I’m heading to the UK on the 5th of August for a week and will be staying in Brent Cross while tubing into London. Besides a visit to Hobgoblin Music ( in London) is there anything for a whistler and his family in the immediate vicinity of Brent Cross? Sessions that I could take the children with me to hear, makers to visit, etc,etc.? 
I was on my annual trip back to Blighty just two weeks ago and since I was in the vicinity, I decided to visit Hobgoblin in London.
I was a bit disappointed with the store: it was very small. Frankly, they didn’t have very many whistles. There was an tunable Harper and a few Susatos. Thats about it. I don’t think I would bother visiting again.
Regards,
Andy
Heading for the UK.. things for a whistler to do?
Mm, play the whistle?
Hobgoblin usually have a very good range of whistles. Most live under the counter and you have to ask to play them.
There’s also sometimes one or two nice ones in the cupboard at the back of the stairwell straight opposite the front door (not down the stairs but straight across the top of the stairs).
Plus there’s always a big pile of gens, sweetones, waltons, susatos and a few others to pick through, not to mention a pile of chieftains, some howards, usually an MK and the tunable Harper the guy tries to sell me everytime i go in. 
After you’ve been into Hobgoblins walk straight down Rathbone place and cross Oxford Street into Soho Street opposite and just down on the right is the Krishna Conciousness restaurant, Govindas. Very good veggie food - especially the burgers.
Then if you head out East from Soho Square you’ll walk past that horrid red brick church (Methodist i think) and come onto Tottenham Court Road. If you cross over to the East side and walk down Tottenham Court Road towards Leicester Square past the big book shop you’ll come to a music shop (can’t remember the name) that usually has the full range of Cheiftains in the window, ask at the counter to see them, they’re usually accomodating.
I’m planning on plenty of that as time permits!
LoLo: Thanks for the info. That’s the sort of thing I’m looking for. I may never get back to England again and I want to make this trip as fulfilling as possible. That big book store sounds interesting as well…
My days to leave are down to seven! Anyone else have some ideas? There has to plenty of UK folks out there that are familiar with the areas.
Hi WV,
Though I’ve lived in London for 40 years, I don’t know much about the Brent Cross area - that suburb is best known for a large shopping centre imaginatively called Brent Cross. I’m guessing you don’t want to do any major shopping while in London, because everything is going to cost 2-3 times what you’d pay for the same thing in the US.
There are a number of music sessions in London, some on a weekly, some on a monthly basis. I’m more interested in English music than Irish, but I’ve found a number of possible Irish sessions going on during your trip, details below. Your week seems to miss the monthly ones, and the weekly ones MAY not be running the week you’re here - a lot of people go away in August, and if numbers are too low the sessions don’t happen. Best to ring in advance to confirm if the session is still happening.
London, Hanwell. Duke of York. Every Monday, 9.00pm. Intermediate Irish. Mick Bailey, 020 8567 2319 (pub).
London, Greenwich. Lord Hood pub. Every Tuesday, 9.00pm. English music and song. 020 8858 1836 (pub), greentrad@hotmail.com www.greentrad.org.uk
London, Forest Hill. Blythe Hill Tavern. Every Thursday, 9.00pm. Intermediate Irish. Danny Mackay, 020 7848 0553/0119. Free beer for players.
London, Kentish Town, The Fiddlers. Every Sunday, 6.00-9.00pm. Intermediate Irish music and song. Mick Bailey, 020 7267 7737.
You can judge journeys on the tube using the map here:
http://www.comparex.es/pics/maps/zm_map.jpg
Generally I allow 3 minutes per station travelled, Plus walking time at each end of the journey. Brent Cross is on the Northern Line.
You’re also here when my own Morris Dancing team, Spring Grove, are taking a break, or I’d invite you to come along to see us.
If you’re interested in sightseeing “off the beaten path” a Green City Walk might interest you:
http://www.londontown.com/LondonEvents/GreenCityWalks-Londinium/45814
btw, if you’d posted this in the Pub, as it’s not a whistle-specific query, I might have seen it sooner.
When you ring to see if the session is going on, also ask if they allow children in the pub. Some pubs are non-child-friendly in the evenings, if I recall correctly.
There are loads of guidebooks about London that can give you a good overview about what’s out there, including one about seeing London with children. There are no whistle makers in London that I know of but if you’re interested in a day trip, Tony Dixon lives outside of London somewhere. You’d probably have to hire a car; I don’t know where he lives or the train schedules to his area.
It’s Macari’s. 92-94 Charing Cross Road
He lives in Bideford in Devon. That’s kind of outside London in the same was that Scotland is. 
All in a day’s road trip for an American!
Yeah, that’s the one. I always get Tottenham Court Road and Charing Cross Road mixed up. 
Bideford is a five hour drive (without breaks) on a good day going at 80 mph - i drive it once a year. I think Americans would be a little worried driving at that speed on the wrong side of the road with quirky (to say the least) British motorway etiquette. Not to mention that now the summer hols are here the motorway maintainance people will be out tearing up the M4 and M5 tarmac with wild abandon.
I think the nearest whistle maker to Brent Cross would be Phil Hardy at Kerry Whistles. Watford isn’t too far from Brent Cross.
“All in a day’s road trip for an American” !!! So true! My wife and I were staying in Derby at a lovely B&B and one morning the host asked us what we planned on seeing that day. She was astonished when we told her we were going to see Stonehenge. We explained, “We’re from California, that’s nothing.” To her, that was the end of the Earth.
Or our “American-style vacation” where we flew into Gatwick, drove to Portsmouth, drove around southern England to see the Cerne Giant etc, then to Plymouth, Tywardreath, Truro, up the Wye valley to Chester, on to Glasgow, then Edinburgh, down the east side through Newcastle, visiting York, and finally back to the London area to fly out. In ten days. Like we say, “I’m going to need a vacation when I get back from my vacation.”
Very different from what I saw in England, where people would haul their caravan down to a beach in Cornwall and sit on the beach for two weeks and RELAX.
Anyhow in three days I’ll be in the UK but up in Glasgow. I’m going with a pipe band and we are stuck, without “wheels”, in Glasgow for ten days with every day save our one free day taken up with rehearsals, competitions, and performances. I did quite a bit of searching and emailing looking for sessions and there are a number of places I’ll take my whistle to. Hard to decide, though, which whistles to take. I thought about taking my loudest, a Susato, but thought that would be just like the “ugly American” to show up with the loudest whistle possible. Instead I’ll probably go with my most in-tune, a Burke.
How do we know that it was a West Virginian who invented the toothbrush?
Because had anyone else invented it, it would have been called the teethbrush. (Just some WV humour…Go Mountaineers! Montani Semper Liberi.)
Martin:
Thanks for the info. It’s most helpful especially the tube map. Sorry we’ll miss your dance team but I do appreciate the thought of inviting us. Also thank you for the correction in the directions to Macari’s. As for not posting in the Pub, I was really looking for things a whistler could do and didn’t really think that a general post would have generated much interest. Glad to know I was wrong and will remember this in the future.
Pancelticpiper:
Thank you for your input and humor 
. I understand perfectly about lack of transportation. We’re not even considering hiring a car but will probably take taxis to places we can’t tube to and walk. We do a lot of 8 - 10 hour road trips here but for some reason I just want to avoid them on this vacation. Stonehenge is on our list but my wife wants to take a tour group trip out there so that she can see the country side at a more relaxed pace. Good luck in your competitions.
LoLo:
Thanks for the info about Phil Hardy. I will definitely make an attempt at contacting him and visiting.
Avanutria:
I’ve looked at various books but most of them seem to cover the hot spots and tourist attractions. We’re most interested in the things the locals like to do. Your advice on the pubs not being child friendly is useful and is definitely not covered in any book I’ve check out. Many places to hear music and participate in the US are the same way; fine during the day but no kids allowed at night.
Because had anyone else invented it, it would have been called the teethbrush. (Just some WV humour…Go Mountaineers! Montani Semper Liberi.)
from native Tim](http://www.timobrien.net/bio.cfm%22%3ETim) O’Brien:
Did you hear about the TV pilot that failed?
It was going to be called “CSI West Virginia” but there are no dental records and all of the DNA is the same…
I’ve been in London for nearly three years (transplanted American) and the problem with wanting to do the things the locals like to do is that locals (of any community) almost never go off and see the special sights of their city. My grandma has lived just outside of NYC for nearly her whole life and has never seen the Statue of Liberty. I lived in Rochester NY for years and was barely interested in Niagara Falls. And while I have done/seen some things in London, I haven’t seen Stonehenge up close or toured the Tower of London. Locals tend to spend most of their time working and taking care of the household, hehe.
It would help if you told us the ages of your children and what kinds of things you like to do/see. Are you looking for only musical advice, or for anything?
This local likes to visit the Tate Modern, which is just across the wobbly bridge (that doesn’t wobble anymore) from St paul’s cathedral. There’s some lovely inspiring art in there and plenty of it in free galleries…
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/
Global Cities (currently in the Turbine Room) is really eye opening and also really quite scary.
London’s too expensive for Londoners, the TofL was only built as a tourist trap anyway. You can get a family ticket for $90…
There’s a handy website vcalled London Free, with loads of stuff you can do for free (or very cheap), apart from the getting around of course.
http://www.londonfreelist.com/listings.asp?cat=week,All+Categories+For+a+Week
Regarding the getting around, if you’re planning on using the tubes or buses, I recommend investing in an Oyster Card
https://sales.oystercard.com/oyster/lul/entry.do
or you’ll pay through the nose. You can pick up an Oyster card at any manned Underground Station, by filling in a quick form (one for each card I think), and they can give you one on the spot. There’s a £3 deposit. You can then pre-load it for several journeys with a credit card in a machine on the wall, or pay for a weekly travel pass if you’re planning on travelling a lot. The Oyster card can be returned when you leave for a refund on your deposit - I’m not sure if they’ll refund any credit left on the card though, best to ask.
There’s also some handy walking routes on that Oyster website, if you fancy a stroll.
I would highly recommend one of the London evening Ghost walks.
http://www.london-ghost-walk.co.uk/
London is probably the most haunted city in the world, and there are some fascinating stories and areas to learn about - or buy your own guidebook in any London bookstore, and do a self guided walk. This is probably my favourite way of exploring the city, as you can go at your own pace.
An open-top bus tour is interesting if expensive:
http://www.discount-london.com/products/Original_London_Open_Top_Bus_Tour.htm
of take a cruise up the River with a guide pointing out the sights:
I’ve never done the bus tour myself, but have done the river cruise all the way up to the Thames Barrier. London grew around the river, so many of the oldest buildings can be seen from here.
The Tate Modern is on my list as is the British Museum. My son is 10 and likes artsy types of things. We plan on doing a lot of wandering and see what strikes our fancy. I want to take in a session or three while there and eat lots! 
I understand that there is a sort of open-air market (like an american flea market) that is occasionally (or frequently) held near the walking path along the Thames that is on the opposite side from St. Pauls Cathedral ( like in the area from Waterloo Bridge to London Bridge).
Also, is Visa and cash the best way to go aroud London? I’m not sure if the smaller pubs and eateries accept cards.
This thread has kinda turned into an all about London tourism type of thing and I will be understanding if it gets moved. My initial interest was to find out about sessions and whistlemakers in the area for the time frame I’m going but all of the other information has been invaluable to me.
Play your whistle atop the London Eye / Millennium Wheel.
There, that puts this thread back on topic.