London, Great Britain

Our house is highly accessible to central London. Total journey time of 26 minutes by underground, including 9 minutes walk to Leytonstone station on the Central Line.

Upper Leytonstone is an attractive suburban part of London with large areas of open space in Epping Forest closeby and the Olympic Park (2012 Olympics venue) near Stratford, with its playgrounds, stadium, swimming pool, cycling opportunities and food and drink. Closeby are good quality pubs, cafes and music venues in Leytonstone and Wanstead town centres.

You can have the best of central London whilst having the space and time to relax in between your journeys as there is so much to see.

See https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/sightseeing/london-attraction/top-ten-attractions

From the modern Coca-Cola London Eye, to the historic Tower of London, the top 10 tourist attractions in London are a must-see on any London sightseeing trip.

There are also plenty of kid-friendly places to visit in London such as the underwater creatures at SEALIFE London Aquarium or explore the Science Museum, London's interactive hub of science and technology.

You could also soak up some culture at London museums, visit the Queen at Buckingham Palace, or take the perfect picture with Big Ben. The view from the Shard, see London Dungeon, London Zoo, Madam Tussauds, have a night boat ride on the River Thames or quick commuter boat rides from Embankment to the O2 (the worlds most successful concert venue) at North Greenwich.

Arts
South Bank Centre can be got to via Waterloo on the Jubilee Line http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk; and Tate Modern http://www.tate.org.uk/ that you can get to by going to St Pauls on the Central Line and walking across the River Thames on the Millennium Bridge.

There are lots to see in East London: https://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/the-best-things-to-do-in-east-london such as Columbia Road Flower Market, Brick Lane beigels, Box Park Shoreditch, Victoria Park, Emirates airline, Olympic pool and park, Velopark, Broadway Market, God’s Own Junkyard and Alfred Hitchcock’s very own birthplace in Leytonstone.

Pubs/cafes/restaurants - Good ale - The North Star https://www.thenorthstarpub.co.uk/ (voted best pub in East London by Campaign for Real Ale with great pizza and Thai food offers) https://www.thebirds.pub/ Location, Interesting pub Alfred Hitchcock Hotel, Red Lion with Leytonstone Ballroom Upstairs (also voted best pub) https://theredlionleytonstone.com/

The best coffee is at Wild Goose Bakery (fresh sourdough daily) https://www.wildgoosebakery.com/reservations and a favourite, well placed and reliable Cafe D'Horizon.

Live music : Luna Lounge, is on Church Lane near the Library and Church in the town centre that has music 7 evenings per week. The Leytonstone Social Club (ex servicemans club) has fine jazz also.

A good quality India restaurant is Masala India https://goo.gl/maps/DvQhFUF7ZLdTikf89 and closer is Star of India

Wanstead is a pretty town centre also and has many cafes also. There is a church with a recreation ground surrounding with a good playground

Walthamstow is a short cycle and walk away with a nice village feel at Orford Road e17 that has a good tapas bar called the Orford Salon, 32 Orford Road, Walthamstow, E17 9NJ

Golf - www.wansteadgolf.org.uk

Gardens/open space
• Locally there is Hollow Ponds, 10 minute walk away, that has a boating lake and tea huts.
• Wanstead Park is part of Epping Forest

Greenwich Park has the Royal Observatory and Royal Naval College you can get to it by tube and Docklands Light Railway.

Swimming
• London Aquatics Centre (Olympic sized)
• Leyton Leisure Lagoon (fun swim)

Walking
• Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (surrounds the Lea Valley rivers and canals around the 2012 Olympic venues)
• Copper Box Arena (basketball and gym)
• Arcelor Mittal Orbit (high space to view Olympic Park and go down a slide)