I went for a stroll along the South Bank last night. And the spirit of Christmas was truly ignited. I sipped on a mulled wine laced with brandy, rubbed shoulders with the jolly people in the crowds, gazed at all the twinkling lights and browsed some of the many wooden market Christmas stalls. I lingered over the ones selling chocolate kisses, Christmas jumpers and sheepskin rugs (where I had a short chat with the owner and her young dog – yes, in a sheepskin coat).
For the small people, there is a massive and brightly lit carousel. And – a new feature – a small bright-red steam train that gives rides along the edge of the river to Festival Pier – the Southbank Centre Express. You are drawn by lights down prettily lit stairs with fir trees on either side where you can gaze down at the wondrous sight of the Christmas tree maze below. There are stalls on the way down – one selling funny signs and another doing a busy trade in pizza slices.
At the base of the stairs there are more stalls. We walked across the decking and entered the cavernous space inside the Rekorderlig Cider Lodge – modelled on a two level Scandinavian house. At that time, the DJ was playing some interesting hits from the 50s. We bought ourselves some warm cider (there’s a £2 per mug returnable deposit) and took a seat outside – just by the entrance to that marvellous maze. The spiced cider was so good that we had a refill. My Nordic companion was impressed with the pop-up Swedish café and explained some of the unintelligible (to me) menu items.
We continued our walk along the riverside and spotted the Christmas Tree café where people were enjoying the river views with steaming cups of hot chocolate. And, in a weird Easter-like twist, took at look at the art installation of the huge illuminated rabbits.
http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/festivals-series/winter-festival
http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/christmas-tree-maze-1000709 Christmas tree maze - £4 a ticket
http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/southbank-centre-express-1000710 Train rides - £4 a ticket
http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/visitor-info/shop-eat-drink/restaurants/rekorderlig-cider-lodge
http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/visitor-info/shop-eat-drink/restaurants/christmas-tree-cafe
