Exploring London, the parent friendly way

So if you’ve ever moved away from home and lived in a different place to your mum and dad, be that for uni or for work, you’ll know the need to plan a ‘parent friendly’ day trip for when they come and visit. I like to think I’ve had plenty of practice with this, having spent my university years in Leicester and now living around 200 miles away from home.

It’s worth pointing out that I’m very close to my parents and love spending time with them, but I do feel a pang of panic when they say they’re booking train tickets down to see me and, “well why don’t we stay the night too?” “Sure mum! That would be lovely!” I say, while thinking “HOW ON EARTH AM I GOING TO ENTERTAIN THEM FOR TWO WHOLE DAYS??”

Fortunately, living in London means you’re never short of things to do. Or so you might think. I don’t always want to take my mum and dad to a fancy schmancy exhibition at the Tate, or try out the trendy new restaurant with tiny plates of food and huge price tags, or how about a visit to the new pop up hamster cafe? No thanks.

We’re a family who enjoy the simple pleasures; nice walks, fresh air, beautiful scenery and a spot of wildlife. Growing up in rural East Yorkshire certainly helped with this, but they’re probably not the first words that come to mind when you think of London, right? Wrong! When it comes to mum and dad visiting, so far I’ve planned some pretty lovely days out with them (even if I do say so myself) so this blog is going to help you do the same.

I’ll share some of my favourite parent friendly trips and activities, as well as fun days out with the boyfriend too, and hopefully it will give you some new ideas and inspire you to explore different areas of this wonderful city.