Summer is in full swing here in London, and no doubt this month will fly by and we'll be counting down the weeks to Christmas sooner than we think! So get out and enjoy our city during these precious hours of sunshine, and if you're in need of a little bit of inspiration, keep on reading...
Number one
The State Rooms of Buckingham Palace open their doors throughout the month of August, and what's more there's a fantastic sounding exhibition taking place too. Queen Victoria's Palace runs throughout the month and into September, and tells the story of how the young queen transformed the palace from a private house into a working royal residence, whilst celebrating the 200th anniversary of her birth.
Number two
An easy decision for many, you're either into funky sour beers, hoppy pale ales, and the stranger the better flavours, or a classic pint of rea ale, or perhaps a guinneas is more up you're street. Personally, the Craft Beer Festival sounds more my style, running from the 9th to the 11th at Tobacco Dock. Almost 100 breweries are expected to be pouring their stuff, plus a pretty cool music line up including DJ sets from Friendly Fires, Kaiser Chiefs and Hot Chip. The Great British Beer Festival runs from the 6th to the 10th at Olympia, so technically you could do both...
Number three
Now I don't need an excuse to visit St Paul's Cathedral, but for those of you who do, why not pop along for their Summer Lates throughout August. Although I don't feel the Cathedral ever gets super busy, it's a nice way to enjoy the space with less people this time of year. Usually this was a time where you were allowed to take photos, but the Cathedral has recently changed their policy allowing photo's inside the Cathedral, but not during services (this is subject to change as it's only a trial period). However, as your ticket had be exchanged for a year pass at no extra charge, perhaps you need to make the most of unlimited entry for the year!
Number four
Another beer themed reccomendation this month. How about booking a place onto the Beer in Southwark at Southwark Cathedral talk, taking place on the 15th of August. This talk will look into the historic brewery connections to the Cathedral and the area (with a taster too!). I went along last year, and had a really fun evening!
Number five
And to finish, a few new places to eat and drink in London. First off is the very recently opened Arcade Food Theatre on the ground floor of the Centrepoint Complex; London's latest food market. Baked goods from Popham's Bakery, pasta from Lina Stores, THAT Iberico pork sandwich from Tātā eatery and many more. I personally can't wait to visit! Another recommendation which is right at the top of my list to try this month is Flor, described as part wine bar, part bakery, and sounds right up my street! Expect queues as I'm sure it will be very popular. It's just by Borough Market.
Enjoy August!
Heard in London