Are you able to ever have too many doughnuts? It’s a query I used to be critically contemplating as we reached the half-way level of a really enjoyable donut strolling tour of London with youngsters.
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If you happen to’re questioning what a donut tour entails, it’s two hours discovering a few of London’s lengthy historical past as you stroll round Borough, Southwark and alongside the Thames in the direction of Tower Bridge… punctuated by stops to select up among the metropolis’s greatest donuts.
One of the uncommon strolling excursions of London with youngsters, it’s at present the one UK location from the Underground Donut Tour, which has comparable experiences in Chicago, Boston, New York and Miami – its first location abroad, London has since been joined by a tour in Dublin too.
And our information Dan (together with trainee information Bhavani) was a mine of knowledge and trivia alongside the best way – to not point out offering useful donut suggestions.
After a long time residing within the capital and visiting London with youngsters (from my very own childhood to exploring with my daughter), you would possibly assume that there’d be nothing new for me to find on a strolling tour of London.
However with 1000’s of years of historical past alongside the banks of the Thames right here, there’s at all times one thing new to search out out about my house metropolis.
Beginning by St John’s Bakery, close to Borough tube station, we munched by our first of 4 doughnuts of the tour – my decide: raspberry jam, my daughter: chocolate – and discovered how the serene church reverse had hyperlinks to the riotous medieval Southwark truthful.
And that’s riotous by 14th century requirements, not by fashionable ones, in order that they’d have been indulging in far various candy treats… proper up till the Puritans got here to energy and stopped all of the revelling.
They’re nonetheless uncovering extra proof of London’s historic inhabitants too. Deliberate constructing work close by revealed the stays of a Roman ‘mansio’ – the equal of an ultra-luxurious ‘lodge’ for high-ranking Romans visiting Britannia.
By the point we reached our second of the donut retailers, Doughnut Time, we’d additionally noticed the oldest pub in Southwark with a quite extra fashionable view of the Shard behind.
Be ready for a a lot harder alternative right here, by the best way, though the biscoff-flavoured David Hasselhoff is at all times considered one of our favourites.
The George Inn was as soon as (most likely) Shakespeare’s native, whereas Charles Dickens definitely stopped in for a drink, and Chaucer’s pilgrims might properly have handed by on the best way to Canterbury.
Alongside the road close to Borough Market, you’ll find extra slender historic buildings squeezed in between the newer additions – look out for the Grade II listed facade of the previous hop components, whereas the grandiose Hop Trade lies only a avenue away, reminders of London’s lengthy brewing historical past.
And across the nook, Borough Market itself, considered one of my favorite locations to browse and nibble in the entire metropolis. Regardless of having stopped at two donut locations already, the odor of all of the superb meals was making us ravenous.
Evidently my good intentions to simply have a chunk or two of every donut and to tempo myself have been already crumbling within the face of temptation! A phrase of advice: for those who’re additionally planning this strolling tour of London with youngsters, it’s properly price establishing some floor guidelines – particularly because the tour runs earlier than lunch!
The market itself is the positioning of donut cease quantity three at Bread Forward bakery, which had among the most eye-catching flavour combos and decorations – honeycomb & salted caramel gained out over rhubarb & custard, or a tempting coconut coated concoction (however it was a close-run factor).
in case you have area for lunch afterwards, there are avenue meals stalls galore, in addition to all of the market stalls inside to browse. One way or the other we discovered abdomen area for a number of cheese samples as properly (and I couldn’t resist some to take house).
Borough market itself has its personal lengthy historical past. It’s thought there was a market round this space for a thousand years, and the primary documented point out dates again to 1276 – when, as Dan identified, the Byzantine emperor nonetheless dominated a lot of what’s now Turkey and Greece.
Wandering across the streets close by, we handed the ruins of Winchester Palace, the previous house of the Bishops of Winchester, which was as soon as the positioning of a marriage between a Scottish king and and English princess.
Across the nook, the Golden Hinde, the duplicate of the Tudor galleon which Sir Francis Drake sailed world wide – and the place we had our personal reminiscences of sleeping on board as a part of the Night time Voyage, in addition to our latest Escape from the Golden Hinde.
With yet one more sugar rush forward, we weaved our means alongside the Thames, discovering the story of why Norwegian king and saint, Olaf, is commemorated close to London Bridge – and what that has to do with a nursery rhyme.
Plus the story of a really Victorian scandal, the place a mathematical miscalculation and a few surprising flashes of ankle meant the platforms at London Bridge station needed to be rebuilt.
Whereas the doughnut tour doesn’t cowl an enormous quantity of distance, it’s an excellent reminder that peeling away the layers of London’s historical past means you possibly can at all times uncover one thing new, with quirky info galore.
And as we headed to our closing cease close to Tower Bridge, a closing reminder that this specific tour wasn’t simply filled with enjoyable trivia, it was – in fact – filled with donuts, with our fourth candy deal with from Crosstown Doughnuts.
As ever, the toughest half was making an attempt to determine between among the fabulous flavours – peanut butter & blackcurrant, Sri Lankan cinnamon or blood orange have been only a few of the choices on provide that day. Selections, selections…
A superb job actually that I had my 10-year-old alongside for the journey, as we solved the issue of how to decide on by having eight separate flavours between us over the course of our donut tour of London.
And the reply as to if you possibly can ever have too many doughnuts? Clearly, it’s no – however I made a decision which you could have too many doughnuts earlier than lunch. The answer? Carry a pair house to save lots of for later!
Have to know: Donut tour of London with youngsters
E book tickets for the Underground Donut tour of London right here – grownup tickets price £55, little one tickets price £33.84, together with the price of 4 donuts plus drinks (espresso/tea and water).
The tour runs 4 days per week, at 10am on Thursday to Sunday, and begins at St John’s Bakery close to Borough tube station.
It finishes at Crosstown Doughnuts in Extra London Place, not removed from London Bridge station, and the tour primarily takes place round Borough Excessive Road, Borough Market, Southwark, Bankside and London Bridge.
For extra issues to do close to Tower Bridge with youngsters, take a look at my high picks
The tour lasts roughly two hours however is versatile. We spent round two and a half hours, together with a while to browse Borough Market and style cheese – if it’s important to end promptly, the guides usually test at the beginning however in any other case, allow them to know.
Even higher, go away a while free afterwards to move again to Borough Marketplace for lunch (in case you have room!)
If you happen to’re taking the Underground Donut tour of London with youngsters, as I used to be, it’s price setting a number of floor guidelines earlier than you set off. The doughnuts aren’t small, and consuming all 4 in a single go is a problem even for an grownup abdomen: they’re all boxed/bagged and also you do get a bag to hold them house in so there’s no fear that they’ll be wasted!
If you happen to don’t fancy doughnuts, take a look at among the different strolling excursions of London with youngsters, together with different concepts for a meals strolling tour, London sights and extra family-friendly issues to do in London right here.
Disclosure: This submit comprises affiliate hyperlinks – any purchases you make are unaffected however I could obtain a small fee. My tour was free for the needs of assessment, courtesy of Viator: the selection of tour and all opinions (together with which flavour donut to attempt to whether or not you must eat 4 earlier than lunch or not) are my very own.
Photos copyright MummyTravels
