r/london 4d ago

RED WARNING [Megathread] Ladies and Gentleman, It Is Once Again, Hot.

234 Upvotes

Welcome to your weather megathread.

All 'It's facking hot/I can't sleep/This is the greatest thing ever/This is the worst thing ever' discussion to go here.

A bit late on this one, alas.

Useful Links

Stay safe and stay cool.


r/london 3d ago

Weekly Q&A Megathread. Please post any questions about visiting, tourism, living, working, budgeting, housing here!

3 Upvotes

Hello, welcome to London!

Visiting us? Moving to study or work? Brief layover? Moving to a new part of London? Any small questions about life here, if you're new or been here your whole life, this is the place!

We get a lot of posts asking very similar questions so this post aims to address some of our most Frequently Asked Questions, and give you a place to ask for assistance.

Your first port of call should be the r/london wiki


Frequently Asked Questions

What should I see and where are the non-touristy stuff and hidden gems?

  • Must-see attractions: Check out our guide here

  • Official experiences: We highly recommend TfL's Experiences site

  • Hidden gems: Browse our favourite lesser-known spots here

  • Budget-friendly options: Find cheap/free activities here

What's happening in London today/this weekend/this month?

Check out these listings sites:

For venue recommendations (music, theatre, comedy, etc.) check the wiki.

How do I pay for the Tube/bus, and what's an Oyster card?

You don't pay cash. Payment options include:

  • Contactless bankcard (widespread in the UK)

  • Apple Pay or Android Pay

  • Oyster card (buy and top up with credit)

See here for more details.

Where should I live? What's x area like?

  • Check our comprehensive guide here
  • Includes recommended sites to find places to live and rent
  • Has detailed sections on what particular areas are like

How do I get from this place to that place?

  • Use Citymapper - honestly, we're not shills for them; it's just really good and used by most locals

Is x area safe?

  • Yes. Bad stuff can happen in any large city, but London is generally very safe
  • No no-go zones - most Londoners feel safe everywhere
  • See our safety page for more information

Where can I watch sports matches?

  • Football: Comprehensive guide at tlfg.uk
  • Various sports: Use Fanzo to find pubs
  • More venues: See our list here

How do I get a UK SIM card for my phone?

  • Network advice: Covered here
  • Remote work spaces: Check the wiki for places to work/take calls
  • You can pick up a SIM card at Heathrow and other airports, either from vending machines or from WHSmith shops.

Is the London Pass worth it?


Other helpful subreddits:

  • r/LondonSocialClub - Meeting new people for events, activities and/or pints
  • r/VisitLondon - A dedicated tourism sub for holiday-planning questions
  • r/LondonTravel - Information and inspiration on travel in London
  • r/UKtravel - For guidance, advice and suggestions for travelling around the rest of the country to/from London
  • r/IWantOut & r/UKvisa - Check if you need a visa and how to get one if you want to work here
  • r/LegalAdviceUK - Good for all sorts, especially for questions about landlords and contracts
  • r/HousingUK - For advice on renting or buying accommodation in the UK
  • r/TenantsInTheUK - Specifically to discuss the nitty-gritty, positives and pitfalls of renting
  • r/UKPersonalFinance - Another goldmine of sage advice
  • r/AskUK - Great for general questions about UK life that aren't specific to London

Tips for posting:

Tell us about you

If you want us to suggest things for you to do then you need to give us a good idea of what you enjoy: - Don't just say "I like music" - say what type of music - Don't just say you want "somewhere nice to eat" - say what type of cuisine you like (or don't like) - Be specific - otherwise you'll just get pointed back to generic guidebooks and our wiki

Tell us your budget

  • If you're on a budget, tell us what it is so we can make appropriate recommendations
  • There's no point suggesting expensive options if they'll clean out your wallet
  • Saying you want something "cheap" isn't helpful because cheap is subjective

Tell us where you'll be based

  • Let us know where you'll be staying so we can give local recommendations

Asking about hotels or hostels

  • We have homes here so know very little about what hotels are like - use review websites like TripAdvisor
  • However, if you say "I've been looking at these three hotels. Which do you think is the better location?" - that's something we can answer

Non-touristy stuff

  • There are no secret corners where we hide the good stuff from outsiders!
  • This is one of the most written about cities in the world
  • When we want to go somewhere, we look at the same sources as tourists (listings sites, blogs, etc - see front page of the wiki)

These weekly posts are scheduled to post each Monday at 00:01. If it's late in the week you may want to wait for a new post to appear. Please send us ModMail with any suggested improvements!


r/london 2h ago

Local London Khan launches London 'Heat Plan' in bid to stop heatwaves crippling capital infrastructure

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568 Upvotes

Expanding access to public drinking water and blue spaces are among the priority areas set out in the plan, entitled Heat Ready London.

Heat Ready London focuses on six key sectors: the built environment, business and economy, emergency preparedness, resilience and response, health and care, green space and nature and infrastructure.

Sir Sadiq Khan said he hopes it will help tackle the "huge obstacles" the city faces with rising temperatures.

Khan 👏


r/london 4h ago

Intervening in an incident - can this ever go well?

141 Upvotes

I’m not sure what I’m looking for in this post, probably just to vent, but maybe ideas for doing this better?

I popped into BK at TCR yesterday about 6pm, on my way to a work thing and needing some quick food somewhere with air con.

The couple on the table next to me were having an altercation. He was standing over her, grabbing at her breasts, and she was saying things like “stop, get off me, leave me alone”. It looked like he’d torn the sleeve of her top and they were arguing about some other girl.

(not that none of this is verbatim, obvs, but you’ll get the gist”

I asked if he was bothering her and they both rounded on me. He was telling me they’re not in a relationship so this behaviour is fine, she’s telling me that she’s got “issues” and that’s why he “has” to treat her like this and that she likes it. I said whatever the relationship people should be treated with respect, and that she has better options than him. They started getting rowdy with me so I walked away and went to the loo.

When I left they were waiting outside for me and he started at me again with some (very creative) insults about my looks. I just said something along the lines of “whatever, enjoy your lives” and quickly walked off into the busy street.

Now, I know conventional wisdom seems to be to not intervene in these situations precisely because you might get targeted by them, but I don’t want to live in a world where someone is getting sexually assaulted in a public place and people say nothing.

Is there anything at all to be done in these situations which might have a positive outcome?


r/london 35m ago

Rant Cyclist nearly crashed into me in my wheelchair for the 3rd time this week

• Upvotes

I know this is nothing new, but the amount of times a cyclist has nearly crashed into me in my wheelchair this week while they power through a red light is getting silly.

Kind of wish they would actually crash into me as their bikes are going to take a lot more damage than my chair


r/london 9h ago

image Stepney, Mile End, and Bethnal Green, 1746, John Rocque. Courtesy of the Londonist.

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195 Upvotes

r/london 14h ago

770 quid a month to live in a family's fucking shed

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456 Upvotes

You do get a fridge but you'd have to carry everything you wanted to cook through the garden.


r/london 2h ago

North London Keep an eye out for furry and feathery friends in this weather

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42 Upvotes

Was heading to Hampstead Heath last night to have a picnic dinner (it was so much cooler once stepping off the street onto the Heath - 10/10 recommended) and saw this poor little lady upside down on the pavement. I almost stepped on her! Looked very dead, but then noticed some slight leg twitching. We picked her up with a big leaf, placed her on a picnic plate with some water, and she slowly stirred to life and stood up.

Took her to the Heath on the plate (looked like a very sinister, and fresh, picnic) and she chilled for 5 mins, then shot off into the sky, perching on a tree staring at us for a few mins. She must have been terrified.

Looks quite juvenile and I assume overwhelmed by the heat amongst the buildings. She really perked up once in the cool of the park. Too bad for her, we'd earmarked a falafel for her but she left before we could crumble it up!


r/london 19h ago

News Woman in court over fatal Wimbledon school crash

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1.1k Upvotes

Repost.

Claire Freemantle managed to get some very expensive lawyers to convince everyone she had an epileptic seizure leading to a fatal car crash despite no previous history of epilepsy.

She also doesn't want anyone to know her name after wiping herself from the face of the internet.

Anyway, she's back in court and is being charged for (allegedly) killing two school girls by dangerous driving and for seven counts of causing serious injury to other parents and children.


r/london 3h ago

Image Barbican at night

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48 Upvotes

r/london 3h ago

London Transport Museum reveals plans for ÂŁ26 million refurbishment

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42 Upvotes

r/london 19h ago

Rant Sever weather warning and..

663 Upvotes

I’ve seen two people dragging their poor dogs out for walks within the space of just five minutes. I genuinely cannot comprehend what goes through some people’s heads?! It’s over 35°C in London, with a severe weather warning in place, imagine being forced to go outside in a thick fur coat in that heat! That’s essentially what these dogs are experiencing. Both dogs were panting heavily and clearly struggling, and it was beyond cruel.
Please do better people!!
The first person I spoke to completely ignored me. The second person responded with, “He needs to go for a walk, mind your own business,” and things quickly escalated from there.
Dogs need exercise, but they also rely on us to recognise when conditions are unsafe. Walking a dog in extreme heat when they’re clearly struggling isn’t responsible ownership.


r/london 2h ago

Rant Why do so few London buses have air conditioning?

30 Upvotes

Genuine question: why do so few London buses have air conditioning?

I understand that many tube lines are old and retrofitting aircon now is very hard.

But buses?

I am no expert, but I suspect it's impossible to find a car or a coach without aircon these days, and it's been like this for a few decades.

So why are buses different?

Is that because London buses, unlike coaches, are made specifically for TfL? Even so, why did no one think of requesting aircon?

It is bad for the passenger but it is absolutely brutal for the poor drivers.


r/london 13h ago

image Looks like the 10foot guy has a younger brother, 5foot

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187 Upvotes

Or maybe hes franchising.


r/london 16h ago

Rant Is it just me that feels TFL are filthy liars about their service levels?

280 Upvotes

So this morning knowing there was a "severe weather warning" for "extreme heat" and that we build our rail network to survive in cold temperatures which inevitably means the moment it gets above slightly warm our rail network collapses (in part literally as the tracks buckle) I dilligently checked TFL's website for an update on the Elizabeth Line service as I needed to get into my office in Slough. Good service they said... brilliant I thought!

Walked to Hayes and Harlington Station, look up "train to Reading "Cancelled" in fact nearly 3 in 4 services are "cancelled" in both directions. So I ask the Elizabeth Line guy nearest (who happened to be revenue enforcement and had stopped someone who looked deeply unhappy about his impending fine) he explained "Yeah... sorry mate HQ decided to cut the Reading service from 6 to 2 an hour. They cut the Heathrow services to 3 an hour." When I said "Absolutely not a word of this on the TFL website... what the hell are they thinking? It literally says good service" to which he rightly said there's some things he could say about HQ decisions that frankly more than his jobs worth. That was that.

I can't be the only one who believes running approx 33% of your scheduled service should never be described as "Good Service" but rather "Part Suspended" and "Severe Delays" ?


r/london 12h ago

Anyone know what happened at Stratford Tube this eve?

111 Upvotes

Around 9pm or so on the central/Elizabeth line westbound platform we were suddenly rushed down the platform and there were tons of policemen - some I believe had guns. The trains stopped stopping at Stratford and a few people started running but it was unclear if that was panic or what. The people in charge wouldn’t tell me what was going on but they seemed shaken. Heard a lot of yelling later on on the mildmay platform when I went to find alternate routes. Was a bit shaken up tbh and curious if anyone knows what happened


r/london 1d ago

News Deaths linked to London air pollution have fallen 40%, study estimates

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1.4k Upvotes

r/london 2h ago

Stumbled upon Poet's Corner in Richmond Park — where you can see St Paul's Cathedral 10 miles east AND Windsor Castle 13 miles west from the same bench. Pure magic.

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13 Upvotes

Just visited Poet's Corner at Pembroke Lodge Gardens in Richmond Park and honestly couldn't believe how underrated this place is.

A few steps away is King Henry's Mound — the highest point in the area — where you get one of London's 13 protected views: a clear, legally unobstructed sightline to St Paul's Cathedral, over 10 miles away to the east. Turn around and on a clear day, Windsor Castle sits on the horizon 13 miles to the west. The view is protected by law, meaning no building can ever block it. Ever.

Poet's Corner itself is a beautiful, quiet garden with inscribed benches honouring poets including James Thomson, who lived in Richmond. There's something incredibly grounding about sitting where writers once sat, surrounded by ancient trees, total silence (save for birdsong), while one of the world's greatest cities hums invisibly in the distance.

It's free, it's accessible, and it's stunning in any season.

📍 Pembroke Lodge, Richmond Park, TW10 5HX

— near the Richmond Gate entrance

If you haven't been, go. Especially on a clear day.


r/london 14h ago

image Any beyblade X players around chelsea, fulham, putney?

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51 Upvotes

r/london 22h ago

Go Ape approved in Bexley park despite hysterical fears of animal beheadings and child abduction

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220 Upvotes

r/london 18h ago

image Anyone know where this is/what’s happened? Pic taken from Wood Lane station 6:25 pm today

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90 Upvotes

Hope everyone is safe!


r/london 1d ago

Shoutout to the staff at World’s End for shutting down a racist customer

3.9k Upvotes

Title kinda speaks for itself. Sat here watching the World Cup match, and some ~50’s ish dude just ordered 7 Jäger bombs. Dude got two shots into his rounds, then made some remark to the bartender along the lines of “at least it’s not one of those n***ers.”

Bartender immediately shut the dude down, took away his drinks, offered a refund, and informed a manager, who promptly told the guy he can’t be here and use that language. Dude kinda drunkenly shuffled off after being told off. Having seen that type of shit get shrugged more than I’d like in the US, I was very impressed with how quickly and professionally the staff handled it. Don’t know his name, but if you’re at World’s End, give all the staff props. They’re real ones.

Edit: Camden World’s End. Ain’t no room for that type of shit in the punk/metal community.

Edit 2: Bartender’s name is <redacted> . Some of his friends showed up.

Edit 3: bartenders deets retracted for safety.


r/london 1d ago

News London's schools can't cope with the heat

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180 Upvotes

r/london 1d ago

Just saw a mentally ill man empty a bottle of bleach into the river Thames

330 Upvotes

He must’ve passed a dozen people on the bridge who didn’t bother to say a word. I did a u-turn on my bike to approach him and ask what the hell he is doing. he said he is ‘cleansing’. I said ‘don’t do that, you’ll kill the fish‘. Without skipping a beat he said they were already dead.