501 Places

Oxford Street

I grew up in Nottingham and spent my adult life moving around many of England’s provinces, but until recently never lived near to London. I often saw the lights of the London at Christmas on the TV and wondered what I was missing. So earlier this week we took the chance to see the lights of Oxford Street and the Christmas market in Hyde Park.

Regent Street

It’s strange walking through London in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday. With very few children around and workers generally locked up in their offices, Oxford Street is busy but it’s still possible to move along the pavement; something that is beyond difficult on a Saturday at this time of the year. Most of the voices you hear are not English; visitors from around the world speaking in many languages and peering through the windows of Selfridges, Hamley’s and the other large stores, no doubt enticed here by our weak pound.

Oxford Street Lights

We walked down the length of Oxford Street, checking out the famous Christmas window displays at Selfridge’s and eventually reaching Marble Arch and the start of Hyde Park. By this time it was dark and the lights of the big wheel in the Christmas market were visible from a long distance. The ambient light in London is so strong that we could even walk along the paved paths of Hyde Park away from the traffic of Park Lane, and have no trouble seeing our way ahead.

Christmas Market, Hyde Park

The Christmas market in Hyde Park, known by the politically correct term of Winter Wonderland, is basically a giant travelling fair. Rather than being staffed by UK ‘travellers’ as most fairs are, the smiles and greetings are all German. Sausages, fries, mulled wine, pizza, crepes, chocolate, you name an unhealthy food and it’s there, twice. We arrived hungry and soon polished off most of the above. Going on one of the rides is probably not the best option after eating, and fortunately the prices of the rides meant that we were never tempted (£6 each for many of the rides is a bit steep).

Christmas Market, Hyde Park

The market is unashamedly tacky, predictable and very much geared around parting you from your cash. But if you choose to visit the market at the right time of the day (5pm on a weekday was not very busy) it is a little slice of London that does reinforce the arrival of Christmas. And you won’t want to eat again for days!

Christmas Market, Hyde Park

As we drove towards south west London, the rain started to fall, and quickly got heavier until the wipers were working at full-speed. We questioned the sanity of going on, but having come so far and armed with a large umbrella we decided to carry on.

And what a treat! Syon Park, the grand home of the Duke of Northumberland, has set up the Enchanted Woodland for several pre-Christmas evenings. Thousands of lights decorate trees around the park, and waltzes play from hidden speakers to add to the mood of enchantment and fantasy. Apart from the low flying aircraft approaching Heathrow which is only a couple of miles from the park, once inside the park there is little to remind you that you are in London.

The lights are arranged around the park’s trees, statues and buildings, and there is something to stop and look at every few steps. Many of the light displays are constantly changing, providing an animated element to the displays. We even forgot the lashing rain for much of the hour that we spent walking along the pre-set footpath.

I’ll leave the rest of the story to the pictures I took from the walk around the park. The quality is limited by the lack of steady places to rest my camera but hopefully you’ll get the idea despite the effects of a wobbling hand.

For those who live in better climates than ours, it is probably hard to believe that right minded people who go out in this weather, worse still take their children out in it. Yet there were many families walking around the park, enjoying the lights and the displays and ignoring the foul conditions. It reminded me of that old adage “there’s no such thing as the wrong weather; there’s only the wrong attitude” or something like that.

A few weeks ago we took a train into London and got off at London Bridge with no particular plans. We knew we wanted to walk, as it was a beautiful autumn day. But beyond that we were happy to see what came our way. The pictures below tell the story, and are a great example of the richness of walking through a major city and just allowing the place to guide you. No guidebooks or maps necessary, just the curiosity to look and see the world that is carrying on regardless.

London's New Skyline - Looking across the Thames to the City from Hay's Galleria

Just below London Bridge Station is Hay’s Galleria, a modern complex of shops and restaurants in a renovated wharf. Once an integral part of London’s maritime industry, now it is a place for Londoners to grab a bite to eat at lunchtime in a bright and open space.

The Navigators, by David Kemp - the central attraction at Hay's Galleria

Stepping out from here, you are immediately on the riverside and it is a short walk to perhaps London’s most famous landmark, Tower Bridge. Whatever the month or the weather Tower Bridge is always packed with tourists, and I don’t believe I have ever walked across the bridge without hearing at least a dozen different languages spoken.

Tower Bridge, London's most recognisable landmark

Once across the bridge it is a short walk into the East End of London. One of the best things about London is the number of street markets. While some stretch for miles and many cater more for visitors than locals, the market in Petticoat Lane is one of the more understated markets, offering cut price clothing in a very unassuming location, albeit a stone’s throw from the financial heartland.

Market, Petticoat Lane

Walking from here, you soon find the maze of little alleys that sprouted in London’s early growth as a major city, and that make the job of a London taxi driver so much more taxing than a New York cabbie. Some of the names of the streets are fantastic. Here’s just one example:

What is the fascinating history behind this street?

A short distance from here is Liverpool Street Station, considered the eastern end of the financial district. Walking in this area you can see plenty of examples of daring architecture, built in the last 20 years where it seems that architects have had almost a free rein to let their imaginations run wild. Public art too is liberally displayed in the parks and open spaces that dot the office buildings here.

This little space behind the station is a popular place for office workers to step out and enjoy their lunch or have a cigarette break.

Artwork in park behind Liverpool Street Station

Open spaces abound, even in the heart of the city

Walking westwards you now pass through the financial district, and along Fleet Street, once the heart of the newspaper industry. While many of the old impressive buildings remain, some of the new structures form a sharp and uncompromising contrast with their predecesors.

A thoroughly modern landscape, just off Fleet Street

Some of the lesser noticed sights in the city are the underground stations that have long been closed. These buildings have maintained impressive facades, and one of these is in evidence on the Strand. Once a station on the Picadilly line, the lights went out in 1994, and the building now stands empty. Look at the beautiful building next door!

Aldwych (before that, Strand) tube station - closed in 1994

One of the best parts of walking through any city is chancing upon an event or celebration that happens to be taking place as you pass. London and New York are wonderful places for this, and when we lived in NYC we stumbled across film sets almost every time we took a walk. On this occasion we happened to pass Parliament just as Greenpeace were staging a rooftop protest. It attracted a large crowd of onlookers, while the policeman we spoke to was enjoying an easy day and a generous helping of overtime pay. Seemed like everyone was happy.

Rooftop Protest: Greenpeace on the Houses of Parliament

Heading back along the South Bank, here is a scene that you wouldn’t expect to be a mere stone’s throw from the chaos of the London Eye. Yet this little courtyard of bohemian looking boutique shops was almost deserted.

Boutiques near the South Bank

This was all captured in a little over two hours of gentle walking through the centre of London. Many of these sights were buildings or places I had previously passed but never noticed. Every time I visit London there are many new sights that I discover: a building I hadn’t previously noticed, an alleyway that leads to a hidden market or old warehouse, or a neighbourhood that offers fabulous food at great prices.

I don’t believe that even a London resident can say that they truly know the city. There are so many hidden nooks and crannies to explore that it would take a lifetime to truly be familiar with its many faces. But that is no reason not to start exploring!

After a day of stormy winds and rain yesterday, we woke up this morning to a beautiful sunny sky. It was even quite warm. A perfect day to put on the hiking boots and enjoy the autumn colours near home. No words needed today, just some of the delights of home (and only 20 mins by train from central London.

Old Railway path near Wheathampstead

Along the railway path near Wheathampstead

The home of Oscar and Nobel Prize winner, George Bernard Shaw

A country lane in Ayot St Lawrence

A terraced street, Shetland

It’s around 200 miles from Aberdeen to Sumburgh on the southern tip of the main Shetland Island. Yet the most striking gap between these two parts of Scotland would be better measured in years, rather than miles. Shetland is in many ways like our parents told us our home towns used to be. An absence of crime and fear of crime is immediately evident, and the trusting and unassuming openness of the local people is disarming at first, and soon becomes infectious.

I made two working visits to Shetland in 2000. As an optometrist at the time I saw an ad from a practice in Lerwick, the biggest town on the islands. The owner was going away for a vacation and needed cover. I jumped at the chance, eager to explore this outermost part of the UK, and also aware that this location would offer a great chance to see the northern lights. Arrangements were made over the phone: I would stay in her house, have use of the car, and would be met at the airport by a staff member. No checks, no references required.

My strongest memory is from my second visit. Having arranged a return later in the year, the owner didn’t see the need to send anyone to meet me, so just asked me to collect the car and house keys from airport security. I duly arrived at Sumburgh and found security closed.  I approached one of the girls who was checking in passengers on the return leg, and said to her “Hello, I’m supposed to pick up some keys”. Nothing more. She nodded and walked off without a word. A moment later she returned with a bunch of keys in hand, smiled at me and said: “There you go”. How’s that for security?

Wintry landscapes, Shetland

Yet I had learned by then that in these remote treeless islands, there is an inherent trust that has been built up over generations. I even asked the receptionist in the place I worked about crime and she said that people in Lerwick were very concerned about the way things were going, as the previous month someone stopping on the island had had a jacket stolen. The locals were horrified!

It reminded me in a strange way of the creatures in the Galapagos Islands, where they have never known predators, and certainly not learned that man is their greatest threat. As a result their curiosity is stronger than any fear and many animals freely wander up to the visitors, posing for photos and oblivious of the shameful track record of the human race in wiping out other species.

One of only 2 tombolos in the UK

In a similar way, the people in Shetland lived something of a idyllic life as far as crime is concerned. My work there involved testing the eyes of children, and it struck me immediately how confident, polite and socially developed even the little ones were. When I greeted a 7 year old and asked them how they were, they typically returned eye contact and replied “Fine thank you. How are you?” There were many such encounters here during my stay, something I had never experienced elsewhere.

I often wonder how the open culture and fearless nature of these islanders might change as the darker elements of society spread here, as they surely will? It is 9 years since I was there last, and I have heard that there is a growing drugs problem among the young people of this tiny community, which is terribly sad to hear. I would love to return there someday, and harbour a strong hope that the innocence and trust of the people that made the islands so special to me is still present.