Get us in your inbox
🙌 Awesome, you're subscribed!
Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon!
Did you know the weird, the wonderful and the truly fabulous are waiting for you just a tube zone away?
Ever been tempted to skip work and stay on the tube until the end of the line to see what Cockfosters or Epping actually look like? Do you love the fact that in London you can travel the world in one lunchtime browsing the street food stalls near your office? When your mates go for the same old pint down the pub, are you the one who suggests a night out trying new flavours instead?
Sounds to us like you’ve got the Kiwi taste for adventure. So, especially for you, we’ve teamed up with Old Mout Cider to celebrate the adventurer’s spirit that reflects its New Zealand heritage. How? By seeking out inspired ways to find new experiences that are as fresh as the fruity flavour of Old Mout itself.
Where? Put your passport away! We think you can quench your thirst for the extraordinary right here in London, if you go just that little bit further, perhaps straying off the beaten track, in your search for something different. So we’ve been busy seeking out the curious in Zone 3, the funky in Zone 4 and positively exotic in Zones 5 and 6. Read on, be inspired, enter our competition to win a pair of tickets to the beautifully boutique Festival No.6.
What are you waiting for? Seize adventure every day!
Brixton Beach Boulevard is back – a chance to soak up the sun and live the Oceanside life without boarding a plane. Can you hear the sound of cocktails being shaken? They’re open for the summer season right now, with street food, excellent sips and live entertainment. Keep an eye on the website for tickets then get ready to chill out in the heat, to the sounds of funk and soul, House and ’80s classics.
Pope’s Rd, SW9 8JH. brixtonbeachboulevard.com.
The Lamb in Surbiton has a passion, or two. Well, perhaps three. At this family-run pub, there’s a kicking live music programme, a great line up of ales and cider, and a serious love of cheese going on. In fact, there’s a monthly ‘Homage de Fromage’ club night, conquering British cheese region by region. All good, but the very best reason for including them is their summertime charity event when they host classic games in the garden on a massive scale. Man-sized Hungry Hippos, enormo Buckeroo, towering Kerplunk – you name it, they’ve done it.
73 Brighton Rd, Surbiton, KT6 5NF. www.lambsurbiton.co.uk.
Rooftop bars are ten a penny. So are rooftop cinemas these days. But at Roof East in Stratford, you’ll find an entire world of pleasure – great drinking, outdoor movies, street food from one of Hawksmoor’s top chefs, fitness classes, sports-car plant pots and a crazy golf course. Why would you ever want to come down?
Floors 7 & 8, Stratford multi storey car park, Great Eastern Way, E15 1XE. www.roofeast.com.
Like its partner establishment, well-loved local café The London Particular, the LP Bar in New Cross is all about quality and taste. With a drinks menu of unusual and interesting finds from independent brewers and suppliers, its imaginative jet-set cocktails are served up in a stylish first-class departure lounge setting that evokes all the bygone glamour of air travel. If only all in-flight entertainment was this good.
401 New Cross Rd, SE14 6LA. www.thelpbar.co.uk.
The Aeronaut in Acton celebrates a local hero – an aviation pioneer called George Lee Temple, the first man to fly a plane upside down. We’re not sure if he thought of the idea after having a few pints, but we do love what the Aeronaut faithful have done with this boozer. Sip a fine ale that’s been brewed onsite or a refreshing cider, then take in the daring deeds of the live circus acts, with performers from all over Europe on stage here every Friday and Saturday night.
264 Acton High St, W3 9BH. www.aeronaut.pub.
Who'd have thought an 'Only Fools and Horses' joke could inspire something so cool? With a spacious bar, dance floor and gallery space inside and a terrace bar with a pop-up barbecue outside, Peckham Springs has everything you need for a classy evening among the SE15 in-crowd.
22a Blenheim Grove, SE15 4QN. www.peckhamsprings.co.uk.
The Standon Calling festival rewards the intrepid. In spirit, at lease – it's actually only just north of London, and the focus is on local (artisanal food and drink) – but there's a warm welcome for anyone who's ready to step into a laidback world of the weird and the wonderful. Alongside some great live music, there's some seriously boutique entertainment (hell, they even had snake petting last year). Headliners for 2016 include Suede, Jess Glynne and Kelis, and when you’re not taking in the music, you can splash about in the pool or enjoy a refreshingly different Old Mout cider. We'd say keep a watch out for Old Mout hosting gospeloke, sock wrestling and extreme apple bobbing sessions while you're here, but we doubt you'll be able to miss them.
Near Standon, Hertfordshire SG11 1EE. July 29 to 31. www.standon-calling.com.
If the UK is sneeringly referred to by some as the 51st state of America, the 51st State Festival at Trent Park is proud to adopt that nickname for its own. Featuring a thoroughly transatlantic line-up of DJs and music-makers, this one-dayer will be filling the north London air with house, garage, funk, dub, soul, dancehall and disco. With a massive bill including Jazzie B, Todd Edwards, Joey Negro and Tippa Irie, the wildlife of Enfield will be in for an all-star treat on August 6.
Trent Park, Cockfosters Rd, Enfield, EN4 0PS. Aug 6. www.51ststatefestival.com
The Luna Cinema has endeared itself to Londoners with its cinema screenings in parks and open spaces all around town, including inventive matchings like ‘Titanic’ and ‘Jaws’ at Brockwell Lido. This summer the venues include Crystal Palace Park for ‘Groundhog Day’, ‘Pretty Woman’ and ‘Jurassic Park’. Great fun – just make sure you don’t walk home past the dinosaur statues at the bottom of the park. Even anatomically incorrect stone models can look scary in the bushes when you’ve just watched Speilberg’s classic.
Travel out to the farthest zones of the capital and you’ll find cultural curiosities, weird one-off events and strange sportiness in every corner
You don’t have to leave London to heed the call of the wild, just head for Osterley Park and House for country-mansion glamour and a leafy escape. In fact, if you love it so much you can stay over, because on July 16 and 17, Osterley Park is hosting Big Camp, with a night-time nature trail and toasted marshmallows by the campfire.
Jersey Rd, Isleworth, Middlesex TW7 4RB. www.nationaltrust.org.uk.
That Hungry Chef is a classy food set-up that hosts supper clubs. They have an event coming up for discerning east Londoners that sounds like a serious treat. On June 17 at Valentine’s Mansion in Redbridge, An Edible Scent is an evening when you can play the country lord and lady, dining on carefully scented dishes from a set menu. Ever wondered what lamb with English lavender tastes like, or coriander and verbena ice cream? Go along and find out.
Emerson Rd, Ilford, IG1 4XA. www.thathungrychef.com.
Whatever the location, cinema supper club Kino Vino makes sure your whole evening is sorted, from the choice of movie to drinks and a food menu themed to the screening, right down to the nibbles. Recent events have included a Greek feast to go with ‘Shirley Valentine’ and New York-Jewish dishes for a screening of ‘Crossing Delancey’.
Many of the events happen on Lower Clapton Rd, E5. www.kinovino.org.
Tucked away down an alleyway between houses on a very normal suburban road in leafy south London, you’ll find one of London’s loveliest secret gems: the Herne Hill Velodrome, used in the 1948 Olympics. Leave the traffic lights and lorries behind and take a spin. The outdoor track is pitched less steeply than ones at modern velodromes, so it’s a good place to start, and there’s something delightfully retro about its simple layout.
104 Burbage Rd, Herne Hill, SE24 9HE. www.hernehillvelodrome.com.
Most people prefer to leave the car at home at the first sight of ice on the roads, but for those who love the thrill of feeling their tyres slip and slide, the Karting on Ice sessions at Ally Pally ice rink (May 29 to June 5) are a must. For each session up to six karts are allowed on the rink to test their drivers’ winter skills to the max.
Alexandra Palace Way, N22 7AY. www.alexandrapalace.com/whats-on/karting-on-ice.
Rainham Hall is a fine old country pile on the eastern outskirts of London. There’s art to gaze on and rooms to roam, but if you prefer to get your fingernails dirty, go along to one of their Muck In days when you can help their community gardener get the place in shape. No making references to ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’, mind.
The Broadway, Rainham, RM13 9YN.www.nationaltrust.org.uk.
The Puppet Theatre Barge is moored in Little Venice in the winter, but come the summer months, it sets sail for the riverside in Richmond. Board the barge via the tiny bar and you’ll discover a whole theatre, including tiered seating, in the Tardis-like interior. In the daytime there are puppet shows for families, but in the evening there are grown-up productions, with a summer the programme including a puppet interpretation of ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’.
Unique. 83 Petersham Rd, TW10 6UT.www.puppetbarge.com/planningyourjourney.
Rye Lane in SE15 is a blossoming parade of great independent stores and cafés that could easily rival the hippest east London districts, and along here Rye Wax is a must-stop. A vinyl shop with an expertly sourced stock of graphic novels, comics and zines, this happening basement below the CLF Art Café does food and drink too. All that cool hunting got you thirsty? Revive yourself with an Old Spike coffee or a well-mixed cocktail, or refuel on inventive Mexican fare from Taco Queen.
133 Rye Lane, SE15 4ST. www.ryewax.com.
Fields of vibrant purple, blue skies, the heady scent of lavender in the air, and bees scooting busily between flowers. It could be the makings of a French impressionist painting, but it’s actually much closer to home in Zone 5, where the heritage of Carshalton Lavender is lovingly maintained thanks to the army of volunteers. You can volunteer to help keep the fields in order, buy their oil and join the harvest in July.
Oaks Way, Carshalton Beeches, SM5 4NQ. www.carshaltonlavender.org.
It might not be Scandinavia, but Walthamstow is one of London’s most north-easterly districts, so it’s the perfect setting for the Viking Store. This treasure trove is overflowing with replica gear and giftware, from Viking and Celtic to Saxon and medieval. Just right whether you’re planning a fancy dress party, a full lounge-to-cave refurb or an invasion of someone’s fjord.
119 Wood St, E17 3LL. www.thevikingstore.co.uk.
When you’re crawling in traffic on a bus along Green Lanes, it’s hard to imagine that you’re just a few hundred metres from one of the most amazing, tranquil water parks in London. The Stoke Newington West Reservoir is a vast lake for open swimming, sailing and kayaking. There are courses for beginners, or if you’re feeling lazy, just sit at the waterfront café and watch the boats sail by.
Green Lanes, N4 2HA.www.better.org.uk.
Highgate Cemetery is no secret, but it’s a very special place nonetheless, especially because this leafy corner of London is unusually quiet. Perfect for contemplation. The cemetery is still operational today, and is a verdant, atmospheric spot with paths leading past the gravestones and memorials spanning generations. Each engraving tells a tale, but among the famous names buried in the East Cemetery you’ll find Karl Marx’s final resting place.
Swain’s Lane, N6 6PJ. www.highgatecemetery.org.
In recent years, New Malden (where west London meets the fringes of Surrey) has become Europe’s biggest Korean community. The mix of old-school suburban high street and some of the coolest Korean restaurants in London works surprisingly well. Diehard foodies beat a path to this stretch of Zone 4 to stock up on Korean and Japanese groceries on a regular basis. Get a flavour of twenty-first-century New Malden at Jee Cee Neh – a former wool shop.
74 Burlington Rd, KT3 4NU. Jee Cee Neh.
Nothing like a private tennis court to say to the world that you’ve really made it. And along with all the other trappings of splendour at Hampton Court Palace, Cardinal Wolsey made a big statement with his indoor tennis court. Word has it that Henry VIII was quite a hero on the court here – though who’d dare contradict him? The royal tennis court at Hampton Court today was built for Charles I and is still a working sports club. Watch a game being played (it’s like a cross between tennis and squash) or even give it a try if you fancy signing up.
Hampton Court Palace, East Molesey, Surrey, KT8 9AU. www.royaltenniscourt.com.
