Whilst our flat in London’s cool Camden was so tiny that you had to manoeuvre creatively to get yourself in and out of the shower room and you had to walk through the main bedroom to get to the lounge room (hello quirky Victorian mansion flat conversion) it was in a fabulous location, on a great street. One of our neighbours was none-other-than author and playwright Alan Bennett. In fact the street featured in the movie adaptation of his play The Lady in the Van which was released just a few years ago! We were literally around the corner from Camden Market, a short stroll from the cute, colourful houses, wonderful park and fancy high street of Primrose Hill and just a short run from beautiful Regent’s Park and the Regent’s Canal. I actually remember going for a run early in the morning before work thinking just how lucky I was that this was where I got to do my exercise! Plus we were not too far away from the wonderful Hampstead Heath, one of our absolute favourite London spaces.

So when we returned to London with our two and a half year old, after a six year hiatus (for more about visiting London with a toddler see my blog here) we were keen to stay for a few days close to our old neighbourhood and visit all our old haunts. We ended up in a cute Air BnB in Belsize Park up on the second floor with a lovely view out to the street below (as you can see Layla loved peering out the window just as much as I did, with her fairy wings on, of course).

My versions of perhaps the perfect London day

London is one of the most exciting, interesting, vibrant and fun cities in the world. And whilst being a tourist in London is great, in my opinion doing some ‘every day’ things in this amazing city is even more rewarding. So here are a few things that would be on my itinerary if I were to plan my perfect London day. If you were after one giant day of sight seeing and walking you could visit all of these places in one day. Or if you are keen to take it a bit easier (which in my experience is usually a good idea with little ones in tow) you could split this into two or three day’s activity, like we did.

Hampstead Heath

On our first north London day we had a lazy morning and then spent the rest of the day meeting an old friend for a pub lunch in Hampstead (if the weather is good choose one with a beer garden for maximum local experience, we opted for the Garden Gate) before spending the afternoon wandering Hampstead Heath. Stopping of course at Kenwood House for tea, cake and icecream. If you have time, and a patient child or children, you could take a look inside at the beautiful building and art collection. The heath is untamed and expansive. Full of long grass and wildflowers, meandering paths, hidden lakes and swimming baths, pretty vistas, epic views over the London skyline, perfect picnic spots and even a Henry Moore Statue. My husband and I spent hours upon hours, if not days upon days or even weeks upon weeks in the heath. Training for marathons and ultra marathons, going for Sunday strolls, picnicking with friends, attending nighttime concerts in the summer. It really holds a special place in our hearts, and in the hearts of many others when you look at the sheer number of films, poems, works of art and literature the heath has featured in. I stumbled across this wonderful website in case you would like to learn more about this special place.

Primrose Hill & Regent’s Park

Another day we wandered from our flat in Belsize Park along the prettiest London streets to Primrose Hill High Street (don’t forget to detour down the crescent shaped streets with the pastel coloured houses) to pick up supplies for a picnic with friends in Regent’s Park. After a race to the top of Primrose Hill and a walk through Regent’s Park we spent the rest of the afternoon picnicking and catching up whilst our little girls looked for feathers, played on the playground and fed the ducks and swans.

Regent’s Canal & Camden Market

Another day’s itinerary, perfect for a Sunday when the Camden Market is in full swing, was walking from our flat to Primrose Hill where we joined the Regent’s Canal. We walked all the way along to Camden Market, past the London Zoo, the floating Chinese restaurant, the sweet little house boats and expensive canal-side houses, where we stopped for a look at the shops and bite to eat and then continued on to the newly refurbished public space at King’s Cross. We loved seeing how much this area had changed as our last flat in London was just ten minutes walk from here and the construction was in full swing when we left. We finished the day catching a big red bus into Carnaby Street (we were sure to sit on the top deck!) where I dragged Layla and Andy around my all time favourite store, Liberty, and we enjoyed the bright shopfronts, street decorations and people watching around the pedestrianised streets. Another option is to catch a canal boat to Little Venice which is a lot of fun!

Ah London, no wonder I miss you so!