Uncovering Hidden Gems with Discover Real London’s Staycation Tour

Last updated on March 4th, 2021 at 10:50 pm

AD | I was kindly invited on this tour by Ollie at Discover Real London on a gifted basis, however all views are my own

Guided tours in London. I’m ashamed to say that before recently, I had never partaken in any sort of tour in the City. General concerns centre around what if it rains? What if there’s the one person in your group that doesn’t stop talking over the guide? What if you get left at the back? This is where Discover Real London step in, with guided London taxi tours like no other. Recently we were invited to experience the ‘Staycation Tour’ with Ollie, and it. was. a. blast.

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“Escape the tourist trail of Zone 1 in an Iconic London Taxi and embark on a voyage of discovery that really scratches beneath the surface of this incredible city. On this half day tour you will see the places where Londoners live, work and play”
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Designed this year for those that are fairly familiar with London but want to discover a more hidden side, the Staycation Tour is around four hours long, with pickup anywhere in zone one. With the comfort of your very own black cab to jump in and out of, there are no worries of sore feet, getting rained on or people getting in your way. And the information that you learn? Let’s just say I thought I knew a fair bit about London (y’know, dedicating an entire blog to it!) but came away with pages of notes and a very-nearly-full camera roll. I can’t credit Ollie’s knowledge and myriad of facts enough.

Without further ado, come along with us on the Staycation Tour, detailed stop by stop. I’ve not included all of the facts we learnt and treasures that we saw, don’t want to give too much of the tour away before you experience it for yourself! Steps were taken to ensure that the tours are as COVID safe as possible. The taxi was fully sanitised before we entered, with a screen between the passenger seats and Ollie driving, and masks were worn at all times inside the taxi, with social distancing adhered to when we exited at the below stops.

The Staycation Tour is currently on offer at £169 rather than the RRP of £239, until further notice

Stop One: The Prospect of Whitby

We began the day in Wapping, on a tiny hidden beach on the bank of the Thames. A beach in central London is strange enough in itself, but making this a really unique first stop was the noose eerily standing on the shoreline. From 1802, 80% of imported goods came into the Port of London, so today the noose represents the old execution dock that was used for the likes of Pirates and sea crime.

The beach is home to over 90,000 artefacts so is an incredibly popular destination for beachcombers. With such a strong tide in the Thames various pots, Roman coins and parts of weapons are washed up daily, meaning that any two days of treasure hunting are never the same. The history doesn’t stop there! This small piece of shoreline backs onto The Prospect of Whitby, the oldest riverside pub on the Thames, dating way back to 1520 when it was frequented by sailors and smugglers.

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Stop Two: The London Wall

It was then back in the taxi to visit one of the remaining parts of the London Wall. I won’t lie, I didn’t know much about Roman London at all, so found this really fascinating! Built by the Romans who arrived in London in 49ad, the London Wall originally enclosed the City of London, protecting the area and acting as a status symbol; that those inside it were perceived as ‘superior’ to those outside the wall.

Gates allowed citizens and visitors in and out of the the City of London, whose legacy remain until this day in areas names such as ‘Bishopsgate’ and ‘Aldgate’. The part pictured below near the Tower of London is one of the largest remaining pieces of wall, with another by Barbican.

Stop Three: St. Dunstan in the East

If you follow any London influencers on Instagram, chances are you recognise the beautiful gardens of St. Dunstan in the East. It’s hard to believe that these stunning gothic ruins are a stones throw from the bustle of Bank and Monument; the perfect juxtaposition between nature and the modern architecture of the city. Built around 1100, the original church was destroyed in the Great Fire of London. The tower was rebuilt, only for the church to be partly destroyed again during the blitz. Only the steeple and north and south walls remain, making a beautiful public park and area of serenity in the heart of the City of London. A relatively undiscovered gem, St Dunstan in the East is unsurprisingly a popular location for photoshoots, filming and wedding photography.

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Stop Four: Southwark Bridge

Previously, Southwark to me was just the tube stop before I need to hop off the Jubilee line to get to work. Oh how wrong I was my friends, there are so many fascinating facts surrounding this inner city borough. Stopping off at the South side of Southwark Bridge, we learnt about the area’s gruesome history, why there is a tiny stone seat, what many bollards actually are, and explored hidden art on Millenium Bridge, more detail on which can all be found here.

Find out more with these fascinating facts about Southwark.

Stop Five: Crossbones Graveyard

A short ride from the Southbank sits the fascinating Crossbones Graveyard. Home to 15,000 graves, which is hard to believe in such a small area, Crossbones was the graveyard of outcasts. Back in the nineteenth century sinners, paupers and prostitutes weren’t permitted to be buried in church, so Crossbones became a mass grave that grew and grew. The graveyard was closed in 1853, and today visitors tie multicoloured ribbons or locks on the gates to remember their ancestors in a moving but beautiful memorial.

Opposite Crossbones Graveyard is Red Cross Garden, an award winning park in the centre of the City. Founded by Octavia Hill, one of the three founders of the National Trust, the garden demonstrated the importance of improving housing for the poor and the houses around the quaint garden are still lived in to this day. From there it was up Borough High Street towards Waterloo, with a stop off at the George Inn, a great example of an old coaching house and Charles Dickens’ local.

Stop Six: Leake Street Arches

Leake Street Arches has to be up there as one of my favourite stops on the Staycation Tour. Such a cool discovery! I’ve always been fascinated by street art, and this tunnel hidden under Waterloo station is a sight to behold. Created by Banksy during the 2008 Cans Festival, Leake Street is the only place in London where street art is authorised, and it is definitely appreciated. A fab added touch to the tour was the spray can that Ollie produced from the glovebox, to leave The London Lifestyle’s own lil’ mark in the corner of one of the walls. Also how impressive is the mural on the ceiling?! Head to our Instagram to see more and Ollie’s spray painting skills in action.

Stop Seven: Abbey Road

Abbey Road is an area that needs no introduction; arguably the most famous zebra crossing in London brought to life on the album cover of The Beatles Abbey Road album. Rumour has it that you can queue for ages to walk ‘the’ crossing, so to get a photo with no traffic in the background is quite something! Being there quite early in the morning coupled with it being a pretty grey drizzly day were key factors in the quietness of the area, as well as there currently not being as many tourists in the city as usual.

Just up the road from The Beatles’ famed crossing stand Abbey Road Studios themselves, where the magic of the album was recorded, alongside the likes of Duran Duran’s self titled album, Oasis’ Be Here Now and Kanye’s College Dropout. It shocked me that the studios are on such a main road, and pretty close to the road too. I don’t know why, I always expected them to be more hidden! Unsurprisingly the studios are gated off, however the wall outside is free to be written on to leave your mark. Whilst it was so quiet we also took the opportunity to take some snaps with the iconic Abbey Road street sign, a great memento.

Stop Eight: Little Venice

Concluding the tour was a stop at the beautiful Little Venice; the junction where the Grand Union and Regent’s Canals meet, just north of Paddington. Watching the boats pass by from the bridge above, we learnt that moorings on this stretch of the canal cost around a whopping £15,000 per year. Canal boats can also be rented on AirBnB, what a cool place to stay for your next trip to London?!

Between Abbey Road and Little Venice, Ollie had spotted a giant red telephone box which we stopped off to have a gander at. It was just an odd sight, a telephone box the height of two on top of each other and a unique photo opportunity; I’m sure you’ll be seeing the below on the ‘gram pretty soon.

Conveying the magic of the Staycation Tour in words, I really hope I’ve done this wonderful excursion justice. Between the eight stops we also marvelled at other nick-nacks that you wouldn’t usually spot; community libraries housed in phone boxes on the street, filming locations of Harry Potter and James Bond, the giraffe house at London Zoo that can be seen from the street, if you know the right spot. It’s definitely something that you need to experience to appreciate the magic for yourself. And don’t worry, I haven’t included enough detail to spoil the tour for you!

Website: www.discoverreallondon.com
Instagram: @blacktaxitours

Discover Real London’s tours would make a wonderful family day out, a very unique date, or the perfect gift for any member of the family, whether they are frequent visitors to London or have never visited before. Taxis hold up to five people and are wheelchair accessible, and all tours including the Staycation Tour can be booked via the website above. Ollie, thanks so much for having us!