Entertaining a 12yrs old boy in London!!!

If you have been reading my blog then you would know that I’ve had my family visiting me this summer. This was all in aid of my 12yrs old nephew coming to study in the UK, Leeds to be specific! I wanted to make sure he has a fantastic summer before he started his new school!!!

However what is there to do in London for a 12yrs old who’s main interest was Marvel, movies and playing games on his IPhone!!! Well the most obvious one is of course the movie which we went like 3 times already!!! Not to mention I prefer him to do more adventurous activities much to the dismay of his mum!!!! Lol!!!

After much planning and realising I needed to book well in advance I managed to fill his time and hopefully he did enjoyed his time but who knows!!! Hahaha. I’ll list everything below for anyone struggling for ideas if you’re in a similar situation but I’m only going to write about the more unusual ones!

• Go Karting 
• Skiing
• Biking and boating in the various parks in London
• Shrek Adventure 
• Madame Tussaud’s 
• London Eye
• Up at the O2
• Beach East
• Harry Potter Studios Tour

There were a few other things that I wanted to do but for one reason or another couldn’t, again I’ll list these here for you.

• Bowling
• Ice-skating
• Go-ape
• Tree climbing in Alexandra Palace
• Segway
• London Dungeon
• Zorbing
• Lazer tag 

Go Karting at TeamSport 

There were a few companies offering go karting in London but after checking the timing and location I chose to book with TeamSport. As I’m not a fan of driving I left it up to the BF to race it out with him!!! We had to arrive at least 30mins early but got a little lost with the SatNav!!! Word of advise they are quite strict on the timing as they want to prep everyone at the same time, in facts we got told off for being there only 23mins early instead of 30!!!

After a quick registration on their computers, the boys went in to put on their jumpsuits and get preped (how to drive the karts, safety and signals to watch out for) whilst my mum and I headed towards the viewing area. There’s a cafe and also some chairs in the downstairs area, the upstairs area is standing only but we took a couple of chairs up. We watched from upstairs as you see them get in and out of the karts.

There were 10 people being preped together but then this is split into 2 groups of 5. Each gets 3 x 8mins on the track and as many laps as you can. The aim is to get the fastest lap in your group and if you’re really good of the day!!! They would rest after each session whilst the other group have their turn. Each time they start they get a new kart so we can spot them when they’re speeding through the track. It was really exciting to watch and the boys enjoyed their time. It was also great to see that they had managed to improve their time by the end of the session!!! I could definitely recommend this if you’re after comin exciting but not physically demanding!!! Actually it was my nephew’s favourite activity of the summer!!!

 

The front entrance.

  

The track!!!

  

The cafe was very atmosphereic!!!

  

The boys watching the ither group’s race.

  

Getting ready to step on that pedal!!!

 

Skiing

This was my favourite activity as it was something I’ve been wanting to try!!! The nearest place to London is The Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead so we booked ourselves in for a 1hr private family lesson. Again be sure to arrive early as you’ll need to change and get your gears before the lesson start. I would also advise grabbing a bite beforehand as the food there left a lot to be desired!!! There’s clothes hire for only £7 per person which was great if you’re beginner like ourselves. The gloves however you have to buy for £9.50 so maybe it’s better to buy a pair from Primark or something unless you’re sure you’ll need them again!!! There are lockers and changing room for all your stuffs so no problems.

Once we were all dressed we met with our teacher and set off onto the fluffy stuff!!! My god it was was hard work!!! Even just putting on those boots wee hard work!!! Walking in them used every muscle on my legs!!! Seriously within minutes of being on the snow I was drenched in sweat!!! We had a few mishaps and many slippery moments but definitely had fun. Our teacher was good but wished he was more energetic, I mean I know I can be hard work with all my chatting but come on!!! I’m sure he was like 15yrs younger than me!!! I felt like we learned some good basic and would definitely want to have more lesson but the cost is pretty high!!! Oh and lots of pains and bruises the next day!!! I would just like to mention again how difficult those boots were, so bloody heavy!!! 

 

These were the slopes for our lesson, of course we never went all the way to the top!!!

  

There was a viewing platform from the “chalet” where my mum watched our lesson.

  

This is where you get ready before hitting the slopes

  

This is me trying to find my balance!!! Lol!!!

 

Up at the O2

Now I’ve actually done this already a couple of years ago as a surprise present for the BF so it wasn’t new to me. But I thought my nephew might enjoyed it but did also think he might be too scared!!! I suggested it and he said he would like to go but then after actually seeing it he had his doubts but by then I booked so there was no getting out….

Well….unless you arrived any your group already left!!! This is what happened on the day we were due to go up!!! In the end that ended up being a blessing in disguise!!! The day we should have gone up was a crazy rainy day!!! Yet because we were late we had to come back the next day and waited until the last minute to see if there’s spaces!!! Luckily for us we were able to go on the next day and the weather was so much better!!!

After watching a short vid and some introduction we were kitted out and ready for the ascend!!! The beginning was a lot harder than I remember and again was a proper work out!!! The view and the sense of achievement was definitely worth it though!!! Actually personally the descent was a bit more worrying for me as it felt way more steep and easier to slip. Despite earlier reluctance my nephew was proud of himself for doing it!!! Another a big thumb up, the price is not bad especially if you’re O2 customer as there’s always some offers on. 

 

I forgot to take a pic on the way up so here’s one looking back the path at the top. What you can’t see is the 30 degree climb we had to do!!!

This would be the way doen and again you can’t see the drop here!!!

   

Pano view at the top!!!

  

Pano 2

  

Done!!!

 

Harry Potter Studios Tour 

This again it’s something I’ve done before with the BF. However my nephew is a big HP fan so we decided to go again also when we went a few years ago the Hogwarts Express was not around yet! Make sure you book plenty of time ahead as they get really full especially during school holidays!!! 

Despite this being my 2nd visit, it was still as amazing!!! I believe this tour is not just for HP fans, it would be a fascinating for any movie fans. Not only do you get to see the original sets, you also get to see many of the props used as well as the concept design. It’s easy to end up spending hours here, most people would take about3 hours so plan your visit carefully so you don’t miss out. The price is quiet high but it’s worth the money. Unless you live in North London, I would suggest for you to take the train then the shuttle rather than being stuck in traffic!!!

I’m only going to post a few pics so it doesn’t spoil it for you!

That famous platform!

  

All abroad!!!

  

Cinematic secrets revealed!!! How to create an illustration of a 30m long corridor!!!

 

Incredible paper model of Hogwarts!!!

 
Well that’s all folks, the other activities are pretty standard but if you’re are interested I’ll be more than happy to share more info with you.

Please follow me to keep up to date with my search!!!