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Native Aparthotels & Apartments In London

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The UK’s best Pride festivals: 2021

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Pride Glasgow
Date TBC

Scotland’s largest LGBTQI+ festival returns, with an incredible Pride Parade, a two-day music festival and plenty of sexy Scots in kilts. Last time saw over 13,000 revellers flood the streets with joy and colour, and this year’s set to be even bigger. Pride Glasgow is still taking volunteer applications, and more details are being confirmed soon.

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Edinburgh
Date TBC

Pride Edinburgh regularly draws more than 15,000 people to the capital, so this year they’re putting safety first with an online festival. Details are still being confirmed, but there’s plenty to do in the city without joining a crowd of thousands.

Edinburgh’s most popular gay bars are near the city centre, at the north end of Leith Street and Broughton Street. It’s known locally as the Pink Triangle and is full of great restaurants and bars. Try The Street for a buzzy, laid back dinner-and-drinks atmosphere, and Street NightClub downstairs comes alive after dark once you’re ready to storm the dancefloor.

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Where to Cool Down in London

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Hamstead Heath Swimming Ponds

A beauty spot for London and a life saver for cooling off. Originally dammed off clay pits, the three pools are open to women, men and mixed groups. Even in the height of summer, the water is still chilly so you’re guaranteed a refreshing dip.

London Fields Lido

Located in the heart of hipster central, Hackney, London Fields can get busy but it’s worth a visit. Unlike the Swimming Ponds, the lido is heated – it might not be as cool but there’ll be no shock to the system and you can enjoy it on cooler days too.

Tooting Bec Lido

This is lido is nothing short of fantastic. It’s over 100 years old and spans 90 metres of water. The beauty of this spot is that even on sunny days, with lots of people poolside, there’s still always plenty of room to swim.

Serpentine Lido – Hyde Park

Perfect for a solo cool off, couples, families, you name it. It’s open from 10am until 6pm, with a sun terrace and sun bathing area for catching rays too. The Serpentine is a natural, no chlorine, no heat spot and the water is checked weekly to ensure quality. There’s also a separate heated, chlorinated kids pool too.

The Berkeley Hotel

If lidos aren’t your thing, The Berkeley is the place for you. Its stunning rooftop pool is available to non hotel guests for a daily fee and it’s truly a refreshing gem on a hot summer’s day. The seventh floor pool is what tranquil dreams are made of and it even boasts panoramic views of London too. You can also enjoy the secret garden, where sun loungers are among green leaves and fragrant flowers.

The history of Monument and its neighbourhood

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There was no fire service at the time, so Londoners took it upon themselves to extinguish the flames over four days and nights, with only buckets of water to hand. The fire consumed over 13,000 houses, the old St Paul’s Cathedral, 87 churches, the Guildhall, the Royal Exchange, 52 livery company halls and four stone bridges. In fact, it was said that the heat from the fire was so great that the lead roof on St Paul’s Cathedral melted and flowed down the streets.

Miraculously, only five people are known to have died in the Great Fire, and some of the City’s most beautiful architecture was born out of the 50-year rebuilding effort, led by Sir Christopher Wren. The Monument, one of Wren’s creations, is great for getting a panoramic view of your City surroundings, so be sure to pay a visit and take a photo or two from the viewing platform.

While you’re just moments from The Monument, you’re also just a three minute stroll from one of the City’s best loved (and least known) historical hideaways – St Dunstan in the East church garden. The Church of St Dunstan was originally built around 1100 and is a Grade I listed building. It was named for St Dunstan, a tenth century monk who reportedly survived black magic and leprosy to become Archbishop of Canterbury.

St Dunstan in the East Church Garden, Peter Trimming

The building partially survived The Great Fire but was severely damaged again in the Blitz bombings of 1941. Today it’s a public garden, with trees growing through windows and vines winding their way around arched doorways and crumbling walls, making a gorgeously green haven from the bustle of the City. Here you’ll find suited and booted workers escaping office life alongside art students sketching the beauty around them. It’s the ideal spot for a picnic, a lunch break with a book or a breather from a day’s sightseeing.

Book your stay at in one of our City of London apartments.

Tips for travelling with a toddler in London

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Activities

There are plenty of toddler-friendly activities to do in London to keep your tot entertained. Many London attractions let children under the age of 5 in for free and it’s worth doing some research to find ones appealing to you and your family. If museums are right up your street, the Science Museum in Kensington has many toddler-friendly exhibits to challenge and thrill your little ones or, head next door to the Natural History Museum to see the dinosaur bones.

If you’d prefer to be outside, London has several zoos and city farms. Many of the farms are free to enter and offer great opportunities for your child to meet and pet all sorts of animals.

Green Spaces

As well as plenty of activities, it’s important to visit some of London’s green spaces so your toddler can run about and work off some energy. Hyde Park has lots of wide open places to explore and is a convenient distance from Buckingham Palace if a visit there is on your list of things to do.

There are also many garden squares dotted about the city. Formerly private gardens for the residences lining the streets around them, many are now open to the public. They offer a smaller and often quieter alternative to the larger parks. Try Russell Square near the British Museum for a lovely example of London’s garden squares. We do recommend a visit to Hyde Park too.

Bring Snacks

Snacks fix everything.

Even with a list of the best things to do with toddlers in hand, you never know when you are going to be stuck in an unmoving queue or trapped on a delayed train with a fractious tot becoming hungrier by the minute. Make sure you have a selection of healthy and nutritious snacks to keep hunger at bay until you can find a suitable place for lunch.

A Good Place to Stay

It’s tempting to stay in the outskirts and travel into London to see the sights, but travelling with a toddler on public transport which can be stressful for everyone involved, especially if it’s during rush hour.

To minimise time spent travelling, consider an apartment in London itself. We offer short stay apartments in 10 different locations in London. No matter where you wish to visit, our apartments are either next to or offer excellent transport links for you to use. All our apartments come with fully equipped kitchens so you can prepare meals and comfy beds so you can get a good night’s rest before heading out on your next day exploring. For the perfect place for you and your toddler from which to explore London, contact us now for further information on booking one of our apartments.