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Urban Explorer Series: Interview with Ellie Walker-Arnott

Urban Explorer Series: Interview with Ellie Walker-Arnott

“I feel like I know London pretty well, but there’s nothing better than finding something or somewhere I’d never been before.”

 

 

 

Ellie Walker-Arnott

Digital Editor of Time Out London

 

 

 

Our Urban Explorer

 

Could you please introduce yourself to our guests?

I’m Ellie. I’m a writer and I live in north London with my fiancé and my cat Ginger. Currently Digital Editor and Escapes Editor at Time Out London, I’m also the author of a London guidebook about all the perfectly preserved shops, pubs, restaurants and buildings in the city. It’s called Nostalgic London and it’s out in 2020. 

 

How do you think you fit into the term “Urban Explorer”?

As part of my job I’m tasked with going out into the city to try the latest fitness trend, crystal healing facial, unusual attraction or neighbourhood restaurant. I enjoy exploring cool corners of the city and wandering down London’s atmospheric alleyways in search of new discoveries. I feel like I know London pretty well, but when I was writing my book there was nothing better than finding something or somewhere I’d never been before. 

 

What are the 4 things you love most about London? 

I love London’s wild green spaces, urban neighbourhoods, the amazing, ancient buildings that are dotted around the city and the fact that so many of London’s world-class art galleries, museums and cultural institutions are totally free to explore. 

 

How did you get into journalism?

I’ve always wanted to be a writer – I wrote stories and fashioned my own handmade magazines as a child. I was very involved in student journalism at university and have been lucky enough to write for some amazing publications since then. 

 

What do you like most about your job?

No day, or article, is the same. It’s great to be able to champion my home city every day – and to feel like, with the Time Out London website and free weekly magazine, we’re helping Londoners and visitors make the most of their weekends and precious time off. I love being able to share recommendations that help people enjoy the city at its very best, whether that’s the coolest art show, the best drink on the menu at the city’s newest bar or the unmissable event taking place in the capital this month. 

 

As someone born in London, how do you feel the city has evolved over your lifetime?

London is constantly changing and evolving, and that’s part of what makes it such an amazing place. There are incredible new bars and restaurants opening all the time, as well as innovative events being put on by Londoners. Although the city has a bit of a reputation for being unfriendly (probably because we don’t like talking on the tube!), I just don’t think that’s true. I feel like there’s a real sense of local community in London at the moment. 

 

 

How do you find new places to explore in London?

I trust my colleagues at Time Out London to give me the best recommendations, as they are all super passionate about their expert areas, from the best outdoor cinemas, rooftop bars, vegan restaurants or ways to get your hands on cheap theatre tickets. They really know their stuff! 

 

 If London was a person, how would you describe them?

Creative, open-minded and resilient. 

 

Travel Inspiration

 

How often do you travel? Do you travel more for work or pleasure?

I love heading out of London and visiting places around the UK – from quaint villages to retro seaside towns – for the Escapes pages in Time Out. I try and get out of the city and into the countryside once a month.  

 

Where does your inspiration for travel come from?

While I do love to lie on a sun lounger and read, I prefer to be on the move, seeing new landscapes every day. Food is also a big part of my travel plans – I’ve been known to plan entire holidays around restaurants I want to eat at or dishes I’m desperate to try. And there’s nothing better than embarking on a trip that is the complete opposite of life in a big city, whether that’s sleeping in a campervan in the Canadian Rockies, listening to unfamiliar sounds in a Balinese jungle or hiking through the lush Scottish forests.

 

What destinations are on your bucket list?

I can’t wait to catch the train up to Scotland to visit the Isle of Skye this winter – I’ll be hiking the dramatic coastline and staying in a tiny cottage on the edge of a beach. I’ve also just booked a couple of nights in a treehouse near Bruton in Somerset for next spring. I’d love to float around Kerala’s palm-tree lined backwaters, explore Costa Rica’s cloud forest and eat my way around Sicily – I also have the route for an RV road trip around Arizona and Utah planned out in my head – but I am trying to rethink the way I travel and focus on exploring places closer to home instead. 

 

Exploring The City

 

Which places or areas of the city do you enjoy hanging out at most and why?

I love the independent cafés, shops and bars you can find in London’s little urban villages, like Crouch End, Highbury and Stoke Newington – they are mini communities and there are some really exciting things going on there. On the weekends, I like staying close to home, meeting friends for coffee, strolling along the Parkland Walk to Ally Pally, settling down in a cosy local pub or bar or catching a movie at Crouch End ArtHouse. If I’m in central London, I’m always drawn to the Southbank Centre. It’s right in the middle of the action beside the Thames, but you can always find somewhere to pause – a coffee in the Riverside Terrace in the winter or something stronger on the Queen Elizabeth Rooftop Gardens on a warm day. 

 

Which areas of London most inspire you? Why?

London is made up of nearly 50% green spaces, which is incredible. It’s amazing to me that you can live in the heart of a city and have access to so many seemingly-rural environments. There’s something really special about spotting the iconic skyscrapers of the City from the wilds of Hampstead Heath, taking a seat inside a lush, volunteer-run space like The Phoenix Garden, which has sprouted up behind Shaftesbury Avenue or exploring Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, where nature has taken over what used to be a grand Victorian cemetery. Often in London’s green spaces you get a sense of history or of what came before. In the City of London, you’ll find tiny parks where bombs dropped during WWII – St Dunstan in the East and Christchurch Greyfriars are both glorious green spaces in the ruins of former churches. Wander through heathland, past roaming herds of deer, in Richmond Park and you’ll forget there’s a city there at all. 

 

Which area in London would you recommend first-time visitors to explore for a nice city walk?

The South Bank, definitely. You can tick off some big London icons, like the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and the London Eye, at the start, but walk east and you pass so many more amazing things: Southbank Centre and Hayward Gallery, as well as its fellow Brutalist icon The National Theatre; Shakespeare’s Globe, a modern reconstruction of the Elizabethan theatre where you can watch world-class theatre as a groundling for just £5; and the Tate Modern, where hundreds of famous artworks are on display in an imposing former power plant for free. You’ll see the City and the iconic dome of St Paul’s Cathedral come into view on the north of the river before reaching Borough Market, where you can easily pass an afternoon sampling food and drink. Finish your walk by City Hall, with the Tower of London and Tower Bridge in front of you. 

 

 

What must-have items do you carry with you when you go exploring in London?

An umbrella for when the weather turns on you, a bottle of water for when you overheat on the Central Line and a reusable cup for sampling the best coffee the city has to offer. 

 

In a hectic, busy city, where do you go to relax and find some peace?

To really switch off, I go to one of London’s yoga studios. ChromaYoga, where each class is bathed in a different colour, is a great way to get out of your head. FLY LDN has an incredible screen at the front of class that transports you into different landscapes during tough flows, while you can’t help but relax in TriYoga’s incense-scented studios. Alternatively, I’ll take a book to a coffee shop and find a quiet corner. Nordic Bakery is a great spot in central London – and the cinnamon buns are ace.  

 

Favourite bar:

Sager + Wilde wine bar on Hackney Road for a warming glass of red on a chilly evening. Little Mercies in Crouch End for clever cocktails in a low-key setting. 

 

Favourite shopping street:

I love Camden Passage in Angel. The little pedestrianised street is lined with vintage shops and indie homeware stores, as well as open-air market stalls. It’s hidden away from busy Upper St and it feels like a secret you should keep to yourself.

 

Favourite markets:

Borough Market for eating your way through an afternoon and Alexandra Palace Farmer’s Market for ingredients you’ll whip up later. You’ll want to avoid it if you can’t stand crowds, but Columbia Road Flower Market is a totally wholesome way to spend a Sunday – it’s pretty much impossible to leave without a bargain houseplant or an armful of blooms. 

 

Where to go to find something a little different:

It might not seem like an obvious choice for a day out, but chaotically overgrown Highgate Cemetery is a really special spot. Once a grand Victorian cemetery, it fell into disrepair and was overtaken by greenery. Now you can wander the crumbling, ivy-covered graveyard. Look out for the tomb of Karl Marx – it’s topped with a massive sculpture of his head. Like the overgrown vibe? Walk the Parkland Walk from Finsbury Park to Alexandra Palace. It’s the city’s longest nature reserve, set along an abandoned railway line where some old platforms are still visible. 

 

Any final top tips, recommendations, must see places worth noting?

Take a dip in the ponds on Hampstead Heath. It’s muddy, chilly even on super hot days, and you might end up doing your lengths with a duck, but there’s nothing else quite like it.

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