At the end of August, I moved from east to north London. This may not seem like a big deal, but I’d lived in east London ever since I was a little bookworm. I’d always felt quite strongly that east London was place the be, so it was strange to leave the hipsters and rich young families behind, and transport all my belongings to leafy north London. I’d been quite unhappy at home this year and so I made the decision to move in with a friend in West Hampstead – and I love it! I’ve made my room my own and spent the past six weeks exploring. I’m surrounded by bookshops, coffee shops, and gorgeous houses, as well as Hampstead Village and Hampstead Heath. I’m still so excited to be close to London transport and lots of beautiful and fabulous places.
At my old flat, I spent a lot of hours in my room and so I was a little worried that I wouldn’t love my new one as much, especially as it’s a little smaller, but it’s even better! I moved one of my bookcases and desk into my room, and my other bookcase is in the living room, helping to make the flat feel more like home. My housemate works in the book industry, too, and so was perfectly happy to have more books around the flat!
As much as I adored my old flat – it was my first rented home in London – I didn’t think much of the area (it wasn’t as trendy as Hackney, which is where I grew up) but thankfully I adore West Hampstead. It’s very me, especially in autumn. I’ve loved spending the past few weekends blogging in the coffee shops, visiting the Freud Museum and stunning National Trust properties, and wandering around Hampstead Heath. I love central London – eating out in Soho and visiting Foyles Charing Cross and Waterstones Piccadilly – but I also love spending time in my local area, taking advantage of everything it has to offer and supporting the local businesses. And there’s lots more exploring to be done! I’ve previously visited Highgate and Highgate Cemetery, Archway and Crouch End – and I’m quite familiar with Islington. I also discovered that I’m less than half an hour from Kew Gardens (albeit, in south London), one of my favourite places; I hope to go to Christmas at Kew this year. Like the start of a new school term, my new life began in September, and I hope to have lots of fun as a north Londoner for the next year… at least!
If you have any recommendations for places to visit in north London, I’d love to hear about them! On the list is Alexandra Palace…
