12 Aug 2019
A Guide To St Albans City
Compiled after three years of 'research'...
It says a lot about me that when asked what I will miss the most about St Albans, I quite openly say ‘the food’. But I swear this post isn’t just about food… probably… Anyway yes, after 3 years, 3 months and 19 days of living here, here’s my guide to St Albans City.
Where to stay & how to get here
It feels like this section needs to be included but obviously I haven’t had much need to be booking hotels whilst I’ve lived here although a lot of our friends and family did when they came to stay for our wedding and no one had any complaints about the following. The Clarion, White Hart Hotel & Premier Inn are all very central but there are also several v nice options on Airbnb – just make sure they are based in the centre. If you fancy treating yourself, St Michael's Manor is a fancy hotel in town and Sopwell House is a spa hotel about a mile out. If you want to drive in, be aware that it can get very busy in the centre. You can’t park on the streets unless you have a permit (and the traffic wardens are not chilled out folk) so stick to the central car parks. St Albans is only 20 mins outside of London St Pancras so you can get here via train from most places if you change at London. The train station is a 10-minute walk from the centre.
Where to explore
With its cobbled streets and ye olde vibe, St Albans is a great place for a wander. Wandering around the cathedral grounds is an absolute must; it’s a spectacular building with one of the longest naves in the country. I would also highly recommend the cathedral tower tour should you have the time. In town, you can head up the old clock tower for a quid which is an interesting spot of history and has great views of the cathedral and market from the rooftop.
The traditional street market is on every Wednesday and Saturday and it’s one of the best around; it could easily keep you entertained for a couple of hours with the huge array of shopping and food stalls. There’s also a farmer’s market every second Sunday of the month and a French market also pops up every now and again.
If you’re in the mood for nature, head to Verulamium Park. Whilst it can get busy, the lake is beautiful and the various roman ruins make it just that bit different. Also, make sure you go check out the Roman mosaic in the park which was built around 200 AD and is v impressive.
If you fancy a bit of a country walk, head out to Redbournbury mill, a fully working watermill in the countryside. It’s a great bit of history and you can stock up on fresh bread from the bakery afterwards.
If in doubt, St Albans is a great place for a good old shopping – Flower Box and Raindrops on Roses are gorgeous independent shops and the Jo Malone and Oliver Bonas stores great for some window shopping (or not if you’re feeling flush).
Mostly though, eating should be high on your agenda…
Where to eat
It is no exaggeration when I say I could write a dissertation on eating in St Albans so I have tried to refine this and keep it to the crème de la crème of St Albans foodie spots. Let’s talk breakfast first: our grab-and-go staples are the cinnamon buns from Gail’s or the almond croissants from the Brown Bread market stall which is in St Albans daily. To this day, I maintain these are the best almond croissants I have ever had and I am beyond thrilled that Brown Bread also frequent our new town of Ely. If we’re fancying more of a brunch, we tend to go for the dreamy pancakes-and-bacon set-up at The Pudding Stop or head to Bill’s which has never let me down (the garden plate is a fave). You won’t struggle for brunch in St A – check out Street Café, Hatch and George Street Canteen as well.
For lunch, if you’re not hanging out in the many cafes of St Albans, my absolute favourite is Peddling Pizza which can be found at the market every Wednesday. Voted the best market stall in St Albans, and set-up by a St Albans local, I have yet to find a pizza that tops these. The Waffle House has been a favourite of mine since I was a kid and I will always maintain you should get a savoury one, and then a sweet one. Some people have disagreed with me when they’ve seen the size of them but you can’t break me.
And for dinner, if you love cheese and wine as much as I do, then you have to go to The Bishop’s Cave; an absolute corker of a cheese and wine bar. Can’t recommend enough. There’s Lussmans which does upmarket food for incredibly reasonable prices. They are sustainable, pay all their staff proper wages and were in the Sunday Times’ list of the 100 best places to eat in the UK. We also really like Little Marrakech; a lovely little Moroccan restaurant which crackin’ food and décor.
Cafes have been frequent haunts of mine whilst we’ve lived in St Albans; at least once a week I can be found sat in one of them typing away. I’m currently typing this in Nkora which is relatively new to St Albans – their other two branches are in Shoreditch I believe. Think Scandi décor, sourdough sandwiches and a solid range of un-typical baked goods. Probably my favourite café around these parts. St Albans Museum + Gallery courtroom café does great food but is also worth visiting for the setting. The building used to be the old town hall and they have restored the old courtroom for the café area. It’s a spectacular room complete with the dock, witness box, & judge chair. Plus you can go downstairs to the original cells and come up into the dock like you actually are about to stand trial. Certainly a unique setting for your sandwiches. Also worth having a nosy around the museum & gallery afterwards - yours truly got married in the gorgeous Assembly room upstairs. I’d also shout out to The Exquisite Peacock Emporium by Love Koffee which do epic muffins and the upstairs of Café Nero – yes, I know it’s a chain, but it’s a really peaceful spot full of solid oak tables/floors should you fancy a cosy place to get some work done. If you’re happy to head a bit further out of town, Aymi café has highly instagrammable décor and really great food.
As for pubs, we are regulars at the Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, so much so that we had our wedding reception there. It’s got low beams and open fires on the inside, has a gorgeous garden with cute fairy lights and views over the lake, crackin’ live music every now and again and does great food. The Boot is my favourite during the winter as it’s always really cosy with candles on the tables and steamed windows. During the summer, The Blacksmith Arms has a great beer garden and a walk to the The Prae Wood Arms a little out of town is always worth it for the country-house vibes. The recently opened Gin Cave is also worth a visit should you be a fan of gin.
And for the sweet stuff – The Pudding Stop obviously has to be right at the top. I’ve mentioned it like 54325 times before so I won’t bang on about it again – it’s a dream. The Shaken Cow does crackin’ milkshakes with hundreds of flavours and Darlish ice cream does Persian ice cream which is so good. Oh and afternoon tea at The Ivy is definitely worth a trip.
Yes, okay, we have strayed into dissertation territory. I’ll stop now…
11 Aug 2019
A Photo A Day | 16 - 30 June 2019
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| 16 June 2019 Location: San Francisco, California, USA Riding cable cars down really big hills because you gotta right? |
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| 17 June 2019 Location: Yosemite National Park, California, USA Our first view upon arriving in Yosemite and I’m half convinced it’s a very big painting 🤯 |
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| 18 June 2019 Location: Yosemite National Park, California, USA Waking up in Yosemite, climbing to the top of waterfalls in Yosemite, basically wishing I could live in Yosemite... |
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| 19 June 2019 Location: Baker Beach, San Francisco, USA Viewed this bridge from 4 different viewpoints today but I think this one was my favourite ❤️ |
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| 20 June 2019 Location: Twin Peaks, San Francisco, USA And just like that, it’s the last day 🥂 |
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| 21 June 2019 Location: St Albans Home (of which we have given notice on which is a slightly alarming thought to process after a 10 hour overnight flight where we didn’t sleep a wink...) 😴 |
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| 22 June 2019 Location: St Albans One minute you’re sashaying around California and the next you're traipsing around Tesco trying to find something to eat that only involves max 5 minutes cooking because woah losing a night’s sleep and jet lag combined are cruel ways to come back to reality... |
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| 23 June 2019 Location: Home, St Albans One minute you’re sashaying around California and the next you’re drowning in dirty washing... |
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| 24 June 2019 Location: London Back to work and therefore truly back to reality... |
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| 25 June 2019 Location: Regent's Park, London Making friends with fluffy creatures in my lunch break |
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| 26 June 2019 Location: St Albans Looking after fluffy creatures #catsitting |
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| 27 June 2019 Location: St Albans Appreciating St Albans in the sunshine |
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| 28 June 2019 Location: St Albans Only goal this week was to make it to Friday, which we did 💪🏻 |
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| 29 June 2019 Location: Veralum Park, St Albans Dinner with the rents & a sunset walk around the park after a Saturday of trying to figure out why on earth we have only allowed ourselves a v small amount of time to get rid of all our old furniture, pack up the flat, organise work & find furniture for the new house. Came to the conclusion we will be eating, sleeping & working on the floor for the foreseeable 😂 |
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| 30 June 2019 Location: Milton Keynes Sat on a lot of sofas, took a brief break amongst the Ikea kitchen section and then sat on a lot more sofas before decided we probably want the very first sofa we sat on. Then sat down for pizza cos all that sitting was tiring 😂 |
5 Aug 2019
A Flat With A Spiral Staircase
And just like that, 3 years, 3 months and 19 days in St Albans came to an end.
By the end, we were drowning in cardboard boxes and had given away all our furniture on freecycle; I felt like every day was just furiously packing without actually making any progress and I was like sweet jesus will this ever end. There wasn’t a lot of time for getting overly nostalgic. I had moments; weepy moments as I walked through the market and went to our favourite pub for the last time. But I also had a certainty that it was the right time to make the change and so I powered on through.
About six months into our relationship, when we were stretched out on his bed one lazy Sunday afternoon, Gary first mentioned living together. I was living at my parents in Bedfordshire and he was living in a shared house in London. We would spend another six months umming and ahhing about where and when and what we could afford until one night in February, just after our one-year anniversary, I decided that we should just get the heck on with it. We decided on St Albans and looked at a fair few flats to rent but it was the one with the rickety spiral staircase overlooking the cathedral that drew in this hopeless romantic. It was hidden just behind the high street and surrounded by trees and cafés. Out the back window, the Hertfordshire countryside stretched before you and out the front, the cathedral dominated the view. It was surrounded by the constant sounds of the city and the bells. We moved in on 1 April 2016.
The green front door opened straight into the small open plan living/kitchen area, the poorly constructed bathroom was straight off the kitchen and there were two very small bedrooms – one being just about big enough to squeeze in a double bed. We furnished it with a mismatch of furniture from our former respective homes and we filled it with joy and life for the next three years.
Cue montage. The view of the cathedral, framed by different colours of the many trees, changing depending on the season. The smell of chestnuts wafting in from the Christmas market. Sunny weekend mornings walking through the market. Our super friendly neighbours, Andy and Steve. Spontaneous trips to The Pudding Stop. Many cosy evenings, Sunday roasts and summer afternoons in the garden at the Ye Olde Fighting Cocks. Makeshifts BBQs on the terrace. Homemade pizzas spread across the coffee table. Cinnamon buns and almond croissants on a Saturday morning. Promotions and new jobs. Cosy Sunday afternoons and drunken dancing in the kitchen. A little Christmas tree popped up in the corner. Christmas lights twinkling throughout town. The summer food festival. Picnics in the park. The yearly pub crawl with friends. The constant sound of church bells and the sounds of the town on a Saturday night. Fresh flowers from the market. An abundance of Lush bath bombs. Typing away in cafes on a Friday afternoon. Sooooo many candles. Regular trips to the Odyssey cinema. Friends and family crammed onto our one sofa. Channel 4 news in the background as dinner bubbles on a weekday evening. Sunsets in the park. Cat sitting. Drunken evenings in the pub where we planned our future. Picking out an engagement ring. Walking through the centre of town in a wedding dress. Driving home and seeing the cathedral on the horizon. That inexplicable feeling of home.
There was no one reason as to why we chose St Albans to set up our first home together but, despite the endless impracticalities of the flat, I have never been so sure we were ‘meant’ to be somewhere. It was the right time to go but, when we were finally packed up and I stood alone in the empty flat, and the finality of it hit me; I felt slightly heartbroken. But life goes on, and a new home was waiting for us. So I left our keys on the kitchen worktop a la the final episode of Friends, before heading out the green door and down that spiral staircase for the final time.
4 Aug 2019
A Photo A Day | 1 - 15 June 2019
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| 1 June 2019 Location: St Albans Museum + Gallery Truly lost for words at what an absolute joy this day was. Overwhelmed by love & happiness 💖 |
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| 2 June 2019 Location: Home, St Albans Overwhelmed by the astonishing generosity of our friends and family. We opened all the cards & presents whilst eating leftover cheese and I started crying after opening the first one. We are so incredibly lucky to know such top people ❤️🧡💛💚💙 |
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| 3 June 2019 Location: Premier Inn, Heathrow Airport Cheating slightly with a screen shot because Ready. For. Sleep. Did not anticipate how knackered I’d feel at the end of this weekend. Attempting to catch some kip in a premier inn before a 6am wake up call for hoooneymoooon! |
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| 4 June 2019 Location: New York City, USA 6am wake up call, seven hour flight, hour immigration queue, hour taxi ride... and we’re state side, back in one of our favourite cities 😁 Tactic for keeping the tiredness and creeping jet lag at bay may have included eating an absurdly epic ice cream 🤤🤷🏻♀️ |
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| 5 June 2019 Location: New York City, USA New York, New York... |
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| 6 June 2019 Location: Central Park, New York City, USA I am now 50% bagel, 50% sweat. Am pleased about one of those... |
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| 7 June 2019 Location: The Vessel, New York City, USA Checking out The Vessel which is a bit like being caught up in your very own optical illusion... 🤷🏻♀️ Then proceeded to eat my way around The High Line, Chelsea Market & Greenwich. Ate three puddings. Have no regrets. |
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| 8 June 2019 Location: Brooklyn, New York City, USA The most glorious end to a glorious day 🌇 |
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| 9 June 2019 Location: New York City, USA Headed downtown & wandered in and around the financial district. Strolled by the memorial pools, down Wall Street - stopping to say hi to the Charging Bull and an even bigger hi to the Fearless Girl. And then accidentally ended up spending the majority of the afternoon in the Dead Rabbit because what an absolute gem of a bar 👌🏻 |
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| 10 June 2019 Location: New York City, USA A foggy, steamy, extremely wet final day in New York. It made the whole city very atmospheric and a lil bit ghostly when it was dark. We read our books listening to the rain, caught up with friends also state side (ate cookies hiding under a shelter like true Brits abroad) and had a candlelit dinner in our favourite restaurant. Cheers to the first leg of our trip 🥂 |
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| 11 June 2019 Location: Miami, USA One way to test your very new marriage: turn a 6 hour domestic flight into a 21 hour door-to-door journey and see if you still want to be married at the end of it 😂Ended up flying from NYC to California via... Miami. Yes I know that doesn’t make geographical sense. No it wasn’t by choice. The trip included an extra 3 hours on a plane, arriving 7 and a half hours later then planned & far too much time in MIA airport... I do begrudgingly admit that the plane views were rather nice. |
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| 12 June 2019 Location: San Francisco, California, USA Ello San Francisco, I think we’re gonna be friends 👋🏻 |
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| 13 June 2019 Location: Sonoma Valley, California, USA Went to wine country, tried 24 different wines, had a hangover by 5pm 😂 |
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| 14 June 2019 Location: Alcatraz, San Francisco, California, USA Alcatraz at night was equally fascinating and eerie... |
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| 15 June 2019 Location: Muir Woods, California, USA Feeling (and looking) like a borrower next to the tallest trees in the world. One from the bucket list ticked off 😍 |
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