both, but it was wet and warm(ish). Entry to the Exhibition was free, covered by the price of the ticket to Mail Rail (£19ish each).

It wasn’t particularly a large space, but it packed a lot in! The Royal Mail Coach ‘No 105’ was stunning!

Checking in

3.58pm: A short taxi ride later, we were back at our Hotel. The check-in process took no time at all, and the Hotel itself looked like a fairly new development. We were soon grabbing our bags from storage, and taking the lift to the 1st floor. We we in room 144 with our friends, next door in 146.

Tas Restaurant – The Cut

5.20pm: With our table booked for 5.30pm, we braved the cold night air and wandered the 50 metres to the Restaurant!

Ann and I had eaten here before – but not for about 5 years. Prior to that, it had always been a popular destination in my working days. So, no pressure then, in taking a couple of good friends there – their first time! – for a pre-birthday treat, hoping it was as good as it used to be! 😬.

We needn’t have worried! The service and the food especially, was a good as we remember it. Packed with flavour and lovingly presented.

A really great experience all round! I remember now why I ate here on so many occasions back in the noughties! 👍

7.10pm: We were stuffed – and none of us had managed a Dessert either! 😉. We all agreed that a walk in the cold night air would help us all ‘work off’ at least some of the food we’d just enjoyed.

The area around here has certainly changed. Gone was the very busy road that I recalled some 20 years ago! A closer inspection revealed that, as we headed towards Waterloo, the main drag, or at least part of it, had been made a no-car zone! It gave the area a more tranquil, relaxed (and quiet) feel – we liked it, we like it a lot! 👍. We passed the Young Vic, The Old Vic, Waterloo Station and got almost as far as Blackfriars Bridge before turning around and heading back in the direction of the Hotel. The area was really buzzing! 👍

8.02pm: Twenty minutes later, we were in striking distance of the Hotel, but it was still quite early! We headed for a nightcap opposite the Hotel – The Bar & Block Steakhouse. I’d not heard of the chain before, but inside looked very welcoming, even if it was a little quiet (it was Sunday evening!). Our breakfast, courtesy of Premier Inn, is here for the rest of our stay, so we’ll have a more rounded view of the venue in a few days.

Still, it would have been rude not to try it out for ‘research purposes’, where a few Gins and a Bailey’s later, our research had begun! 😀😀😀😀.

We left Trish & John to continue the quality control whilst we headed for our room to unpack and grab an early night! It had been a great first day and tomorrow is an even busier one! We’ve a tour of the new Guinness Factory, a boat trip down the Thames, a look at the newly refurbished Battersea Power Station and finally a ‘birthday inspired’ Indian meal at Dishoom in Battersea. Phew! 👍😉

10.05pm: Nighty night! 💤🥱😴

Monday – 5 January (Birthday Girl!)

6.05am: We woke to another chilly one! Luckily, the walk from our Hotel to breakfast required only about 5 seconds in the open air! 🥶❄️🥶❄️. It was Trish’s Birthday today and a packed day followed, although we postponed our visit to the Transport Museum to give the day a more relaxed feel.

8.05am: Time for Breakfast! We thought we were quite early, but the Steakhouse was already busy when we arrived just after 8. You can’t beat a Premier Inn Breakfast for variety – and it’s even better when it’s rolled into the price of the stay! We ate healthily (for some of us, at least, initially) and that set us up perfectly for our walk to Covent Garden.

Guinness Brewery Tour (Covent Garden)

This new Guinness Brewery only opened late last year, and it was no ordinary opening! To be precise, on the 18th December 2025, His Majesty The King arrived to officially cut the ribbon on the £73m Guinness Open Gate Brewery London in the heart of Covent Garden.

10.15am: After a quick look around the Merchandise area (kerrching!!!), we headed for the entrance to the Brewery Tour. After being supplied with hi-viz jackets, we were ready, where Colm introduced himself as our Tour Guide.

We learned such a lot about the process of manufacturing the perfect Guinness. Ironic then, that NONE is made here. Yes, you read that correctly. Covent Garden Brewery is actually the innovation hub for the brand, where they look and develop NEW Guinness products! 😧. Factoid of the Day? Every Guinness has 300,000,000 bubbles! (Nope, me neither!) 😮

Next on the Tour was the opportunity to taste-test some of Covent Garden’s non-Guinness products. It was well run, where we had four different products to taste. They were ALL delicious, but the majority of us preferred the IPA (bottom row, in the middle).

After the tasting session, there was an opportunity to learn how to pull the perfect pint of Guinness! 👍. We all did very well, and we spent the next hour-or-so, sampling our wares! 🥴

Four perfect pints pulled – and tasted! Next stop? Battersea Power Station. We could have used the Tube, but instead, we decided to take the Thames Clipper service from Westminster. It was a bit of a hike, and cold too, but we knew we were all the better for the 25-minute trot!

Battersea Power Station

1.15pm: It was only a fifteen-minute journey (and much more scenic than the Tube!)

1.30pm: We seemed to arrive in a flash, and after a short walk to the interior, we all agreed that a light snack would be in order 👍. Paris Baguette was our choice!

Up the Chimney!

Suitably refreshed, it was then a short wander to the Chimney. Ann and I had been here before, back in July 2023 with David & Valerie, but it was good to have a second opportunity to see some unrivalled views across the capital.

3.05pm: After a thorough look around the exhibition that explained the history of Battersea Power Station, we were ready to ascend! Weather-wise, it was the perfect day for the spectacular view across and around London.

It didn’t disappoint! 👍. We now had some time to kill before our Curry, so we looked for a Café nearby! That was easy! Just a few doors away from our Delhi destination – Tozi ticked all the boxes.

It worked perfectly! We got out of the cold for about an hour, and we were also close to our next stop!

Dishoom Restaurant

5.00pm: It was already busy when we arrived – surely a good sign! 👍

Newbies beware! The main food menu isn’t laid out in a traditional sense and took some getting used to. It’s ‘all in there’, it was just a question of finding it!! 🤔

After last night’s outstanding meal, err, ANOTHER outstanding meal! They really did impress here tonight. The food was delicious, and the service was lightning fast without making us feel that we were hurried. By the time we left just before 6.30, the place was absolutely heaving, so we wondered what they’re like on a Thursday or Friday!

In a final flourish, they presented Trish with her ‘Happy Birthday’ Dessert! 🎂🎂

6.30pm: We headed for the Clipper pier at Battersea, just a 10-minute walk away and were soon saying goodbye to a beautifully lit, almost silhouetted, Battersea Power Station – a great memory for Trish! 😀. As we departed the Clipper at Blackfriars, we noticed something strange! It seemed like we had London all to ourselves. In fact, thinking back to the day as a whole, the capital had been very quiet – hardly any people and certainly a lack of traffic. Was it the weather? The time of year? Who knows? 🤔

7.45pm: We’d walked quite a few miles today, and so we said goodnight to Trish & John and headed back to our room. It’s a packed programme tomorrow that includes the Churchill War Rooms and the Globe Theatre.

Tuesday – 6 January

6.05am: Morning all! A quick look out of the window confirmed it’s another cold one! 🥶🥶

After a hearty breakfast at the now familiar ‘Block & Stone’ Steakhouse opposite, we made our way, by Tube, to the Churchill War Rooms.

Churchill War Rooms

9.55am: Hidden beneath Westminster, the Churchill War Rooms was the secret underground HQ of the PM during the Second World War. Now augmented by a wide range of exhibits, it tells the story of the PM during this wartime period in the greatest of detail. It’s a popular place, and we had a timed ticket for 10am.

The experience is split into two distinct halves. First, there are various rooms where the Cabinet and support staff met (and often slept!). Second, the remaining space is the exhibition devoted to Churchill’s life. The whole process was helped by the optional commentary via personal headsets – these were a must, as there is a mind-boggling amount of information to absorb. I felt that it’s typically one of those exhibitions where a second or even third visit makes sense 🤔.

There was plenty to see here – more than we expected, and for Ann and me, it certainly felt like they’d added to the already comprehensive history of this iconic war leader since we were last here in 2017. Whatever your views of Winston, he certainly lived a full and colourful life and got the country through what is often called our ‘darkest hour’. I’m not sure there are many Politicians around now with that much mental (and physical) stamina! Given his larger-than-life persona, it was advised to allow more than 2 hours to take it all in – we could have done with even more time by the time we left at 11.45.

Next stop? The Globe Theatre. We’d originally planned to walk, but the weather had deteriorated, and we took the Tube instead!

It turned out to be one of our wiser decisions as down came the snow. Yes, snow in London! I can’t recall the last time I saw that! 🤔

Globe Theatre Tour

In spite of being slowed down by the appalling weather as we took the short walk from the Tube station and across the ‘wobbly (and now slippery) bridge’, we arrived in good time.

There were around a dozen of us in the group, and we were all looking forward to our ‘behind-the-scenes’ tour of The Globe.

Gerard introduced himself as our Tour Guide, and in the next hour, he impressed us all with his knowledge about the rise, fall, rise, fall and rise of this well-known building! We’d last been here with mates, Ralph & Karen, back in August, 2007 to see Othello. Since then, we noticed something about the Stage area had changed. Gerard confirmed that it had been ‘decorated’ based on further research some years ago.

What an amazing building… and the amazing story that led to its ‘resurrection’! Gerard certainly did a great job in keeping us engaged and it was clear that he was an actor ‘between projects’. We’ve certainly been blessed with excellent Guides during our time here in the Capital – thanks Gerard! 👍

Tourists in need of Shelter!

1.55pm: As we exited The Globe, we all agreed it was now much colder than yesterday. Luckily The Swan, next door, was open and we took refuge in there for an hour-or-so (and based on yesterday’s visit to the Guinness Factory, assessed the Barman’s skills at pulling a pint!). Phew! We needed that!

A Wander…

2.30pm: With our circulation restored, we set off for a wander along the Thames Path, close to the seaworthy replica of The Golden Hinde and towards Borough Market.

Borough Market

2.45pm: As expected, the Market was heaving – and it was only Tuesday! Although it was good to look around, ideally, we were looking for somewhere to sit down and eat. There was plenty to eat, but seats? Not so much!!! Even the local Pubs didn’t tickle our tastebuds, especially as Trish had a fishy wish for Salmon 😉.

Lunch

3.10pm: We backtracked from Borough Market and stumbled into The Old Thameside Inn (right next to the Golden Hinde).

It was virtually deserted inside, and the need to order via an App made it an experience where we almost got to the end of the meal without conversing with any of the staff! (and if that’s the future, I don’t like it, especially as the App asked if we wanted to add a tip!). What we DID like however, was the food! Trish got her Salmon, whilst we three tucked into their Pies – Steak for Ann and Beef Rib, Shin & Brisket for John and me. Good to see that my carrots were arranged to imitate the famous Chuchillian gesture! 👍

Southwark Cathedral

4.15pm: I’m not sure where the day had gone, but it was now getting dark, and we finished off our day by visiting the nearby Southwark Cathedral. Dating back to 1106, it used to be called the Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie. No wonder attendances at Church are dropping!! 😉😀

Splendid architecture! Well worth visiting, although the smell of stagnant water/blocked drains as we entered was a bit of a turn off! 😧

5.00pm: By the time we left, the weather outside had lost all traces of the mini-blizzard from earlier in the day. It was still colder though, and we quickened our step.

5.35pm: We walked back to the Premier Inn, passing the Tate Modern and my old watering hole The Founders Arms and the rather impressive Blackfriars Station, whose platforms now dominate the skyline. After dropping into the Tesco Express near the hotel for some essentials, we ended our day at the now-familiar Block & Stone opposite the Premier Inn, for a nightcap.

Wow! What a day! It had been a busy one – but in a good way. The snowy conditions as we approached The Globe surprised us (as well as the numerous joggers in t-shirts and shorts!), but it had all been totally worth it.

The Tower of London tomorrow!

Wednesday – 7 January

A change of plan this morning! Due to a situation at home, our friends now needed to get back to Kettering much earlier. We postponed the Tower of London and the rest of today’s itinerary until another time.

Bye-bye London!