As I visit family in London once a year, I am always looking for something off the beaten path to…read moredo. I have only visited London twice during the summer in the past decade and know how beautiful the city can be during this season and how activities can be limited in the winter months. I was lucky to stumble upon this ongoing activity of having a guided kayak tour of the Thames and jumped on it as soon as I could. I was not apprehensive, but really did not know what to expect. I was in store for something fun, informative, and active. Harry Whelan was our charming and funny host for the tour. Even before we got there Harry helped me through scheduling online to organize my tour. When we arrived he helped us by providing clothing less.....touristy. During the tour he gave us an education about everything we were looking at on the river. He took pictures for us and later provided them for us via the web. The overall experience was great! I would recommend it to anyone. We did the Big Ben and back tour which took just over two hours. The kayaks themselves were extremely stable and I think anyone with paddling power could do it. Seeing the world from this angle was extremely different and intriguing. Seeing structures and landmarks that I had seen many times before with a new set of eyes. What was even more gratifying was finding out that this tourist attraction is something like a non profit. The money we paid (very inexpensive) went back into the costs of the program, as well as into teaching kids to kayak. We had one of those kids with us as we took our tour. Other than me having a Zoolander moment (I couldn't turn left) :D The whole experience was flawless! I will be back next year for the four hour tour......and I'm bringing more friends! DT!

We flew into London a day early prior to joining a guided tour and my sons wanted to do something…read moreactive. My wife found this facility where the kayak competition was held for the London Olympics. We pre-booked which I think is required. You have to be above the age of 14 to white water raft. It was an awesome experience. You go through a loop and we were on the water for an hour or so. We went around 6 or 7 times. Tom was our guide and you could tell he was very experienced. The facility serves lunch and beers for after your adventure. It is approximately an hour outside of town and I recommend as a must do for anyone to take a break from the sightseeing. They also have kayaks and tubes.

I visited this place four months ago and I would therefore like to thank the instructors and the…read morewhole team for making the day special for us all. We were a big group of around 60 people and we all managed to have fun. Although it can be seen as quite daunting at the beginning my instructor Tony made sure that we were all constantly happy and safe. Tony helped me overcome my fears and made sure I was smiling and was happy for being there! His words of encouragement made us all think clear, stay focused and enjoy our day out at the same time. Even now, four months later, we all look at the pictures and think of what a wonderful time we had!! I would highly recommend it to people that want to spend the day in the water with there friends and families. The activities will keep everyone busy for a long time and you can also enjoy a nice coffee and croissant at their lovely coffee shop based on the first floor! Tip: Safety comes first so make sure you always keep the safety equipment with you whilst in water!!

Nice activity. You have the choice between 2 routes : regent canal is nicer but have water gates…read more The Limehouse cut is more flat but less scenic

My son, nephew and I completed our BCU 1 star course here. Albert the coach was excellent and the…read moreatmosphere was very friendly.

From the owner: Surrey Canoe Club specialises in transferring skills across disciplines. You do not have to come…read moreevery week, as the coach will continue to teach from where you left off the last time you came. Fantastic opportunity to make new friends while learning new skills. Gain qualifications which could lead to employment opportunities. Many of our coaches started this way Something for everyone. Beginner to Advanced.

My 10 year kids of son loves this place. So inclusive and great fun with fantastic staff. A real…read morecomminity hub. Keep up the great work!!! ,

Only been once so far, for a Wednesday evening drop-in paddling session down the Regents Canal, but…read morethis seems like a great club. There was a big crowd (maybe 25 people?), and while things weren't totally streamlined, the staff was friendly and got everyone sorted out in reasonably short order. Everyone got their own kayak or open canoe, double-ended paddle (although they ran out of right-handed adult paddles by the time I got to the front of the queue), and life vest. We all piled into the canal and floated around for a bit while the guides gave a quick safety spiel and then we were off, heading towards Victoria Park. The group spread out pretty widely, with the enthusiastic youngsters blazing on ahead, splashing each other, and causing a ruckus, and the old people like me lagging behind. We paddled a couple miles downstream, portaging around the one lock we encountered, before we turned around and returned. Good times! My favorite staffer, by the way, was Chris, who was amiable, unhurried, and had his enthusiastic blue and white dog Gracie along for the ride, but everyone I spoke with was very nice. The weather was excellent, the water was calm, and the canal was not busy. For £3, on a nice evening, this is a tough experience to beat for some relaxed exercise. I'll certainly be back.

Those who have never ventured beyond the gates of this sailing centre might justifiably assume from…read moreits two tall stone towers that it's some sort of Tudor castle miraculously saved from the grimness of North London. Clissold marine centre, however, is nothing of the sort. Every weekend you can come along and learn how to pilot a dinghy, to race motorised models, or, like most of us, just to watch the fun, games and capsizing teenagers. There is a cafe located in the 'castle' on the side of the larger reservoir where refreshments can be had.

We went a'wandering the other day, curious to check out the advertised Reservoir Cafe and stretch…read morethe eyes across open space to lessen the feeling of city bustle induced claustrophobia. There was barely anyone around and we followed our noses through the barren concrete maze of cars and urban planning to the reservoir's new cafe housed in the pump house. Literally off the beaten track and far from the height of summer it was unsurprising that there were few takers and so the look on the faces of the staff was one of relief that someone had walked in the door. Atmosphere nil but the view across the water makes it worth stopping in for a visit. I do wonder how they manage to keep their doors open.

I am sure this is an amazing experience. Unfortunately we will never know. I had booked the Fondue…read moreexperience as an early Valentine's dinner for my wife and myself since we were going to be traveling for work over Valentine's weekend. The morning of our booking I had a medical emergency (which we were able to verify to Skuna) so we called about six hours before our tour to ask if we could reschedule for another day. We understood this was incredibly short notice, so we didn't expect a refund or even a full credit. We asked if since the food would obviously not be prepared could we at least have a credit for the food portion if not the tour time. The answer was a fairly insensitive no, and were told the manager said they can't do anything with a same day cancel. Of course, we understood the uniqueness of the situation and had it not been due to a legitimate medical issue we never would have asked. However, the staff we spoke to didn't even show concern for the situation. We had to cancel drinks and bites at Bokan as well for after our tour and the staff there said no problem, they showed concern, and wished us well. Understanding that policies are in place we sent an email the next day. Eight days later we have only received an automated reply stating that our email was received. This is an experience we've wanted to have since moving to London three years ago, but sadly we just aren't interested in giving more money to a company that has this little care for their customers.

One of the best things we did on our last trip to London. All the major attractions were so…read morecrowded, and we wanted to get away from the crowds and do something unique and fun. This was it! Josh was amazing. Water was warm, boat was clean and easy to 'drive'. Definitely worth the money, and no one else I know has been on a hot tub boat! So if you want something away from the crowds, in a great area for lunch or dinner too, give this a try. Easy to get to from anywhere.