Family photography - london with kids - a day out in greenwich
Recently we spent a few days in London and I made a real effort to take my cameras out and about with us as a family, which can often fall by the wayside when I’m busy with work. It’s also really important to me to get the kids involved with taking the pictures - it took me until my late thirties to feel any kind of confidence all with my creativity, and I hope it will be a great deal different for them. For one reason and another we’ve spent a lot of time in the city over the last few years and so having maxed out options we’re always looking for new things to do.
This visit we did some of the usuals - the Transport Museum in Covent Garden is a favourite, and we went to see the Lion King, which even as someone who isn’t that into musicals I can only say was insane. We also went out to Greenwich for the day, and I can’t recommend in enough. My boys are seven and ten, and I had a day with them solo, so we took the Uber boat from Tower Hill directly to Greenwich, which always makes for a different way to travel.
Obviously the first stop had to be for a second breakfast, so we hit Gail’s to stock up on pastries and solo parent support coffee for me. Our first stop was the National Maritime Museum. I had no idea what to expect, but you have to give it to London Museums, they are absolutely brilliant, especially for kids. It was free to visit and we spent a couple of hours wandering around the exhibits and of course then hit the playground, where my eldest sat for a while explaining he was too old for it, then joined in anyway because it was pretty impressive. We had lunch their restaurant which was, if I’m honest, way better than I’d been expecting, and then of course headed to the ice cream bar for first pudding.
We then walked up through the park to the Royal Observatory which was my favourite part of the day. The views across the London skyline are not only fabulous, but as photogenic as it gets. We had tickets for the planetarium which I would strongly recommend, though get there well in advance of your entry time because the queue just forms out of nowhere and seats aren’t allocated. I’ve always had a side obsession with space so this spoke directly to all the things that blow my mind and we all came out with a slightly altered perspective. Again, great for the kids, highly recommend. Of course we stood on the meridian line and then walked back down to see the Cutty Sark. We didn’t go inside the museum as we were running out of time but definitely one for next time.
Bit of a change of transport to get back to central, jumped on the DLR and enjoyed the views that come with the overground. I had some big nostalgia feels being back in Greenwich after spending a jazz summer school at the university as a teenager, which is such a long time ago now, but one of my favourite memories of my 6th form days. There were little memory triggers, not least the feeling of a London summer, the sticky city heat and the noise, which is one of my favourite things. We even took plenty of photos, then kids getting behind the camera and telling the experience from their perspective. Watch the carousel below to see more photos of the day.
