New to London and taking a walk along the Thames Path, I saw a sign for Surrey Docks Farm and Cafe…read moreFrizzante. What is this, I wondered. I happily approached and saw the "free entrance" sign, so I thought, why not? Sure, it smells like a farm, but breathe through your mouth and get exploring! I'm glad I did :) I found pigs, chickens, rabbits, cows, donkeys, and goats to feed. There's an herb garden, dye garden, and orchard, to name but a few of the flora. The cafe looked quaint and neat, and the menu was enticing, but being not hungry, I settled for picking up a packet of newly picked lettuce for .75p. They also sell fresh eggs, housemade sausages and meats in a cold case, and ice cream at the cafe. What a cute little place! The Thames Path is lovely, and this is a fantastic stop. (Also, there are bathrooms, if you are looking to relieve yourself!) Most definitely worth a visit. I'll be back for lunch.

I stumbled upon this gem whilst rambling along the Thames Path east towards Greenwich. It was a…read morelovely afternoon and the placards along the path mention a cafe with ice cream. The entrance via the path is completely unassuming. There is only a vegetable garden and compost, nothing to entice you to enter (except for the ice cream). However, make it past the compost piles and you'll be instantly enchanted. There's a large area for petting goats, separately there are also pigs, chickens, geese, cows, donkeys, and a pony. I'm sure we didn't see everything during our quick turn around the farm because we were so excited by all the shiny objects (plethora of farm animals) that we wound up moving too quickly, even forgetting about the ice cream. I think I was so surprised and overwhelmed by the awesomeness of this place that we had to continue on our way or stay forever. The onsite cafe has an outdoor eating area. The kitchen sells food for £1 a bag to feed the goats. Hand washing stations are set up throughout. There is even Yoga at the Farm (www.yogaatthefarm.com) available. If this place was a religion I would shave my head, give away all my worldly possessions and move right in.

Very limited play areas. The ground floor consisted of an art area (wooden spoon, color pens and…read moretape), a small slide, climbing structure, and a simulated ship reading nook. The first floor has a boat area, rocket ship, and a outdoors . I believe we paid an extra amount to attend this special event closer to closing time where kids were treated to an additional play area for about 45 minutes. Unsure if entire price was worth it but if you're in the area and it's a rainy day by all means come here.

They don't have a 'adults only accompanied by children' notice, so I was able to go in G…read more This is a huge play area. But it's not really in terms of the things in it, but in terms of scale. It doesn't just have a paddling pool. It has a whole complex of them, on different levels. The centre of the site has a small hill. One side is mounds of square concrete blocks made to look like cliffs. Fabulous for kids who love to climb, or to sit on. On the other side are three giant slides. Another feature is a zipline (closer to ground level!). Overall great for the more active and adventurous kids, whether that means exploring a paddling pool for the younger ones, or heading for the slides for those older. It's also close to a couple of lakes, a formal garden, the deer enclosure It's also where you'll find the toilets. Always good to know

I agree with what moonrising say's is really is for the adventurous, BUT!!!! it hasn't changed much…read morefrom when I was a kid the otherday...lolol Victory park is very much an original but is in need of an upgrade, which I did see that this year that is what they were doing YEAH!!!! if you go there now you will still have a great day but will need to keep an eye out for your child, 1 min there tugging at your leg, the next they've vanished...

My kids love sky zone, best place to burn some energy and spend time with friends. recommendread more

E6 flip out is the worst one I've ever been to and I've been a few times thinking maybe it's a bad…read moreday but the service is awful , the do not have any care at all for hygiene ! They let as many people in as possible to the point it's just dangerous! The staff are unhelpful and are so slow at getting families booked in ! I tried to complain to the manager and he was clearly high ! Just awful every single time I've been ! My 3 year old was constantly being injured as there was so many people in facility even down to spectators there wasn't even any space to stand and watch the children ! Minus stars ! Do recommend the Brent Cross venue as it's a lot cleaner and staff are a lot more helpful

Located at the bottom of Mile End Park (furthest from Mile End Road), Mile End Park Leisure Centre…read moreis a relatively new addition to this area of East London. Providing excellent facilities to the local community, this leisure centre can boast an excellent running track, five-a-side football and hockey courts, tennis, badminton, a 25m swimming pool, first-class gym, spa facilities and various fitness training programme. I started going here twice-weekly some years ago as part of a misguided attempt to bring myself back to a level approaching fitness. Predominantly I used the gym and swimming pool facilities but my membership also gave me access to the spa. You're unlikely to find better value for money anywhere else in London. Even without a membership it's fairly inexpensive - a swim costs around £2.50. They also organise weekly or bi-weekly swimming sessions for women only or baby and mother groups. If you live around this area this is a brilliant place to come and relax or keep up with a bit of fitness.

This is a local gym run by Tower hamlets. Which means the staff a fairly inept but it is cheap and…read moreclean. Membership is less than £1 a day. It also has a pool. Massive bonus for ladies is that there is a Ladies only gym. This is to allow for the larg muslim population in the area. There is hardly ever anyone in there so it's great. On certain nights there is Ladies only swimming which my friends and I call "Quimswim". Between7pm and 10pm on a Thursday and some other times there is Quim Swim. The pool is fairly empty by 9pm. It's great.

This centre in south London is unbeatable! Only wish it was more accessible as it is a nightmare to…read moreget to on public transit. The location is massive but easy to navigate around. You enter upon a massive reception area, lockers to the left and adjacent are toilets and changing rooms. But as I am writing during covid times, the changing rooms are not available at the moment! Through the main doors you enter upon the roped walls and lead walls. To the left is the stairs that go to the first floor. Continuing on the ground floor the back area is a traverse wall and bouldering section. The first floor holds a cafe with some seriously yummy eats! Their paninis are pretty great as well as their sweet treats. They've got a variety of drinks as well. There's a decent amount of seating space and behind all that is another bouldering section. The staff are great, the community is awesome, what more can you ask for?

The Reach is a new (as of January 2010) climbing wall in the Southeast London area (Woolwich)…read more Located in an industrial estate, the premises offers a huge amount of space, which has begun to be filled with exciting new climbing walls and artificial boulders. I visited with a climbing partner on the opening weekend (free climbing = yay!) and although the place is clearly not complete yet, there are plenty of walls completed to keep you occupied for a long session. The climbing is already quite varied, with slabs and overhangs at various angles, and some volumes added to the walls. There are lead areas and top ropes, and one of the slabs is at a very nice angle (I would have loved to have a go at a ridiculous speed climb up it), has been painted with a mural, and was being used for children to climb. At the same time, the lead area boasts some very steep and difficult routes, so I don't think that anyone could have nothing within their grade to go at. At the time of my visit, there were no featured walls (i.e. moulded to approximate the shape of rock and quite common at newish climbing walls), but there are plans for some. A campus board area is also apparently on the way. Hopefully some more efficient heating is also on the way, as it was very cold inside on the opening day. I mention this as you might want to take a large jacket with you, not to put people off going - if you're a climber in the UK, then you won't mind the cold! I do think this will improve, and if it helps, the changing rooms were nice and warm. Possibly the most important feature of a climbing wall is the cafe (climbers being extremely partial to hot drinks and cake) and so a makeshift cafe offering very reasonably priced snacks and drinks had been set up for opening, and I think the cafe as a whole will be complete very soon. The cafe is located on a mezzanine level, on which the main bouldering area also rests. While we were there, we heard one of the staff discussing a huge boulder which was unfinished at one end of the building, which is going to be on a pivot so that the whole boulder can be tilted, creating new problems, which seems like a really cool idea. Although I live on the other side of London, I will make another visit to The Reach, and so might update this review as new areas are completed. I would definitely recommend this wall for people who live a bit closer than me, or work in the area. The staff were really interested to see what people thought of the new wall, and seem like they are really trying to tailor the wall to climbers' wishes. If you've not climbed before, you need to ring them before you go, to arrange for a course to acquaint yourself with the required skills, but existing climbers can register any time they are open, at the reception.

Cookies Island is a play area for little children and it is located in the Gallions Reach Retail…read morePark in Beckton. It is at the further end towards shops such as Tk Maxx and Boots and there is plenty of parking. It is on an upper level so you can either take the stairs or there is also a lift from parents with prams, wheelchairs etc. The play area itself is quite nice and clean. There is also a small cefeteria place where you can order some drinks or snacks. There are plenty of bathrooms as well which are well cleaned and managed. They can also arrange parties for children and they do have a lovely space. It does get crowded on weekends though. Another service they do provide is that you can drop off your child and pick them up after a while (if you want to shop in peace!)

i have been informed by the staff that work there that ALL the food at cookies island is Halal,…read moreapart from sausages and bacon. They do have a good play area which the children enjoy. we would not eat there again though as there is no choice for other faith believers or people who don't agree with the way halal food is killed. I went to cookies island today (23/02/2011), there were no signs anywhere stating that all the food is halal, the only mention is on the bottom of the cafe menu that states "halal options are also available".

Up at the O2 was an amazing experience! It's a relatively easy climb and the payoff is great…read moreconsidering you get incredible views of the Thames and the London skyline. Getting to the O2 is easy. There's always the tube- the station is literally right there, or by ferry. We took the Uber Boat from Greenwich and it was a scenic way to get there. I was pretty blown away by how extensive the O2 footprint is. Not only is it a huge arena, but it also has an outlet mall and a ton of restaurants attached to it. The check-in site for Up at the O2 is easy to find as it's not too far from the main entrance. You'll want to arrive a bit early to make sure all your release forms are filled out beforehand. Once your group is called, you go through a brief video introduction followed by time to use the restroom and then you are assigned shoes (if necessary) and a harness. Next, you are provided with a bin to place your personal belongings since you are only permitted to bring your phone. The bins are locked away, so no worries on bringing your purse or backpacks- they are secure . Next you get a more detailed briefing on safety and how to get into the harness We had an extraordinarily talented guide by the name of Dan who was funny and was a real delight the entire time. He was engaging and thoughtful. Really blown away by how awesome he was. It's like he was born to lead climbs at the O2, lol! Before embarking on the actual trek up the O2, there's an opportunity to pose for pictures before you go up with their photographer You'll later have an option to purchase after the climb. The climb itself is on a ramp that is on an incline and it's almost like a trampoline-like material. You are harnessed and tethered to a rail the whole way up and down, so it feels very safe. Once you reach the top, there's pop music and a jovial atmosphere as everyone gets to take in the amazing view. There is an option to purchase water or champagne before the climb and they'll have it waiting for you at the top. We had opted for the sunset climb and we saw incredible views of the city. We even got to witness a marriage proposal at the top- very special indeed! After descending, you have the option to purchase photos of your climb in various packages. Even though it's a bit cheesy, we totally did because it was nice to have some reminders of this fun experience. I would totally recommend Up at the O2 for something fun and off the beaten path to do in London. So glad we did it!

This was on the 'to do list' when we planned our trip to London. Sounded exciting and the pics we…read moresaw reinforced the excitement. Once we got to the O2, to be honest, the dome hike was honestly underwhelming. However, we had to do it. Not terribly expensive and they have all the necessary gear to include shoes which they make almost everyone wear. They have light jackets with zipper pockets and thing grippy gloves to borrow. They have free storage bins they secure too. Must be at least 18 OR accompanied by an adult and sign a waiver for everyone participating. You watch a short safety video then they move you into another room to get the gear on. Quick gear check and up you go. Wasn't rainy for our trip but it was a cold and windy January day. Obviously the wind can get pretty gusty being up in the air and along the river. Overall I was pretty underwhelmed. Thought it would be higher and that there would be better views. The tour guide was great, funny and helpful, but the view was just a different angle of a bunch of high raises. You can't see any of the major London attractions from here because of distance and high rise buildings blocking the view. It's worth doing if you have the time, money and minimal expectations. This is not an adrenaline thing (at least not for someone that has sky dived and walked across other major bridges)