Blackheath.

Sometimes London surprises me, in the best possible way. The City itself is brimming with culture in all corners and beautiful neighbourhoods to sojourn. I happened upon one of such neighbourhoods a few weeks back. Blackheath. In the South East of London. And I fell in love.

The South East has a bit of a bad rap because of lots of notorious shenanigans that happen there but shenanigans happen everywhere regardless of post code. Blackheath is a little village in the heart of South East London, a stone throw away from Charing Cross; ten minutes on the train. Literally.

An urban myth says Blackheath used to be the burial ground for the many deaths during the plague of 1665, frankly which London neighbourhood wasn’t build on the burial ground for those who died in the plague?, but history says Blackheath was a rallying point for revolts and rebellions…whatever it was back in the day, Blackheath of today is simply divine with echoes of history all around it. From its Victorian buildings to the pretty doll houses. The All Saints church stands towering smack in hits heartland with a vast sea of green surrounding it. I don’t know that there are many more beautiful neighbourhoods…

Blackheath is a little village with open fields and a charmingly delightful feel about it. There’s a big park in the middle of a traffic roundabout where everyone gathers in the summer to sun bathe and picnic. A pond with ducks just right next to it.

Ahhh…smell the fresh air.

Blackvanilla Cupcakes

Ice-Cream

Blackvanilla

Of course I found a treasure there; Blackvanilla, a perfect little cafe just opposite the station with the creamiest of gelato, delicious cupcakes, crepes…Salted caramel ice cream; TO DIE FOR. I was in heaven. There is always a queue but the wait is worth your while and so much more.

In the evenings, Blackheath has the most beautiful and perfect sunset and you can see for miles. The air smells fresher there and the sky is a different kind of blue, a vivid and most divine one. If you didn’t know it you’d think you were in St Albans or somewhere just as charming. Beautiful. Beautiful.

Take a straight train from Charing Cross to Blackheath and see if you can spot the locations for Fast Six…Possibly.