Ever fancied a fresh start – to broaden your horizons, open new doors, begin a new chapter… but didn’t really feel like straying too far from home? It seems like Stanfords travel bookshop in Covent Garden shares the same sentiments. It’s closing after more than a century at its current address in order to relocate to a new home that’s quite literally down the road.

The much-loved map emporium, with its distinctive tapered stone arches and the name in gilded lettering above the entrance, has been on Long Acre since 1901, and claims to stock the world’s largest selection of maps, globes and travel books. It has supplied cartography for James Bond, Sherlock Holmes, Captain Scott and the British Army; it survived a bomb hit during WWII; and its in-store café serves a mean cup of freshly roasted coffee.

Regulars and Instagrammers who’ll miss the shop’s famous map-printed floors will be glad to hear that there are plans for new versions to be installed in the bookshop’s new digs at 7 Mercer Walk. There’ll also be an outdoor space for those seeking a spot of alfresco escapism.

The move is due to happen in January next year, but keep your eyes peeled for the Stanfords Christmas gift boutique popping up on the ground floor of the new store in November. We’ll miss the old space, but a new spot for hours of wanderlust-inducing guidebook-browsing sounds good to us.

Grab a scarf, button up your coat and wander around in all the autumnal beauty of London’s parks

London is great during the summer, but it’s during the autumn months that the city is at its most beautiful. Sure, the days get shorter, the temperature drops and the temptation to stay in with Netflix becomes all that more appealing, but you’d be missing out if you stayed indoors.

Get out and about in London’s parks as the greenery of the summer months starts to turn and the trees take on the warm red, orange and yellow hues of a sunset. These beautiful London parks are perfect for an autumn walk.

Battersea Park

It’s not just the usual assortment of gorgeous British trees like oaks and willows that makes Battersea Park such a special autumn destination – its variety of gardens (from subtropical to winter) make it one of the city’s prime green spaces. The hybrid strawberry tree with its red bark is a standout, and by autumn’s end it’s covered in fruit and white flowers.

Fulham Palace

Crunch your way through flame-coloured leaves in the palace garden, check out the cute crop of pumpkins displayed in the Vinery, and buy fruit and veg harvested from the grounds to take home and feast on once you’ve packed your lungs full of fresh, autumnal air.

Greenwich Park

Some of the trees in this gorgeous hillside royal park – which was originally walled off by Henry VIII for use as a deer park – date back to 1600, and taking pride of place are the avenues of 400-yearold Spanish sweet chestnuts. In autumn they produce edible nuts which, unsurprisingly, are both sweet and Spanish. Like Julio Iglesias dipped in caramel. And if that’s not the taste of autumn, we don’t know what is.

Hampstead Heath

Hampstead Heath is a romantic setting all year round, but add autumn hues and it reaches new levels. Spend the day strutting across its grassy sprawl, exploring its meadows and magical woodland areas.

Hyde Park

This 350 acre Royal Park is an oasis of arboreal beauty nestled between the tourist crush of Oxford Street and the Henries and Tabithas of Kensington. With over 4,000 trees, your eyes are in for an autumnal treat. Look out for the buttery yellows and firey oranges of the beeches, limes and chestnut trees that line the avenues along the Serpentine.

Isabella Plantation

This beautiful 40-acre woodland garden set within a Victorian woodland plantation in Richmond Park will send you into a snappy-happy frenzy thanks to the rich bounty of red and orange hues it’s packed with. Evergreen azaleas line the ponds and streams, there are heaps of unusual trees and shrubs peppered across the garden, and beyond its gates you’ll find red and fallow deer roaming free in Richmond Park.

Kyoto Garden Holland Park

Head to Holland Park and you’ll find the Japanese-style Kyoto Gardens nestled within. Donated in 1991 by the Chamber of Commerce of Kyoto, the garden’s got a waterfall, bridge, and a handful of koi carp going for it. This time of year sees its edges dusted with orange leaves and plenty of people using it as a backdrop for their selfies.

Kew Gardens

Kew Gardens looks flippin’ lush in autumn, and with wild meadows, gardens bursting with pretty flora and treetop walkways to explore, you could be there until the seasons change again. You can’t visit without making a stop at the Victorian Palm House or the newly-restored Temperate House to marvel at the tropical plants within.

Morden Hall Park

This former deer park is the perfect location for an autumnal day out. Lime and horse chestnut trees are planted along the park’s historic avenues, providing a healthy injection of colour, and magical mists hang over the river and wetland area on chilly mornings.

Things we love about Muswell Hill: it boasts majestic views across Crouch End and London, there’s magical woodland as far as the eye can see (a special shout out to the Parkland Walk: 4.5 miles of overgrown green trail crossing disused railway arches), Ally Pally is only a hop, skip and jump away, and everyone seems to have at least one dog. Things we don’t love about Muswell Hill: it was once home to one of London’s most notorious serial killers… and, well, that’s about it. It’s a perfect mix of family-friendly spots, boho-chic shops and old-fashioned boozers – something for just about everyone, in other words. Oh, and did we mention the cheese shop?

 

Things to do in Muswell Hill

Alexandra Palace

Commonly known as the ‘People’s Palace’ or Ally Pally, Alexandra Palace looks out over north London from a height. Its altitude rewards casual walkers with spectacular views, and its commanding location and 190-odd acres of leafy parkland mean it’s often mistaken for a magnificent palace of regal importance.

In reality, it’s a slightly shabby affair. Built in 1873 as a palace for the people, it has experienced bad luck including two devastating fires (the first just two weeks after it opened; the second in 1980 after it was rebuilt), years of poor funding and periods of bad management.

Despite this, Ally Pally continues to hold a spot in the heart of Londoners, and a proud place in history as the birthplace of the world’s first regular public television broadcast by the BBC in 1936. There’s an indoor ice-skating rink, an expo hall and a vast gig space where you can catch big names and the odd clubbing event. There’s a bonfire night every year, a boating lake, pitch and putt course, and deer enclosure.

 

Parkland Walk

A pretty green walkway along an abandoned railway line in north London

 

Sunshine Garden Cetre

The Sunshine Garden Centre has a solid selection of indoor and outdoor plants and shrubs, gardening tools and accessories.

Originally the site of an Olympic-sized swimming pool, the Sunshine Garden Centre still inhabits the old pool glasshouse as well as two outhouses, which were once changing rooms. These spaces plus some more modern additions now house a solid selection of indoor and outdoor plants and shrubs, gardening tools and accessories. There’s plenty in the way of cute and quirky gifts here too, and there’s a sublime Christmas department to be explored in December as well.

There are some seriously old names knocking about this city of ours – and some of the oldest belong to the 32 London boroughs. The Original Tour did some etymological digging to find out where the borough names come from, and though a few (like Redbridge and Newham) are recent inventions, many date back to the Anglo-Saxon era: a time when most of what is now London apparently consisted of forests, sheep and hairy men in helmets. It’s probably a good thing that olde-school chieftains like Cynsige and Hacan aren’t marauding around modern-day Kensington and Hackney. But we’re definitely up for reviving ‘Valley of the crocuses’.

Out to impress on a first date? Or just after a cosy spot for two? These romantic London bars should send sparks flying

Planning a first date (or any date, for that matter)? We’ve plucked out some London bars that are sure to impress – yes, some of these bars are romantic settings, but mostly they’re all places that are damn cool and will make you look like you’ve got it going on. And even if that spark just sadly isn’t there, we can guarantee you the drinks will make a great match. From dimly lit cocktail bars to character-filled watering holes, these places are perfect for a spot of wooing.

69 Colebrooke Row

What better than a secretive tryst at ‘The bar with no name’? 69 Colebrooke Row oozes jazz-age style and the cocktails are seriously impressive, all ingredients to help Cupid strike in this backstreet bar in Angel.

Bar Américain at Brasserie Zédel

The French are meant to have written the book on love, so how about a trip to Brasserie Zédel’s Bar Américain. Prices are reasonable, art deco decor sets a sophisticated tone and a short, simple list of classic cocktails means you can get straight down to business.

Bar Termini

Show off your insider knowledge by whisking your date off to Bar Termini. Book ahead and squeeze into this teeny bar for equally teeny negronis and the rosy cheeks that come with them. Or stick with the cracking coffee also served from behind the bar.

Bloomsbury Club Bar

A gorgeous bar, inside and out, get along to Bloomsbury Club Bar for cosy encounters. Indoors is a plush, wood-clad den with live jazz the backdrop to you putting on the moves. Or take things to the terrace – a twinkly, vine-clad space fit for a ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ of your own.

Four Quarters South

A dedicated classic and retro arcade games bar, The Four Quarters is the place to go if you want to brush up on your ‘Street Fighter II’ skills or just revel…

Cocktail Trading Company

Cocktails are served with golf balls as ice, with teeth floating in them and even aflame at this bar on Bethnal Green Road. The theatre of drinking at CTC will be enough to keep the conversation flowing, but for any awkward pauses, they often have a pianist tinkling slow jams on the ivories.

Compagnie Des Vins Surnaturels

The Neal’s Yard setting in the centre of town is romantic enough. But cosy up for cheese and wine – the ultimate aphrodisiacs, in our book – in one of Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels’ cushioned corners for that je ne sais quoi on date night.

Didn’t bag yourself a return ticket to the tropics this summer? Never mind – here’s a handful of exotic-looking bars right here in London to get you feeling that summer heat (and to save your poor old bank balance).

Ridley Road Market Bar

It’s like you just stepped off the beach at this Dalston shanty-shack of a bar. The DIY décor is met with fresh fruit on the bar, palms springing up from the floor and vines hanging down from the ceiling. Drink a piña colada to seal the tropical deal. On disco nights expect queues longer than those for flight EZY8601 to Malaga.

Nine Lives

Imagine a covert hangout in Central America, filled with wicker furniture and overflowing plant life, lit cunningly low and set to a smooth, groovy soundtrack. That’s what you get at this Bermondsey basement bar. It’s like a secluded bar from a Bond movie, but don’t feel that you have to pack a tuxedo. Or Speedos, for that matter.

Trailer Happiness

Welcome to tiki paradise, population: you, your barman and a whole lotta rum. Notting Hill’s long-standing Polynesian hideaway looks like a bachelor pad, but Tretchikoff prints of exotic women pep up the walls, beaded curtains separate the bathroom from the bar and tropical fruit dresses the bar top. Aloha, good times.

Oriole

All cinemas are awesome but some are just more beautiful than others. This bunch might not have the loudest speakers or biggest screens, but they have got interiors so pretty you might forget to watch the movie…

Institute of Light

Phones – like taking off your shoes – are a cinema no-no. But you’ll struggle to contain the urge to splurge on social media after a trip to the Institute of Light’s cinema in London Fields. Tucked away under the arches of the railway line, the space is all bare brickwork and eclectic furniture – from mid-century sofas to three rows of vintage aeroplane seats. At weekends, the space doubles as a vinyl store for the independent record label BBE, and there’s a restaurant, bar and bookshop out the front.

Everyman Hampstead

Hidden away down a cul-de-sac, the Everyman has got the looks, from its retro sign to its squishy armchairs. There are two screens – the grandest has a cavernous roof and row upon row of pillar-box red seats. For a perfect Sunday, pair with a stroll on the Heath.

Electric Notting Hill

This single-screen cinema on Portobello Road definitely wins the award I’ve just made up for best date location. It’s like stepping inside a Richard Curtis movie, with leather armchairs, cashmere blankets and velvet double beds on the front row for snuggling. The Electric is one of London’s oldest cinemas and the building is Grade II listed-lovely. Inside, it keeps up the retro vibes, heaping on the Hollywood glamour so you half expect to be papped on your way out.

Rio Cinema

Maison Assouline

196A Piccadilly, St. James’s, London W1J 9EY

Nestled in the frightfully grand surroundings of Maison Assouline is the glamorous Swans Bar, the perfect place to rest your weary legs after some serious browsing of glossy books. The Parisian tea comes on appropriately art-deco-inspired plates, with a huge teapot of Earl Grey and an enormous glass of champagne. Gorge on foie gras and delightful little cakes, so content that you may just linger on until cocktail hour…

The Daylesford café

44B Pimlico Road, SW1W 8LP (020 7881 8060)

Afternoon tea at the Daylesford is the actual dream. Step inside and you’ll find white marble floors, bright, just-picked vegetables immaculately laid out in rustic baskets and, most importantly, a pretty amazing afternoon-tea menu. The finger sandwiches are particularly good (classics like smoked salmon with crème fraîche and egg mayonnaise with chives), as are the crumbly fruit scones, which come with a hefty dollop of clotted cream and homemade jam. Once you’ve polished off your last chocolate brownie, tuck into their digest tea blend, made from lemongrass, ginger, nettle leaves and cardamom.

Farmacy

74 Westbourne Grove, London W2 5SH (020 7221 0705)

Notting Hill’s hottest healthy hangout, Farmacy, is giving a whole new meaning to ‘high tea’ with their latest offering – a plant-based afternoon tea where most of the food is infused with cannabidiol, a constituent of cannabis known for its health-boosting properties. Start with a pot of hemp-leaf tea before moving on to smoked-carrot and chickpea blinis, scones with coconut clotted cream, and strawberry and cashew mousse. If that doesn’t perk you up, nothing will.

R Chocolate London

198 Ebury Street, SW1W 8UN (020 8538 9650)

Quintessentially’s Ben Elliot and chocaholic Sir Evelyn de Rothschild are the men behind R Chocolate, an extremely swish new chocolatier/patisserie. Not only does it produce the most exquisite chocolates, it also offers one of the best afternoon teas in town: picture-perfect pastries, eclairs and scones, with industrial amounts of clotted cream, on the prettiest china.

The Parlour at Sketch

9 Conduit Street, W1S 2XG (020 7659 4500)

Open all day, the Parlour comes into its own at teatime, when the heavenliest sandwiches (try the smoked salmon with Jacob’s cream or the quail-egg mayonnaise with caviar) are precursors to some of London’s best scones and pastries, as beautiful to look at as they are to pop. Although the Parlour doesn’t take bookings, you can also have tea in the Gallery, which does.

Oblix at the Shard

Level 32, The Shard, SE1 9RY (020 7268 6700)

If you’re an afternoon-tea connoisseur, we imagine you’ll be looking for something of the HIGHEST splendour. And this, dear friends, is exactly what you’ll get (quite literally) at Oblix. Whizz up to the 32nd floor of the Shard and feast your eyes on the shiniest of silver trays piled high with various treats inspired by London’s boroughs. It’s all about local produce — honeycomb from Harrow bees, chai spice from Brick Lane Market and cured Angus beef straight from a butcher in Lambeth. Our top picks? The duck-egg and truffle-mayonnaise sandwiches and Crunchie-chocolate pecan bar. Yep, the food is as good as the views.

108 Pantry at the Marylebone Hotel

108 Marylebone Lane, W1U 2QE (020 7969 3900)

If you love buttermilk scones and pastries but they don’t love you, check out afternoon tea at 108 Pantry, in the Marylebone Hotel’s Edwardian townhouse. It does a gluten-free tea, either the whole shebang — scones, sandwiches, cakes pastries, and a glass (or two) of small-bubbled Perrier-Jouët Rosé — or you can choose items individually, which is not always possible in some of the grander hotels. There’s a dairy-free option too, and everything is served on pretty, Regency-inspired china.

If decamping to the countryside is impossible, a trip to one of Vogue’s favourite London restaurants with a garden is the next best option, from the River Café’s Thameside terrace to Petersham Nurseries’ Richmond oasis.

Chiltern Firehouse

Five years after its buzzy opening, Marylebone’s Chiltern Firehouse is still one of the best spots for people-watching in London. Nab a seat on the outdoor terrace and while away an afternoon over a glass of Sancerre and a plate of chilled oysters.

Petersham Nurseries

Petersham Nurseries may have launched a beautiful outpost in Covent Garden — but it’s still hard to beat its original site in Richmond when it comes to al fresco dining. The earth floors and geranium-filled urns complement the seasonal Italian dishes perfectly.

The Bourne & Hollingsworth Buildings

The Garden Room at the Bourne & Hollingsworth Buildings in Clerkenwell is full of greenery and natural light. Try the popular weekend brunch for bottomless Bloody Marys, eggs benedict, and a healthy dose of vitamin D.

The Ivy Chelsea Garden

Housed in a grade II-listed building, The Ivy Chelsea Garden on King’s Road has both a terrace and an orangery. The menu includes classics like whole Dover sole and rack of lamb, but it’s the gorgeous roses and wisteria that monopolise the table conversation.

The Restaurant Terrace at The Ritz

The Ritz conjures up images of glittering chandeliers and marble columns — but the terrace at the legendary hotel is a more relaxed affair, with striped awnings and potted flowers. Go for the staggering views of Green Park as much as Michelin-starred chef John Williams’s classic dishes.

Blixen

European brasserie Blixen is an oasis on the edge of Old Spitalfields Market. Reserve a seat in the conservatory, featuring cacti and tropical palms from east London florists Grace & Thorn, and order a range of sharing plates from the modern European menu.

The River Café

A visit to the River Café is always a treat — but dinner on the patio during the warmer months is particularly special. Linger over antipasti and mains prepared with the freshest of summer produce while enjoying Thameside views.