We are Luke, Lauren, Gillian and Simon. We enjoy walking, exploring new places, museums, art, cinema, restaurants and cooking.

Gillian is a Clinical Psychologist. Simon runs a small IT Training company. Lauren enjoys reading, writing and arts & crafts. Luke is enjoys Roblox and Nerf guns.

We also have 2 cats, Jake and Daisy. They are very affectionate and easy to look after. We have an auto feeder and water bowl so anyone staying would just have to give them some affection when they need it.

This part of London is very cycle friendly, lots of coffee shops, small independent shops, craft breweries, etc There is a famous flower market, Sundays on Columbia Road and a farmers market for foodies, Broadway market on Saturdays.

As well as using tube, bus or hire bikes to get around if you are not in a hurry you can walk along the canal network through Shoreditch, Islington, Camden, via London Zoo all the way to Little Venice. Alternatively you could walk or cycle south along the canals to Limehouse basin then along the Thames and catch a water taxi to South Bank.

Another nice day out is to walk via Mile End park to Mile End tube then catch the District line to South Kensington and visit the Museum area including the Science Museum, The Natural History Museum, the V&A etc.

If you are looking for something a little different I would recommend catching the number 8 bus from the end of the road to Holborn (maybe 30 mins) then visit the John Soane Museum (http://www.soane.org) a fascinating museum in the home of one of Londons most famous architects. After that Covent Garden is not far away. Another day you could take the same bus, get off at the same place and walk north rather than south to visit the British Museum, a large and impressive collection from all over the world set in a very grand building.

Really once you are out and about in London there are too many options to list, a few lesser known highlights from my experience:

On a Sunday 5 mins on the bus or a 20 minute walk gets you to the top of Brick Lane which on this day of the week is a riot of colour sights and smells. Walk south through the market stalls and shops selling everything from brick a brack, international cuisine and art then turn right to walk through the Sunday 'Up Market' which has hundreds of stalls from small producers of food, clothes, street art, curiosities, vintage goods and more then continue into Spitallfields market for a more gentrified version. If you are a good walker you could start at the Columbia Road Flower market then walk down to Brick Lane, but most people would probably find this a bit too much!

Tate Modern - famous modern art gallery has a new wing including a free viewing platform with an amazing view over central London

The Wellcome collection - https://wellcomecollection.org/whats-on - always fascinating and enlightening.

If you are feeling adventurous: https://london.danslenoir.com/en/home/ - Dining in absolute darkness, being hosted and served by the visually impaired, will change your perspective of the world by inverting your point of view. It is a sensory experience that awakes your senses and enables you to completely re-evaluate your perception of taste and smell. (couldn't think how best to describe it so I pasted this from their website, sufficed to say it is a real adventure that you won't forget!)

The Bank of England has it's own museum - http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/education/Pages/museum/visiting/default.aspx - possibly not everyone will be interested in this, but for an understanding of how Englands economy developed and the Banks role this is a real gem.

If you are looking for a special dinner out in central London then for high end you can't go wrong with the Oxo tower on the South Bank: http://www.oxotower.co.uk/who/oxo-tower-restaurant-bar-brasserie/ or for something more intimate http://www.andrewedmunds.com/menu.html - south of Carnaby St.

Most places are very well catered for, avoid all the obvious tourist traps like Aberdeen Angus steak house, anything with a big frontage on the main streets. If you want lunch and you are on Oxford St then it might not be obvious which way to go, best to head West and look for a little side st on the North side called St Christopher's Place (next to H&M), it has a nice little collection of good restaurants.

All public transport is subsidised and good (you can pay by contactless debit card or Oyster), if you want to travel by taxi the black cabs are excellent but expensive. If you want to travel by car then Uber will make your budget go much further (although I would recommend at least one black cab ride as it is probably a bit of a classic London experience). I would also recommend at least one boat trip along the Thames as this is a very pleasant way to see the city.