With dinosaurs and parks for kids, and views and historical sites for adults, Craig Doyleexplains why the city makes for a perfect family break, while, Catherine Macksuggests 10 ways to beat the heat
BEING THE OLDEST child in the house has its advantages. My boy arrived when I was still touring the globe, so he quickly became an essential piece of hand luggage. He sat in the captain's chair during the Queen Mary II'sinaugural voyage across the Atlantic. He has wasted pints of ice cream in Italy and has already had enough of Spain. So when he was asked "where is your favourite place to travel?" recently, I awaited the answer with interest.
My son gave a look that only a five-year-old can give; the look that says: "I may be cute but get out of my space, monkey face." But, after much irritating cajoling, he answered "London".
Yep, he's clocked up air miles that some of us can only dream of, but he loves London. It's entirely based on two things: dinosaurs and pirate ships. London is famous for many things, but its prehistoric animals and vessels for thieving sailors might come as a surprise to you.
One can be found in the Peter Pan playground in Kensington Park (which is only notionally separate to Hyde Park) and the other in the Natural History Museum, beside the equally fantastic Science Museum. They are easy to get to and free. But museums might not strike you as an obvious place to bring kids when in a city as exciting as London. So why do it?
Well, picture all the stuff in your child's toy box in full scale, with some of it actually coming to life, throw in a water play area (waterproofs provided) and a cafe with good strong coffee and you can see why it's a winning formula.
The Natural History Museum is wonderful. As you enter its huge ornate lobby you are greeted by the skeleton of a . . . well a massivethingysaurus! I'm sorry, but my five-year-old is not here to help me with the names. Whatever these prehistoric beasts are called, there are lots of them. The highlight is the earthquake room, where you stand in a mock-up of a kitchen and a simulated tremor hits, causing the room to fall apart as the noise bounces off the walls. It's entertaining for the little ones, and educational too.
The Science Museum is of a similar scale. Fighter jets hang from the ceiling, and the Apollo space pod forms a centrepiece among the astronaut suits and rockets in the Space section. Then there is the "launch pad", where kids and parents get to carry out experiments and play in the water area. This place is phenomenal and it's free, amazing when I think that I recently paid a €34 entrance fee for Imaginosity in Dublin, a kids' interactive experience that doesn't come close to what even one floor of the Science Museum offers.
The queues for both the Natural History Museum and Science Museum can be very long, so go on a weekday or when they first open on weekends.
Let's stay on the free theme for a while, because most of London's greatest adventures for families don't cost a penny. Take London's parks, for example.
Hyde Park, in the middle of the city. has a wonderful playground with the aforementioned pirate ship, along with an enormous sand pit, climbing frames, and areas where everybody can just run around and hide and scream. There is an outdoor cafe beside it and it has monitored security. Did I mention it's free?
Regent's Park is just a child's tantrum from Trafalgar Square, and in the summer there is live music every lunchtime and evening and you can help feed the pelicans daily. There is a brilliant restaurant slap-bang in the middle, Inn on the Park, which is great for afternoon tea or dinner - it even has toilets without heroin addicts and with baby-changing facilities.
I was in St Stephen's Green with the kids recently and it started to rain, so we sheltered beneath the empty bandstand. A warden came over and told us "you can't go in there - out, all of you". We were left to huddle beneath a shelter with 30 Spanish students smoking . . . lovely.
In London's parks you are made to feel welcome - these are the people's parks, and whether you live there or are on a weekend break, you are one of the people. In fact, their catchphrase is "The Royal Parks - London's Personal Space".
The West End is hot and heaving in the summer and should probably be avoided, although when I travelled to London as a kid with my family we used to love it. My parents would walk us through Soho, which was a different place back then - edgier and scruffier. There was such a buzz around the stage doors of the theatres; we were fascinated by the neon lights over the adult cinemas, strip joints and peepshows. To a child it was the scariest, most exciting place on Earth, and offered quite an education in the real world. I suppose that's the beauty of London - the buzz of the city streets alongside the peace of the parks and river.
I have fallen back in love with the Thames of late. The studios I work from are on the South Bank, which has undergone some major development recently. The walk from the London Eye to Tower Bridge is a wonderful afternoon out. If it's a clear day start with the Eye, but book ahead on the internet and pay extra for the VIP treatment, as the queues are long. This will take care of most of your sightseeing, as you get a bird's-eye view of the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace and the Wembley Arch.
The Thames pathway will take you alongside the river all the way to the bridge. It is great for buggies and bikes and there are endless stop-offs en route (bikes can be hired from Gabriel's Wharf beside the London Studios). My highlights are: the Globe Theatre, HMS Belfast, the London Dungeon and Borough Market. The market on a Friday is real Jamie Oliver territory - goat's cheese frittata and funny haircuts. This is the best market I know of in Britain or Ireland - don't miss it.
Your final stop is the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. I love this area because the architecture is insane, with the glass-panelled Norman Foster "Gherkin" standing beside the majestic towers of Tower Bridge. There is a huge paved area for the kids to run around as you sit back and take in the diversity of this brilliant city. If the queues are not too long, take the Tower of London tour. It's a bit cheesy, all turrets and tales of beheaded princesses, but what's not to like about that?
When you are done, jump on a river boat at Bankside Pier back to Festival Pier. A short walk from there you will find the ultimate in family dining, a place where spilling juice and throwing food is not only allowed but celebrated: Giraffe. This is a chain of family restaurants, so there are quite a few of them dotted around town. If you are sick of your kids being offered fish fingers and chicken nuggets and chips you will love it here. The decor is warm and friendly without being too "junior infants", the menu is varied and organic, and the ethos is about fresh, healthy food. The kids' menu has the likes of salmon fingers with fresh veggies and raw veggie salad, grilled red snapper and chicken macaroni. This place works for kids and parents alike, and if you can get over their rather annoying slogan "Love eat live", I think you will really like it.
It is 460km from Dublin to London, a very short distance to travel for a very big experience.
• Craig Doyle is a former presenter of BBC travel show Holidayand is currently an ITV sports anchor. He is married with three children and lives in Wicklow
TEN WAYS TO STAY COOL IN THE CITY
MOST LONDONERS want to get out of the city in summer, but for me this is when it's at its best - as long as you know how to find ways to cool down when the temperatures start to soar. Being cool is not really my forte, but keeping cool is. Here are some tips:
1Hampstead Heath swimming pondsThere are three lakes on Hampstead Heath in north London, and all are designated swimming areas. One is for men only, another for women only, and the third is mixed. I am a regular visitor to the women's pond, one of the most magical escapes from metropolitan madness. It's like a scene from a Constable painting, except he, being the wrong gender, would never have been allowed paint it. Women relish the privacy of the lake, its grassy banks and foliage of ancient trees all around. There are lifeguards and changing facilities, and you can swim there from dawn till dusk.
2Swim in the SerpentineHyde Park is one of London's eight Royal Parks, so called because they are all on land formerly owned by the monarchy, which used them for leisure pursuits such as hunting and riding. They are now invaluable green spaces for Londoners. The Serpentine is one of several natural ponds in Hyde Park, but the only one where swimming is permitted. www.royalparks.gov.uk.
3Lovely lidosThere are 12 lidos, or outdoor swimming pools in London. The appropriately named Oasis is one of the best places to cool down in Covent Garden, right in the city centre. It is open until sunset, and all year round, so you can shop till you drop and then cool down in the pool before catching a show. There is an indoor pool for the less hardy when temperatures start to drop. Most of the lidos are council-run, with basic facilities, and the majority were built in the 1920s and 1930s, and are fine examples of art-deco architecture. www.lidos.org.uk.
4On your bikeGetting on your bicycle is a good way of avoiding the Underground overheating mania, and it doesn't have to be as scary as you think. The London Cycling Campaign's website ( www.lcc.org.uk).isfull of suggestions for safe cycling routes in London.
Just for starters, you can put your bike on the mainline train at Waterloo as far as Hampton Court Palace, do the tourist thing, and then pedal back along the Thames Valley Cycle Path to Richmond, where you can cool off in the lido. Hiring a bike in London is easy. Monthly rental from www.londonbicycle.comin central London is a bargain at £78.00 (about €100).
OYBike allows you to order a bicycle via your mobile phone, pick it up at one of 50 bike stations around the city, use it for as long as you need, and deposit it at another of their stations. OYBike is so keen to get Londoners on bikes it even offers free hire for a half-hour trip. www.oybike.com.
5Paddle and playLondon has a plethora of paddling pools dotted around the city, and many have children-friendly cafes. My favourites are at Coram's Fields ( www.coramsfields.org), where you can cool down after a visit to the British Museum, and the water feature at the Princess Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens, after walking the length of Oxford Street ( www.royalparks.gov.uk).
6Somerset HouseFleet Street is one of London's busiest business streets. And one of the greyest. People here are so wrapped up in targets and deadlines they don't hear the screams of delight emanating from a nearby courtyard. Somerset House, since it was built in 1547, has been a royal residence, a naval centre, a tax office and, most recently, a collection of art galleries, the most famous of which is the Courtauld Institute of Art. www.somersethouse.org.uk.
7Outdoor artsOutdoor cinema, theatre and concerts are all very much a feature of the London summer arts scene. Shakespeare's Globe Theatre is not only a fantastic day or night out, it is also great value, with standing or "groundling" tickets only £5. This year choose from A Midsummer Night's Dream, King Lear and Merry Wives of Windsor. You can even take the river boat there, with the Bankside stop just outside the theatre's front gates. Other venues worth visiting include Opera in Holland Park ( www.operahollandpark.com), and Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park ( www.openairtheatre.org). There are also outdoor concerts at Somerset House and Kenwood House on Hampstead Heath, where you can see Van Morrison, Katherine Jenkins and more this summer.
8Travel by boatThere are various tour boats at central points on the Thames, such as at the Tower of London, Westminster and South Bank, but the best boat for just getting around the city, with roamer tickets so you can hop on and off as you wish, is the commuter service, Thames Clippers. The service is fast and efficient, and stops at all the tourist attractions, including the London Eye, Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge, Tate Modern, Tate Britain and the Globe Theatre. You can put your bike on board, and if you have a pushchair it is a great way to get around. Roamer tickets are £8 for adults, £18 for families. www.thamesclippers.com.
9Swimmming in the ThamesWild swimming is the new craze in the UK since the recent publication of Wild Swimby Kate Rew. You can join the wild bunch by taking on the Thames itself. Swimtrek runs outdoor swimming holidays, one of which is a two-day break on the Thames, swimming approximately seven kilometres a day. Don't worry, you won't be in the grimy limey bits that flow through the city centre, but in the upper non-tidal leafy green bits outside Oxford. Apparently it is at its cleanest ever, with sightings of salmon, otters and kingfishers along the way. www.swimtrek.com.
10 Park lifeThis is not escaping the heat so much as making the most of it: sunbathing in one of the capital's eight Royal Parks. But don't forget to bring your suncream.
Where to stay
London hotels can be pretty expensive when you have a few in your family, and not all will have connecting rooms. As the Doyle family has increased we have moved towards short-let apartments or aparthotels, which are like a home from home, except somebody else does the cleaning and bed-making. The following are a few choices in varying price ranges, starting with the best:
Ascott apartments. 49 Hill Street, Mayfair, 00-44-20-74996868,
www.2.the-ascott.com. I love staying here with my wife and kids as it's small and cosy, and luxurious in an over-the-top Mayfair way. It feels like a home from home, although it's far too chintzy to live in, but perfect for a few days away. A
two-bedroom apartment will cost about £300 (about €375) per night - that might seem a lot, but two rooms in a very average hotel will cost you that, and this will be a lot better. It's also conveniently located - just a short stroll into Hyde Park and Oxford Street.
Fraser Place. 39B Queens Gate Gardens, 00-44-20-79693555, http://frasershospitality.com. This is very handy for the museums, which are just minutes away. Available per night, the apartments are practical and child-friendly. Services include babysitting. Premier Inn London County Hall. Belvedere Road, 00-44-87-02383300, www.premierinn.com. Two children under 15 can stay free when sharing a family room in a brilliant location in the old County Hall building. The London Eye passes by the windows and it is geared to family life, with cots, pull-out beds and kids' menus. It is a Premier Inn, however, so don't expect too many luxuries.
Where to eat
Giraffe. Various locations, 00-44-20-79282004 (South Bank branch), www.giraffe.net. There are branches right across London (more information on location is available on the website). It is both kid- and adult-friendly and has good organic food. It is a good idea to book ahead on weekends. Sticky Fingers. 1 Philmore Gardens, Kensington, 00-44-20-79385338, www.stickyfingers.co.uk.
This restaurant, owned by founding member of The Rolling Stones Bill Wyman, is never going to be a healthy hang-out, but it sure is tasty. The burgers have been voted the best in London, so for that sort of food it's the place to go. It's always busy, so book ahead.
Where to go
London Eye. 0044-87-05000600,
www.londoneye.com. The fast-track "flights" cost £25 each but are worth it at busy times, and there is a discount for web bookings. Otherwise, for normal "flights", children
under five go free, under-15s cost £7.75, and adult tickets are £15.50. The nearest Tube station is Waterloo, a five-minute walk.
Science Museum and Deep Blue restaurant. Exhibition Road, South Kensington, 0044-87-08704868,
www.sciencemuseum.org.uk. Our family loves this place - it's a great setting, full of exciting exhibitions to keep the kids occupied. The food in the restaurant is very good, too. The nearest Tube station is South Kensington on the District, Circle and Piccadilly lines.
Natural History Museum. Cromwell Road, 00-44-20-79425000, www.nhm.ac.uk. Another kids' favourite, and it's not difficult to see why - dinosaurs and bugs abound. There are five family-friendly cafes and restaurants around the museum.