Hammersmith

Weather - Sunny - Min 8, Max 21

We had a planned and an unplanned day and a very unplanned day! We left at 9.30am and arrived home at 4.30pm. We had to have a wee nap when we got back to the flat.

Our planned part of the day was to go to Notting Hill and see the Portabello Road Markets. On our way to the station we passed people lined up to see the semi-final of ‘Britains Got Talent’ being filmed at the Apollo Theatre in Hammersmith. They were early as the semi-finals didn’t start until 4.30pm. The finals will also be held there. 

We took the Hammersmith City Line to get to Notting Hill and it was only five stops to get there. We passed the Grenfell Tower the site of a tragic fire killing more than 70 people. It is covered in protective wrap and is being demolished. Just before entering Portabello Road we came across a tribute of clay hearts on a wall with a poignant poem as a tribute to the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

On our arrival at 10.00am the Portabello Road Markets were already busy and had a lot of energy. There was a mixture of locals and tourists walking the long one kilometre road with its many stalls. Saturday is the busiest and main market day for antiques and it is also the day when all five sections of the market are open with stalls of second hand goods, fruit and vegetables, household essentials, new and vintage clothing and so much more.

We first walked through the food area with a wide range of fruit and vegetables and baked goods. Like the Borough Markets there are no seating places so people eat as they browse. We settled on some baked goods from this stall. Henk chose a cinnamon bun and I settled on a Red Leister Cheese Straw.  

Behind the stalls are little shops also specialising in goods such as artisan bread, material, clothing and jewellery. The cafes are where the seats can be found and we were lucky and  chose a cafe which had a spare table to have a coffee and tea.

The antiques were the next section and this included china, frames, cutlery and a lot of silver. Some were still setting up their stalls and with the amount of goods we could see it could take quite some time.

The market is well known for the 1999 film ‘Notting Hill’ with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts and I was keen to see the blue travel bookshop. The sign outside the shop said it was never a bookshop and only the exterior was used for filming. Nevertheless there were many people like me wanting to take a photo of the gift shop. It was difficult as there was a stall close to the front on the footpath.

After two hours at the markets we decided to visit Little Venice which is the junction of three canals. We couldn’t believe how close it was to Paddington where we have stayed many times. Little Venice includes the Grand Union Canal which we have been on with a narrowboat many years ago. During the thirty minute walk along the tow path we passed many  moored narrow boats. It is quite an affluent area and Little Venice was the home of Robert Browning. 

Little Venice is known for its waterside cafes and restaurants. We decided to have lunch at the aptly named Waterside Cafe which is a narrowboat converted into a kitchen, indoor and outdoor cafe. As it was such a lovely day we chose to sit outside and watch all the boats coming and going.

After lunch at one o’clock we decided to take the train to Camden Markets and had to change trains once to get there. On arrival we found that there was a signalling problem. We didn’t realise that it would affect us until later.

The Camden Markets are completely different from the Portabello Road Markets. They have a more side show alley feel about them and we could have got a tattoo, body piecing and tattoo removal all in one afternoon! 

At the end of the market road was the Hampstead Road Lock and we were keen to see a narrowboat go through the lock. A tourist boat obliged us and it slowly rose as the water filled the lock. 

It was a glorious afternoon and it seemed everyone was making the most of the warmer, sunny weather sitting outside the pubs and cafes.

Before heading back we each indulged in an icecream which were made into fancy roses. They were very creamy and delicious. 

Whilst eating our ice creams Henk looked at the train timetable and we then learned of the consequences of the signalling problem on the Northern Line. The Camden Station was out of action and we had to walk 25mins to Euston Square to catch the train on a different line back to Hammersmith. It was a warm walk but it was flat so it was easy going. 

After a long day we didn’t feel like eating out to eat so we called into Tesco Express at the Hammersmith railway station and chose a pre-prepared meal for the microwave. There was quite an array from which to choose so I’m guessing they are popular. We chose a curry one and we both thought it wasn’t bad at all. 

So another great day of touring with great weather. Tomorrow looks like it might be a cloudy and cooler day.