There are so many amazing things to do and see in London and now that I have just found the courage to drive a little further out than our area, places that would usually have taken hours by public transport but are less than 10 miles away are now within reach and I'm so excited to explore with my baby boy.
Yesterday we had a lunch date with a friend from work who had a daughter not long ago (9 months ago). She lives in South East London, I live in East so naturally we wanted to find somewhere between the two of us. Greenwich is practically on the border of East London with a tunnel separating our areas so that was our preferred place to meet. I was born in Blackheath and my mum used to take my sister and I back to the area every once in a while. My sister was born in East London so she has no ties to South East London but I have always had an interest especially as it is now quite sought after to live there. Had it have not been so far out of our price range when we were looking for a house it would have been a serious contender for a family home. Obviously since I was a child, much has changed and Greenwich is no different. I am informed by my mum that Greenwich was not that exciting a place when she lived there but it was close to her work place so it served a purpose.
Being that the weather was so glorious, we met my friend in Greenwich Park. The park is owned by Royal Parks (I'm not sure if it was when I was younger) and is bounded by the river and the Royal Observatory. I cannot tell you how many things there are to see there although having a look at their website now it appears we missed a lot! We met at the Pavillion Cafe and had lunch outside. My son being as active as he is was able to have a run around as we finished up lunch as the seating area is enclosed with iron railings around the perimeter. Perfect for a worry-free lunch. We then took a leisurely stroll down to the play area complete with small wooden huts, a wooden interactive tractor, some carved wooden animal sculptures and to my son's delight a massive sand pit. Obviously there were the standard climbing frames and swings but this area was completely new for my son so why bother playing with something we could do round the corner from our house? Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the space and there is nothing on their website but it was great and my son absolutely loved it and didn't want to leave. We will definitely be visiting again as it's so convenient to get to by car, we will definitely have to see some more of the sights they have to offer. I know my son will love the observatory when he's older as he's now obsessed with stars.
The only downside to this area is that they are well aware of the amount there is to see and do therefore you are penalised for it in parking charges... 30p per 15 minutes which, although not extortionate for London, I have never seen a more ridiculous parking charge and this was exacerbated by the fact the pay and display machine I was using couldn't recognise my card (a VISA). I had minimal change and still had my son in the car on a boiling hot day so couldn't leave him to run for change. For a place as prestigious, they should have a reasonable daily charge and/or at least be able to pay by phone in the case of fault card readers. It is however, well served by public transport should you not be the kind of person to carry change and it is definitely highly recommended by us. I cannot wait to go again as a family this time so my husband can love it there too.
~AB~
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| Herbaceous border, Queen's House |
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