Activities, London, Water sports

Kayaking from Battersea to Greenwich with the London Kayak Company

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Ellie and I moved to London roughly 20 years ago, and for 20 years we’ve been seeing the yellow kayaks of the London Kayak Company on the river Thames. Every time we saw them, we said to each other, that we must book a tour with them. But for one reason or another, we never got up to any paddling. Until yesterday late afternoon. THE LONDON KAYAK COMPANY WAS FOUNDED ALMOST 30 YEARS AGO Harry, the founder, owner, and lead guide, runs most tours himself. Since 1996. For almost 30 years. He has one other guide, occasionally joining him or running tours on his behalf.     All pics, incl. feature photo, (c) London Kayak Company, kindly taken by Harry on the day. HOW TO BOOK WITH THE LONDON KAYAK COMPANY We purchased our two tickets for the regular three-hour Thames tour on the London Kayak Company’s website two weeks […]

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Fun, London, Runs

Best Running Events in London, from 5K Fun Runs to Marathons & Ultras

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During the last few years, everyone and their dog started running. There are now so many events out there, especially in a big city like London. It can be hard to choose an event that’s right for you. This blog post is designed to assist you in doing so. WHAT DOES “BEST RUNNING EVENTS” MEAN? While I haven’t done more than a tiny fraction of all available runs, I have done many dozen of them over the years. I also speak with a lot of other running enthusiasts. The events listed here are ones that either I have completed and enjoyed, or that people I trust have completed and enjoyed. WHAT DOES “IN LONDON” MEAN? For the distances up to marathon, “in London” means in almost all cases, that you can run the event without staying overnight, even if relying on public transport (and possibly a short taxi ride). Considering […]

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Fun, London, Winter

Gliding around at Canary Wharf Ice Rink

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Ellie and I recently visited Canary Wharf Ice Rink for the first time. It’s now closed, but is due to open again from October 2023 to February 2024. This makes it the London ice rink with the by far longest skating season. Some other rinks only open for 4 or 5 weeks. COSY ATMOSPHERE, BEAUTIFUL SKYLINE AT CANARY WHARF ICE RINK We absolutely loved the experience. Canary Wharf Ice Rink is so cosy, under its glass roof. No wind. No rain. And then, of course, there is the beautiful skyline.     NOT TOO CROWDED When we visited, there were hardly any other people on the ice. Presumably this was unusual. However, I can see how perhaps many office workers don’t want to engage in physical exercise while wearing their expensive business attire. It kind of also makes sense that Canary Wharf is not a place that is known to […]

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Fun, London, Winter

Doing a few jumps, spins, and turns at GLIDE Ice Rink Battersea

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Ellie & I recently visited GLIDE Ice Rink at Battersea Power Station. We immediately decided that this was going to be one of our top London ice rinks, maybe behind Somerset House and Hampton Court. THE SAME TEAM THAT RAN THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM ICE RINK IS NOW RUNNING THE GLIDE ICE RINK, BATTERSEA The team that run the ice rink, also used to run another one of our favourite London venues: the Natural History Museum ice rink. Funny, because while that ice rink has now gone to ice rink heaven, I still vividly remember how uncomfortable the ice skating boots there were.    GLIDE’s boots are the same make (possibly the very same boots, I don’t know). That said, as long as you bring two very thick pairs of socks, you’ll be fine.     A WIDE PRICE RANGE FOR TICKETS Depending on the time of the day and […]

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Fun, Water sports

Ocean Rowing Taster Course – Blisters and Bliss

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I recently did an ocean rowing taster course. But first things first. About a year ago, I heard of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge for the first time. I was immediately drawn in. THE OCEAN ROWING TASTER COURSE AND THE TALISKER CHALLENGE Every year in December, some crazies take off from La Gomera in the Canary Islands, then row their tiny little rowing boats all the way across the Atlantic to Antigua in the Caribbean, a distance of almost 5,000km. The event is called The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Rowing Challenge. It was founded in 1997 by Sir Chay Blyth.   THE “EASY” WAY AND THE HARD WAY If you would just sit on your bottom in your rowing boat, sleep, eat, and occasionally tweet, you’d make the trip in about four and a half months. Even if you haven’t completed an ocean rowing taster course. This is due to the […]

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