The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
ALL ABOARD...
Philippa Gerrard takes us along for a fun-filled weekend in the Big Smoke bookended by a locomotive adventure
SPERFECTLY COOKED EGGS ARRIVED AT OUR TABLE IN THE CLUB CAR AS WE SPED THROUGH MILTON KEYNES
ometimes the journey is as good as the destination. Such journeys rarely involve a plane (too much waiting around), a car (too many tedious motorways) or a boat (one word: seasickness), but travelling by rail is another story. As I stood on the platform at Aberdeen just after 9pm, I was looking forward to getting into my cabin on the Caledonian Sleeper.
I’d done this journey once before as a teenager and remembered being gently rocked to sleep by the shoogling carriage, magically waking up in London ready to begin my day.
After a couple of drinks in the Club Car, it turned out that I’d romanticised the memory a bit.
Our little Club Room had bunk beds, a sink, a fold-out table and even an en suite toilet and shower.
It was well equipped with sockets, and the Arran Aromatics toiletries were a nice touch, but I couldn’t get over how tiny it seemed – it all looked much bigger when I was 14.
I tossed and turned for a while, but must have slept soundly, as the next thing I knew, someone was rapping gently on our door. Breakfast was served.
Perfectly cooked eggs royal arrived at our table in the Club Car as we sped through
Milton Keynes. It felt very civilised.
At the back of seven, we disembarked at Euston.
One of the perks of travelling by sleeper is that those travelling for business can make it into the office by nine, but as a tourist who had already eaten breakfast and whose accommodation wasn’t available until 4pm, we weren’t sure how we’d fill these early hours.
We decided to visit friends who live in West London for a coffee and a shot at their shower (we didn’t attempt the one on the train).
As a thank you, we decided to take them out to lunch and ended up on the other side of the city at Goose Island Brewpub in Shoreditch.
It’s very cool and very… London, if you get what I mean.
The on-site brewery supplies a vast selection of craft taps at the bar, and the menu has a great selection of vegan options.
We spent the rest of the afternoon ducking
in and out of pubs before meeting up with another couple of friends for sushi in Roka in Soho.
This was another very London experience. The place was packed and is apparently highly exclusive.
Sadly, it was wasted on me. I love sushi, but an afternoon of drinks had me a touch merry.
So £600 later, we stumbled out full of fish and sake.
It was a relief then to wake up in relaxing surroundings the following morning, on the top floor of 44 Curzon Street – one of Mayfair’s most famous addresses.
Our apartment had a decent-sized lounge, a small but sleek kitchen and a large bedroom with an en suite.
The decor was a little dated, but I felt the chintzy lamps and drapes were in keeping with the high ceilings and traditional feel of the building.
Looking down on the street below and seeing chauffeurs parked up in black Mercedes made us feel like little country bumpkins.
Fresh croissants on the counter and milk in the fridge were very welcome, because, as is always the way when you visit London for a long weekend, we had a busy day ahead.
Green Park Tube station was less than 10 minutes’ walk away, and from there we made our way north to Watford.
Apart from Hogwarts and maybe
Privet Drive, Watford is the closest thing Harry Potter has to a home.
This is where all the movies were filmed by Warner Bros, and a studio tour called The Making of Harry Potter is now open to the public.
We spent four hours with our mouths hanging open in awe, wandering through the actual sets and props used in the films.
We boarded the Hogwarts Express, walked up Diagon Alley, visited the Slytherin common room and marvelled at the prosthetic wizardry involved in turning someone into a goblin.
Afterwards, we headed back into the city for dinner. On the agenda was a six-course tasting menu at Six by Nico, the restaurant chain founded by chef Nico Simeone in Glasgow – which has extended across the UK.
It’s best known for its affordability – our tasting menu was just £37, which feels like a steal for what we got, especially in London.
The next morning we decided to explore the colourful neighbourhood of Notting Hill.
These streets are usually crowded thanks to Portobello Market, but as it was a Monday, the pavements were quiet.
It’s a wonderful area to just walk around and see all the brightly-painted houses.
Then, blink and you miss it, we were back on the Caledonian Sleeper again that night heading home.
This time, after such a busy weekend, sleep came easily to me.