Wandsworth Common Beer Festival

The weather has taken a good turn this week, so why not head to the Wandsworth Common Beer Festival this weekend?

With over 100 beers from across the country, there’s enough to suit every taste.  Children are welcome in the afternoons and along with the beer there’s plenty of entertainment on hand – they’re even showing the Wales v England match this afternoon.

Non-beer fans needn’t worry – cider and wine is on tap too.

Entry is a mere £2 (£1 CAMRA) and it’s all on at the Royal Victoria Patriotic Building on John Archer Way.

Head down there 1-11pm on Saturday and 1-4pm on Sunday.

Nearest Station: Wandsworth Town

 

Place In Mind

Is the daily grind getting you down? Feeling claustrophobic in London? If you’ve forgotten what green space looks like, worry not – head down to see Harry Cory Wright’s ‘Place In Mind’ exhibition.

Taking photos of a variety of landscapes across the country (including Stonehenge and come of Britain’s coastal cliffs), ‘Place In Mind’ captures the intensity of each scene.

Taking only one photograph in each location, Harry Cory Wright also uses an old-school camera (rather than a DSLR) to capture the moment.

The exhibition is on at Eleven, 11 Eccleston Street and opens this Friday, February 4.  It runs until March 26.

Opening hours are Tues, Wed, Fri: 11am-6pm; Thursday 11am-7pm and Saturday 11am-4pm.

Nearest Tube: Victoria or Sloane Square

Discover a Winter Wonderland at Kew Gardens

Picture by RBG Kew

 

I love snow, and the way it transforms the landscape – so there’s no better way in which to enjoy it than having a walk round Kew Gardens.

The Pagoda in winter. Picture by RBG Kew

The gardens are set over 300 acres, so there’s plenty to see – and there are lots of activities on offer over the festive period.

There’s a free Winter Wonderland walk, which takes you on a trail around the staff’s favourite areas at this time of year, and is on offer from Dec 4 – Jan 3.

You can also get into the festive spirit by taking a cosy horse and carriage ride around the park.  Get on at the Orangery and be taken on a trip down Broad Walk.  The trips run from 10:30am-3:30pm and are available Dec 11 – Jan 3.  Adults £3, children £2.

If you get cold, you can head to the hot houses – including the picturesque Palm House and Waterlily House.

The Palm House at Christmas. Picture by RBG Kew.

Kew opens at 9:30am every day apart from December 24/25, and is £13.50 for adults and £11.50 for concessions.  Children go free.   Tickets are available online or on the day.

Nearest Tube: Kew Gardens

RCA Secret

Ever wondered what it would be like to own an original piece of art by a well-known, critically acclaimed artist?

Well, now’s your chance.

RCA Secret is happening this weekend, and you’ve just about got enough time to go and see which pieces you fancy.

This is original art. Thankfully it won't be in the sale.

Here’s how it works: there are 2800 postcards to buy – but they’re all signed on the back, so you can’t see who made them until once it’s been bought.

Once you’ve picked the ones you like (you’re allowed to choose up to four), make a note of them and register yourself as a collector.

Each postcard costs £45, and will go on sale on Saturday, November 20 at 8am.  Get there early to ensure you get the ones you want!

Previous artists who’ve donated their work include Tracey Emin, Mary Quant, Yoko Ono and Manolo Blahnik.  The fun of it is, some work is done by students and graduates of the Royal College of Art – so even though they might not be famous now, you might pick up something for the future…

You can go and look at the exhibition today until 9pm, and tomorrow – Friday, November 19 – from 11am-6pm.  Admission is free.

The Royal College of Art is located on Kensington Gore.  See their Facebook page for photos and tips on the sale.

Nearest Tube: South Kensington/High Street Kensington.

 

Get Your Skates On

Natural History Museum

The clocks have gone back and it’s getting darker (boooo). But there is one good thing about winter creeping up on us – Christmas is on the way.

Why is that good? Well because feel-good Christmas and winter things are popping up all over the place. Like the Ice Rink at the Natural History Museum.

The famous ice rink opens this weekend – Friday, November 5, to be exact – and will be open for your skating pleasure until early January next year.

If you fancy the idea, but have no idea how to skate, don’t worry – lessons are available from £30 a session.  Otherwise, it’s £13 adults/£8.50 concessions for an hour of skating.  Good news for students, too – on Mondays and Tuesdays you can get down for a session and drink at the bar for £8 (you need your student ID and the offer is running until December 7).

You need to book tickets – see here for more information.

The ice rink opens at 10am and closes at 10pm Monday -Friday, opening at 8:45 at the weekend.

Nearest Tube: South Kensington

Lovely Lido

It may have got colder and wetter recently, but that shouldn’t put you off the great outdoors.  Not when you could be getting wet anyway, at one of the lidos around our fair city.

Jon Forman went to check out the one at Tooting Bec.

Supposedly, I’m currently in training for a Triathlon which is taking place in the near future. I say supposedly; a more accurate reflection would be I’m eating lots of Pizza (carb loading……) and occasionally thinking about going to the gym.  Anyhoo, this week has featured a couple of days which could at least be described as warm, and so I packed the bag and cycled off to Tooting Bec Lido in search of some aqua themed exercise.

According to the website the Lido is; “the second biggest outdoor pool in Europe, and has been voted “Best Outdoor Pool” by the London pools campaign for the second year in succession….” Phew, quite some pedigree.

I have to agree, the place has a lot of Art-Deco charm. The pool is surrounded by sea-side style changing rooms, there’s plenty of space to sun-bathe after some strenuous laps, and it isn’t difficult to imagine many a happy Bank Holiday being spent here since it opened in 1906. (Although mixed sex bathing was not introduced until 1931!) There’s also a paddling pool for the younger members of the family and a café serving the usual assortment of snacks, drinks and iced cream. I also found the water to be extremely clean.

There’s only one thing….it’s cold. Gaspingly cold. A-thousand-tiny-knives-stabbing-you, Jack-from-Titanic-style-cold. OK, I might be exaggerating slightly – Yes, I am a wimp. There were however other people training for Triathlons wearing wet-suits!

Back in the day, this sort of thing would have been called ‘character building’ in schools. Not going in for this style of child abuse myself I’d still maintain it was cold. Let’s not labour the point…… Out of the water the weather was warm if not balmy, and aside from the training I spent a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon reading, napping and taking the occasional dip.

I’d thoroughly recommend a day out here, just make sure the sun is out. Fingers crossed for an Indian summer at the Lido……….

Entry:

Adults (17+) £5.00
After 6pm £3.20
Child (5-16) £3.20
OAPs (60+) £3.20
Concession/ student/ unemployed £3.20
Family (2 adults, 2 children) £13.20

The lido is open 6am-5pm throughout September, and is located on Tooting Bec Road.

Nearest Tube: Tooting Bec

Open House, Open City

Normally closed to the public, the Arsenal in NYC’s Central Park was one of the buildings I visited as part of Open City in New York

Ever been having a stroll around London (do people ‘stroll’ in London?) and seen a house you’ve thought ‘that looks lovely.  Wonder what it’s like inside…’?

Well, now’s your chance to have a nosy around some of London’s best loved buildings, as well as somearchitecturally interesting homes.

Open House London is happening on September 18 & 19, enabling you to have a look around all these places for FREE.  There are over 700 buildings, architectural walks, cycle tours and more to keep you busy over the weekend.

I went to Open House in New York City once, and it was a really great way to get to know the city and find out some interesting nuggets of info on the buildings.

You have to book for some of the viewings/talks – so order your guide here to get the full listing of events and buildings.  (The guide costs £6.50)

Ping-a-ling

This weekend why not get outdoors and try out something different?

Ping London are setting up a load of ping-pong (or table tennis, if you’d prefer) tables around the city, ready for you to have a go! Bats and balls are provided so there’s no excuse.

Tables are all over the place, including Heathrow, The British Library and Soho Square. There will be classes available too.

The tables will be out and about until August 22 – plenty of time to turn you into a ping-pong champion!

Time Out have a helpfully created map of all the table locations.  Click here for more info.

Mint Polo…No, Not the Sweets

Here’s another fun weekend activity for all ages.  This weekend Mint Polo in the Park is taking place in Hurlingham Park.

The event starts on Friday, June 4 and continues until Sunday, June 6 – which will see the final of the competition kick off at 2:30pm.

It’s not just about the polo matches – there are cheerleaders to watch,  stunt riders and Medieval knights .

Tickets are from £20 (going up to £45 depending on which day) and can be bought from TicketMaster.

The Hurlingham Club is a Private Members Club – so this is a good chance to get inside and have a look round!

Nearest Tube: Putney Bridge or Parson’s Green

The Boat Race

If outdoor activities are your thing – along with men in boats – head down to Putney tomorrow for the annual Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge.

The race has been going for years, so if you’re game, make sure you get down there early as you’ll be in the company of around 250,000 other people vying for a good viewing spot!

The race happens on Saturday, April 3rd, and runs from Putney to Mortlake.  You can try to position yourself along the banks of the river, or there are big screens at Bishop’s Park and Furnival Gardens. If you’re heading to one of the parks, the events kick off at 12 noon.

Otherwise, the main event starts at 4:30pm and lasts 15-20 minutes.  So be quick, or you might miss it!

Nearest Tube: Putney (for the start) or Kew Gardens/Mortlake Rail Station for the end