AD | A Day Out in London

view from the shard

Post sponsored by C2C

Last weekend, James and I headed into London as I planned a few birthday surprises for him. We travelled into central London from Stratford on a super comfy and smooth c2c rail train – it’s the first time I’ve travelled with c2c but it was a pleasant journey! We went to Swingers crazy golf, The Shard and The Alchemist all in one day – so here’s a post on what we got up to!

The first stop of the day was Starbucks, for a late breakfast snack.

starbucks in london

Starbucks


I ordered a signature hot chocolate and a chocolate muffin, and James had a Naked green smoothie and a slice of lemon drizzle cake. I took my brand new 45mm lens for a spin and I’m impressed with how it captured this photo – I could eat this chocolate muffin again right now if I could.

After a quick snack and some time people watching, we headed to the first surprise of the day.

view from the shard

The Shard


I pre-booked tickets for 1.30pm, and we headed up in the speedy lift to level 72, where we were treated to stunning views over London. The weather was quite dull and drizzly, but we were still able to point out a few London land marks including Tower Bridge, Heron Tower and Canary Wharf. After a little walk around level 72, we took the flight of stairs down to level 68 and treated ourselves to a cocktail each.

I had a delicious Bramble cocktail with gin, vanilla syrup and cranberry juice, and James had a spiced rum and coke. We walk around for a little longer and then it started to rain, so we headed back to ground level to check out the gift shop.

 

The Alchemist london

The Alchemist Bevis Marks


The second surprise of the day was a trip to The Alchemist at Bevis Marks for dinner and cocktails. We shared the delicious SOCIAL #1 starter of spicy chicken wings, nachos, pork bon bons, mac n’ cheese bites, battered sweet chilli prawns and California rolls. I ordered a Woo Woo, which came served in a glass bottle with gold, and James ordered a caramelised rum cocktail.

We made room for dinner, so I ordered the Katsu chicken curry and James ordered chicken in a basket. We ordered one last cocktail each, something a little special. James ordered Blackjack, which came in the form of a DIY syringe and a medicine bottle to make your own drink. I ordered the colour changing one, which went from purple to pink, which tasted incredibly sweet and delicious. I’d definitely recommend a trip here for the food and the cocktails, an all round fun experience!

 

Swingers Crazy Golf


The final stop of the day was for a game of crazy golf at Swingers. The crazy golf is tucked away by the side of The Gherkin, found only by seeing two neon golf clubs on a little side door. Luckily I pre-booked tickets so we didn’t have to wait too long to play on the Windmill course. We ordered a drink each and played the course. James won – but can we just pretend I let him win cos it was his birthday? We ordered another cocktail and then jumped in a taxi home to give our feet a good rest!

I had a great time surprising James and I hope he loved it too. <3

It was easy and stress free to travel into London with c2c rail, and I would definitely recommend travelling with them on your next trip into London.

Get 1/3 off ticket prices when you travel as a group of 3 or more – available week days and weekends! Check out the c2c rail website and start planning your Insta-worthy day out in London today – where would you go?

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This post was written in collaboration with c2c Rail. All images and words my own.

28 Comments

  1. February 3, 2018 / 9:58 am

    What a wonderful day. I’ve been to the Sky Garden, but not to the Shard. It’s an amazing way to see London, love your pictures.

    • hannah
      Author
      March 3, 2018 / 10:37 pm

      Thank you Anca! The views are stunning aren’t they? I’d love to go to Sky Gardens again for the evening view to see a sunset! πŸ™‚

  2. February 4, 2018 / 5:30 am

    What a fun trip! So fascinating how Starbucks’ food is so different around the world. I’ve been loving the butterscotch latte here in the US!

    x,
    S | Je M’appelle Chanel

    • hannah
      Author
      March 3, 2018 / 10:38 pm

      Ahhhh that sounds SO delicious!

  3. Emily
    February 4, 2018 / 9:18 am

    Ahhh this post seriously makes me crave a day in the capital – I’ve never done the shard either! Living only an hour away, I’ve got no excuse to not visit more really! You crammed in so much in a day and what a lovely way to celebrate James’s birthday!

    Musings & More

    • hannah
      Author
      March 3, 2018 / 10:38 pm

      It was a busy day but lots of fun! πŸ™‚

  4. February 4, 2018 / 5:25 pm

    I loved The Alchemist when I visited in October, the food was so good!

    • hannah
      Author
      March 3, 2018 / 10:39 pm

      Food is amazing isn’t it? And the cocktails too of course!

  5. Pam
    February 5, 2018 / 9:33 am

    I love taking the c2c to go see my parents, it’s so comfy! And yes to all the food and drinks! yum
    Happy bday to James!
    Pam xo/ Pam Scalfiβ™₯

    • hannah
      Author
      March 3, 2018 / 10:39 pm

      Thank you lovely! πŸ™‚

  6. Mary lee
    February 5, 2018 / 7:05 pm

    OOH this all sounds so lovely! I’m going to the alchemist next week and i’m super excited for the cocktails! I love London because theres just so much to do there!

    Visual Aesthetics

    • hannah
      Author
      March 3, 2018 / 10:39 pm

      I hope you had the BEST time there!

  7. February 5, 2018 / 7:43 pm

    It looks like you had a great day! I’m going to London at the end of the month and my hotel is a 10 min walk from The Alchemist so I am 100% going! Might try and get to the golf too!

    Rachael at broomfie.blogspot.com

    • hannah
      Author
      March 3, 2018 / 10:40 pm

      I hope you had the best time lovely, it’s a wonderful city!

  8. February 6, 2018 / 12:52 pm

    I’ve always wanted to go up The Shard! The crazy golf looks amazing too – so jealous xx

    • hannah
      Author
      March 3, 2018 / 10:41 pm

      I’d definitely recommend a visit to The Shard! The golf was so much fun as well πŸ™‚

  9. February 6, 2018 / 1:05 pm

    It sounds like you had a great day out! x

    rhymeandribbons.com

    • hannah
      Author
      March 3, 2018 / 10:41 pm

      A very busy but fun day out!

  10. February 8, 2018 / 10:48 am

    It looks like you both had a great day! I’m jealous of all the cocktail consumption and the food looks delicious!
    I haven’t been to London in years but I’m itching to go just so I can try all of the cocktails you mentioned. There’s also a strong possibility I want to try out the Swingers crazy golf!

    • hannah
      Author
      March 3, 2018 / 10:42 pm

      Haha, LOTS of food and cocktails were consumed that day! I hope you get to visit London very very soon πŸ™‚

    • hannah
      Author
      March 3, 2018 / 10:42 pm

      I’d love to visit again on a clearer day, and for an evening visit too!

  11. February 20, 2018 / 2:08 pm

    Me and my boyfriend are heading to London in March for our anniversary! We’re actually staying in Stratford so we can do some shopping in Westfield but we want to head into central London. Is the Shard very expensive for drinks and things? X

    http://www.itsmeganelizabeth.blogspot.co.uk

    • hannah
      Author
      March 3, 2018 / 10:43 pm

      Aww I hope you have a lovely time in London! We only visited The Shard for cocktails and they cost around Β£8/Β£9 each which isn’t too bad. I know there are several restaurants and bars on different levels though, but the experience would be amazing! πŸ™‚

  12. February 27, 2018 / 5:36 pm

    I love living here but I refuse to pay money to the Shard! Until there’s a London residents’ discount card (which every other city in the world has), I shall have to admire it from afar!

    • hannah
      Author
      March 3, 2018 / 10:44 pm

      It’s a lot of money to be fair, especially when Sky Gardens is free just across the river! Fingers crossed you can enjoy it soon!

    • hannah
      Author
      May 15, 2018 / 9:39 pm

      SO much fun!! πŸ™‚

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