BETWEEN MEETINGS

A Pleasure Unknown

by Fin DAC on Hanbury Street in Shoreditch

PARK LIFE

No other city beats London for green spaces. While tourists flock to big names such as Hyde Park and St James’s Park, you’ll find more peace and quiet (and leisureseeking Londoners strolling, cycling and picnicking) in Battersea Park, south of the Thames, facing Chelsea, or in Hampstead Heath, a semi-wooded escape in north London’s rolling hills.

ART FIX

Boosted by its new 10-storey extension designed by Herzog & de Meuron, Tate Modern (tate.org.uk) continues to host acclaimed exhibitions, including a retrospective of Amedeo Modigliani’s Expressionist masterpieces (23 November to 2 April 2018). For an alternative art fix, hit the left-field galleries and graffiti-laced backstreets of Shoreditch. Guided walking tours (shoreditchstreetarttours.co.uk) offer expert local insights.

CRAFT TIPPLES

As well as its character-filled pubs, London has a thriving craft alcohol scene. Dubbed “mother’s ruin” in Georgian England, gin has made a respectable comeback, with City of London Distillery (cityoflondon distillery.com), off Fleet Street, offering tours and tastings. Prefer beer? Many microbreweries open their doors and let you sample the hoppy goods, including Crate Brewery (cratebrewery.com) in Hackney Wick, east London.

STYLE FILE

Gents after a trim – or upscale aromatic oils and creams – should visit Truefitt & Hill (truefittandhill. co.uk) near Mayfair. This vintage barber shop bears a Royal Warrant issued by the Duke of Edinburgh and has, in its own words, been “grooming men for greatness since 1805” (said gents include Charles Dickens and Winston Churchill). Women may fancy an appointment at Richard Ward (richardward. com), a hair and beauty salon in Chelsea that has counted Kate and Pippa Middleton among its clients.

WATER TRIPS

For perfect views of the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament, hop aboard one of the Thames Clippers catamarans (thames clippers.com) that ply the river, carrying as many Oyster cardclutching commuters as tourists. The Regent’s Canal is another beguiling waterway. It snakes through north London for 13 kilometres and the narrowboat journey (londonwaterbus.com) between Little Venice, near Paddington, and Camden is idyllic.