Rainy Daze

Don't let the rain spoil your weekend. here are just some of the best things to do in London no matter what the weather.

It's getting to that time of year when all you want to do is sit on the sofa and eat chocolate. We call it the 'Rainy Daze' a hazy cloud that covers the eye, hiding all life outside of your warm little living room, but even though it is raining outside there is still tons of cool stuff to be doing in London. Don't let your playtime be spoilt by the weather and try out a couple of these things.

A trip to the flicks...
We should never be moaning "I'm bored" in London. The great thing about our city is the selections of independent cinemas that show art and foreign films. Even if you have seen every block buster showing in Leicester square, there will still be something you haven't seen on. Not only do we have the BFI right along the river but there are a whole host of little screens dotted around town. Screen on the Green in Islington is a popular one with you guys, it does only have one screen (hence the singular 'screen' in its name) so make sure you check out what's showing before you turn up.

Another favourite is Rio cinema in Dalsto n. It's only a hop, skip and a jump away from Dalston Station so you won't have to walk far in the rain. If you’re hanging around in Soho, The Curzon is a brilliant place to catch a rainy day flick. It has a bar attached to the cinema too so if it's still raining when you come out you can grab a beer or even a hot chocolate to warm yourself up.

For the ultimate rainy get away, step into the BFI IMAX near Waterloo station . It does cost a little bit more than your average cinema ticket but once your in there you’ll be so mesmerised by the huge screen and comfy seats that you’ll soon for get that your purse is just that little bit lighter.

Become a bookworm...
There are over four thousand libraries in the UK and we have a huge selection of public ones right here in London. For those of you know don’t know, libraries aren’t just full of books, they have talks and workshops happening in them, CDs , DVD’s and even comics for those of us who still like to read with pictures.

Spending a lazy afternoon in the library can be surprisingly satisfying. For one you feel clever just for walking into one and when you sit down and open a book it’s like your escaping into another world. Finally if you need another reason to try your local library out, being able to walk to a library and borrow books is about the most eco-friendly way of getting your entertainment without creating a huge carbon foot print.

One of the best libraries around is Holborn Library . It's great for when your in the center of town and fancy having a browse around their extensive newspaper and magazine section. Peckham Library is another winner. It's good for reading in impressive surroundings as it's a really old and unusual building.

Get wet and wild...
If you don't want to get wet outside, get wet inside instead. Swimming isn't just about keeping fit, it's a good thing to do with friends and you never know you might actually have fun. Highbury Pool has a leisure center attached so it can get busy but it's worth checking out. On the North side of town Park Road Swimming Pool in Hornsey has both an indoor and outdoor pool. There is also a driving area if you fancy showing off to your mates.

Undercover markets...
Another great way to get out the wet is to hit the shops. Spitalfields Market is another fine rainy afternoon activity. With loads of stalls selling everything from handmade clothes to organic tofu, even if you don't buy anything it's lovely just to wonder around. Since it's make over Spitalfields has lost a little of its authentic London charm but even so, we still love popping down there.

Tempt your taste buds..
Our personal favourite out of all the rainy day activities is a visit to Vinopolis , a wine tasting venue near Borough. It is a little main stream and can be touristy yet supping wine on a rainy afternoon definitely cheers us up. It's a cool underground venue and the wine tasting lessons are a really nice way to learn how to taste wine and make lots of pretentious comments like ' what a muscular effort from the Lafite vinery', or 'oohh those seething tannins set my heart alight'... (Actually if you said the latter you’d probably get shot). Cheers!

Let us know what you get up to when it's rainy daze in London....