Summer solstice: how to make the most of the longest day in London

Set your alarm (or don’t go to bed) and hike up Parliament Hill for a 4.34am kick-off. The views across London from here are the best in the city: top-notch landmarks like the Gherkin and St Paul’s are on show and, if you wiggle around a bit, the Houses of Parliament, over six miles away. There’s a path the whole way up and amazing panoramas of the city at the top – if you can see past the sunrise-selfie stampede.

The centuries-old Smithfield Market gets going at midnight and goes on all through the night until 7am. But there’s no need to go too early. Wait a few hours and you can get involved in as much meat shopping, meat swapping and meat sweating as you like. It’s aimed at wholesalers, so only go if you’re buying a wheelbarrow-load of sausages. Or book the monthly tours if ‘just looking thanks’ is how you like your steak (they start at a kinder 6.45am).

Brace yourself for the day ahead by diving into a body of freezing water. Both the ladies’ and the men’s fresh-water ponds in Hampstead Heath open at 7am in the summer, which doesn’t mean that they’re any warmer, it just means that London is officially in hot-month-mania. Pack your trunks and get ready to front crawl with the finest ducks in north London. 

Time to fortify your sun-worshipping with a fry-up or pile of patisserie, washed down with coffee. Head to for the battered chairs, wipe-down tables and vast wall-to-wall blackboard menu at top-notch greasy spoon Andrew’s Restaurant on Grey’s Inn Road, which opens at a bonkers 6.30am. Order one of the stupendous breakfast fry-ups (including fried slice). Or, if you need an early-morning spice kick, descend on one of Dishoom’s restaurants for a legendary bacon naan roll, served from 8am on weekdays.

Between the commuter crowds and herds of tourists, there’s a sweet spot at around 9am when the South Bank is actually quite empty (for the South Bank, at least). Take a stroll along the Thames, from the London Eye to Tower Bridge, and have yourself a ‘moment’ as the morning sun glistens across the water. 

No day out dedicated to the movements of the sun would be complete without a gallivant around Greenwich. Visit the Royal Observatory and the National Maritime Museum to check out Edwin Russell’s famous dolphin sundial. The views from the top of the hill across to Canary Wharf are also stunning, and well worth the trek.

© Alan Stanton

A weekday during term time provides the perfect opportunity to do a tour of South Ken’s museum circuit. Start off at the Science Museum where, fittingly, you can see Robert Henri’s 1867 wooden model used to illustrate solar eclipses or John Rowley’s 1712 orrery, which was used to demonstrate the movement of the planets around the sun. Afterwards, head to the Natural History Museum and, finally, to the V&A, where you can see a nineteenth-century embroidery of the solar system and Victorian photos of sunsets.

All this longest-day-of-the-year business is exhausting. Hydrate yourself with a cuppa and keep your energy levels up with a huge slab of cake. Thankfully, you’re never far from a quick caffeine fix in London or, if you fancy a full luxury blow-out instead, check out our pick of tea shops, cafés, hotels and places to take afternoon tea in London. Calories = energy, remember.

A change in daylight hours can affect animals, apparently. Find out exactly how much so by heading to one of London’s many city farms. Is Larry the llama walking in circles? Is Gareth the goat head-butting a chicken? Or, wander over to meet the new-born chicks instead – they’re cute and fluffy and haven’t grasped the concept of summer solstice yet.

You’ve been up since 4am. That kind of behaviour deserves a reward in the form of cold and very strong booze. Luckily for you, London is drowning in places to sip spirits and glug gimlets. So, whichever corner of town you’ve ended up in, you won’t be far from a man with a beard offering to shake some alcohol around for you. Here’s our choice of the best cocktail bars in London. 

There’s still over an hour of daylight left, so guarantee yourself a seat at the sunset event of the year at one of London’s best rooftop restaurants. From fine-dining in the clouds to heady pop-ups above the streets, get as high as you can at one of the city’s altitude spots, and just hope it’s not a cloudy evening. We’re watching you, June.

You made it! Congratulations, sun worshipper, now please gather for the ritual sheep-slaughter. Just kidding – there’s none of that where you’re heading. Get above the crowds and find a spot at one of London’s amazing rooftop bars, where you’ll be able to watch the sunset, drink in hand, and thank the sun gods that you’re not on the way back from Stonehenge on a National Express coach.