London is a town of opposite sides, the Capital of England, and place that can anger and enthrall a traveler at the very same time.
The name itself, London, ringing in the ears of any who visit, showing its history of might. The capital is filled with entertainments to enthrall day or night. It can both seem intimidating and humbled, prosperous and failing inside the same breath. the city of London is filled with lower class people surrounded by amazing riches.
It is a mix of both the working and higher classes, high profile business men next to beggars on the street. The Traditional English culture, as well as modern sights are on offer for any travelers coming to the town of London. But in this jumbled mess, of the Big Ben, Tate Modern, Pete Doherty and the upcoming 2012 London olympics, it all fits together securely.
The Capital of London can cater for Travelers all year round, with only the minority of the attractions closing for much of the year. Due to the infamous rainy English weather there are chances of cloudy and wet weather all year round. The summer months of June to August are generally your safest bet, but this isn’t set in stone and generally the prices and crowds are bigger at the time as well
Weather
The Weather of London, and of the United Kingdom in general, can at best be described at… unpredictable, many blaming global warming on the bursts of heatwaves and wet storms. It is true that summer are seeing all time records nearing the 40 degree mark (Celsius). This can cause problems for would be travelers as the smog and the underground trains are equipped to deal with such new found heat.
Though global warming don’t seem to be having any real effect on the averages of the capital of London, Travelers enjoying a comfortable 23 Degree average, dropping to 2 degrees at night in the winter.
For anyone traveling to London to experience a ‘white winter’ will be sorely disappointed. Even though there as been several cases of snow over the winter months, it very rarely reaches the right temperature for freezing, even during the winter nights
As a summary of London’s weather can be described with one word: Extreme. Hot summers and wet Winters.
Active activities in London
For those of use who like a more active lifestyle, London can offer several ways to plan on an active holiday, not including the facilities that will be added for the 2012 London Olympics.
Paddle boating
There are a multitude of places to hire a pedal boat and go boating around the waters of Hyde park
Cycling
London embraces biking, so finding a place to hire a bike isn’t a huge problem, with a multitude of parks and bike rides. Be warned though that using cycling as a form of travel through the traffic is extremely hazards and should only be done by an experienced traffic cycler.
Swimming
For those who prefer to go inside the water instead of over it, London offers a multitude of open air and indoor facilities. If normal swimming isn’t your thing, then take a trip down to the relaxing spas.
Horse riding
The paths of Hyde park is the place to follow this noble sport, and travelers can hire the horses by the hour and follow the hoof prints of Aristocrats of old.
Gym
A sad thing about the hotels of London is the lack of Gym facilities available to a traveler. If your hotels is also missing a place to work out, you can try the Oasis Sports Centre located in Covent Garden, offering some of the worlds best in gym equipment.
Roller skating
Something that is missing from many capitals, there are large groups of roller skating enthusiasts that can be found in the Hyde park. If this sounds like something you would enjoy, head over to the Wellington Arch every Friday.
Walking
Again it is Hydes park that provides the bulk of places to go for this type of exercise, displaying an impressive array of walks. For a quieter time you might want to consider Regents Park
Events and Holidays in London
If you plan on visiting on any of the important public holidays: New year, Easter, Bank holiday, Christmas and boxing day, you might find that shopping becomes a little harder, since most businesses of all kinds close on these day. Luckily though there are generally some shops open due to the amount of cultures and religions that are accepted and present inside London.
London, due to its cultural acceptance and size, has a large array of Festivals around the year. It all starts off on new years eve with the spectacular fireworks and trafalgar square party. On pancake day travelers can find pancake eating contests at the Covent Garden, and the world famous London marathon is held in May, followed soon after by the colours and excitement of the FA cup held later in the month. On the last week of May the flower show is held displaying the skill of all the flower growers who could make it to the event.
The queens birthday parade is the next event held, the Trooping the Colour festive is held in June, to be quickly followed by the spectacular tennis that Wimbledon gives, coinciding with the London pride parade, Europe’s biggest homosexual and lesbian celebration.The next even is in August, the west ends Notting Hill Carnival, also held in the Hyde park. The month of September gives two festivities, the first being the open house day, where 500 of London’s highest profile closed buildings open their doors for a day. The second is a celebration of the splendid river Thames.
In the winter months things start slowing down, that main events being the many bonfires found around the 5Th of November for Guy Fawkes Night, and the Lord Mayor’s Show in November , a festivity filled with fireworks floats and bands. Finally the Trafalgar square lights up with the magic of Christmas when the Christmas lights are switched on, giving way to the Near years celebration where it all start over again.
Current Security cautions
After the 7/7 London bombings of 2005, the English government rates the thereat from terrorism as severe. Any travelers coming to London should keep an eye on any news and make arrangements for large amounts of delays when traveling to London, and remember that there are a few air luggage restrictions in place, though over the years these are starting to relax, you should check in advance on the official website to avoid any problems at the airport.