AD | So, I didn’t get into the London Marathon (again). After five consecutive years of rejection, I never enter the ballot expecting to get in, but I always start planning the trip in my head before big day. After all, hotels in London are a) expensive marathon weekend b) fill up quicker than average that weekend. This year, however, the rejection hit a little differently. After a full year of being locked up at home, planning a little staycation and making the most of the weekend would have been great.
Featured Image: Photo by Anthony DELANOIX on Unsplash
I’m not typically a staycation person. Usually when I’m visiting London, I’m either visiting friends or I’m spending a night there before going to Heathrow the next day. In one of those circumstances, I’m not really thinking about the city, I’m thinking about seeing my friend (s) and in the other, I’m more excited about where I’m heading to the next day.
I love London, but I find it very easy to take it for granted. My trips are typically planned around food, and restaurants I’d like to try and I never stop to do any of the touristy stuff.
This year, had I managed to secure a place, I was semi planning a much more eventful trip. After however long it ends up being without travel, I was ready to embrace London with the same level of joy I have wandering around Rome. With it being towards the end of the year and covid hopefully behind us, I was freely planning my trip without much caution, other than the need to distance and pack extra sanitiser.
As I said, that’s for later in the year. Stay up to date with any government guidelines regarding travel if you’re planning any sooner trips.
All About the Food
Still heavily food focused, obviously, after 26 miles, you’ve earned the right to think of nothing but food for the rest of the weekend. I’d usually visit the free from dessert delight that was Yorica, but unfortunately they’re a covid closure that won’t be reopening. But I guess that’s an excuse to spend more time at Cookies & Scream.
Visit an old favourite vegan restaurant, like Farmacy, and hopefully tick a couple of other places off my need to try list, like Gauthier or 222 Vegan.
Other London Staycation Ideas
But I was also planning to do some of the other stuff I love but usually neglect, like a visit to the V&A. And probably a nice easy stroll around Borough Market (more food, yes). Or maybe a more active walk around Hampstead Heath, depending on what shape my legs were in the following day. Maybe I’m kidding myself and the only activity they’d feel up to is strolling around Selfridge’s.
Either way, the idea of any of that feels like a real novelty at the moment. It’s been over a year since I’ve been on a plane, train or stepped into a restaurant so it was fun to let my mind plan a little trip, even if the highlight of it was supposed to be the most physically gruelling activity of my life and I ended up spending the majority of the following day rubbing my legs in my hotel room.
Have you planned any staycations for this year? Or are you still in hope that you might actually be able to get an international break?
Until next time,
Sophie
AD – In collaboration with Hotels.com, but all views are my own
Sorry you didn’t get in! I hope you are still visiting London though–why not?
I’d love to visit London again one day, maybe next year now when it’ll be a little safer to do so! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Ooh! I hope you have fun! I live in such an expensive area, it doesn’t seem worth it to me. I’m planning a bunch of camping for the summer though so that’ll be super fun! I plan my trips based on food too. Thanks for sharing xx
Lynn | http://www.lynnmumbingmejia.com
Thank you so much for sharing this post. All of the photos helped me feel like I was on a little mini vacation to London myself. Keep up the hard work and maybe next year will be your year to run that long awaited marathon!
Working in London (well, when I did) meant that I definitely took it for granted and never wanted to do the touristy things because when you’re commuting five days a week, you don’t want to do it for down time either. But there’s so many places that I haven’t been – Borough Market being one of them – that it would definitely be fun to do it properly. I hope you get the chance soon.
Great Post!
My dream is to visit London someday))
http://tanyasoyer.blogspot.com/
I find London so much more exciting now with less people around, I miss the events, but sightseeing is so much better!
LackaDaisy
London is such a beautiful city and one I’d visit over and over again. I miss travelling internationally too – after all that was one of the reasons I retired. We’re still waiting for our first vaccines here in Canada but I need to get into the mindset of a staycation. Thanks for sharing.
Honestly cannot wait to visit London again. I hope that Borough Market returns at some stage!
A lovely read and thanks for sharing xx
London looks so cool, I would love to visit someday. Also, these food recommendations have me drooling!
Thanks for sharing. I don’t go to London much and when I do it’s usually for a family event. We did manage to do the touristy thing a few years ago though and although it was knackering, it was great fun.
Great post! Thanks for sharing this! I haven’t been to London in a while now so hopefully I can go again soon! I’ve planned a staycation for this year and hopefully next year we can travel internationally!
Staycations are so much fun – I always find I learn so much more about what’s around me than I knew before. Thank you for sharing ! Thanks
I hear you about taking the place where you live for granted. People come from all over the explore my section of Virginia where as it is something I am surrounded by constantly and do not view immediately as special.
Love that you are taking some time to really get to know YOUR London. Staycations are one of my favorite things the lockdown/pandemic have brought about. 🙂
I feel like when you live in London you sometimes forget about all the gems it has! I can’t wait till things start to reopen and I can really love the city again (and justify my outrageous rent!)
Katie | katieemmabeauty.com
Oh this sounds perfect! I love a staycation and can’t wait to get away as soon as we can.
Thank you for sharing.
Kate | kindly.co.uk
I love London. If I could emigrate and behind a citizen i would in a minute! But I also love all the food in the city, you can always find something new and good!
Sorry you missed out on the marathon. Fingers crossed for you for next year! We did a little staycation here in Vancouver after Christmas and it was really nice. Just to hang out and sleep in a different bed was such a novelty!
I can absolutely relate to planning my trips around food :’) My family like to sit down and talk about our entire itinerary prior to our trip to the coast, and it’s so fun to get in lively debates and good-natured arguments about when we should eat what and why. We’re familiar with the area since we’ve been going there for so long, so we have certain traditions and places we HAVE to eat at, so that factors in the debates haha x
I haven’t got any staycation’s planned yet but hopefully if things get better towards the end of the year I’m hoping to book something! I went to London back in 2019 to meet up with some other bloggers and I hadn’t been for such a long time but the restaurants they have there all look so good. There really are some great places to eat out. I think I usually plan around food as well to be honest.. definitely the best bit about traveling somewhere different haha xx