Visit the new Moco Museum (Credit: Moco Museum UK)
09/01/2025
6 Cool Things to do This Winter
The party season may have come and gone, but there’s no need to hunker down at home on the sofa. From celebrating Veganuary to discovering an immersive new museum, there’s a raft of exciting things to do this winter – you just need to know where to look. After all, why should December have all the fun?
We’ve combed the calendar to bring you the best activities to keep you entertained over January and February – all in areas close to our homes.
Highclere Castle aka Downton Abbey (Credit: © Highclere Castle LLP)
1. Dust off the Cobwebs at ‘Downton Abbey’
While you’ll have to wait until later this year for the third Downton Abbey movie, there’s no reason you can’t get your next fix of the Crawleys by visiting Highclere Castle in Hampshire, the stately home that set the scene for TV’s favourite upper-class family.
The special Wintertime Castle Guided Tour takes in the grand interiors, from the central saloon and state dining room to the galley bedrooms, before descending to the cellar to see the Egyptian Exhibition. The expert guides share plenty of insider anecdotes and behind the scenes stories. Afterwards, you’ll be able to enjoy refreshments befitting of the demanding tastes of the Dowager Countess of Grantham – soups, quiches, cakes and the like – before wrapping up warm and wandering the grounds at your leisure.
Delicious vegan food at Cinnamon Kitchen (Credit: Jodi Hinds)
2. Indulge in Plant-based Indian Cuisine
Whether you’re a committed carnivore or rarely indulge, Veganuary – an annual event that encourages people to go vegan for the month of January to protect the environment, improve people’s health and prevent animal suffering – is a chance to enjoy plant-based food. Cinnamon Kitchen, the restaurant at Battersea Power Station owned and run by executive chef Vivek Singh, proves why meat really isn’t missed in modern Indian cuisine.
Swing by throughout the month to enjoy a four-course, plant-based tasting menu that doesn’t compromise on flavour. Dishes include the likes of smoked sweet potato cake with roast butternut squash and tomato chutney, Bengali aubergine bhaja with mustard coconut sauce, and spiced coconut rolls with palm jaggery sauce. The industrial aesthetic – all exposed pipes and brickwork – provides a stylish backdrop to kicking off the year in style.
Immersive art at Moco Museum (Credit: Moco Museum UK)
3. Immerse Yourself in Art at a Hot New Museum
With a mission to make art more accessible to a broader demographic, Moco Museum in Marble Arch is home to over 100 modern, contemporary, digital and immersive pieces (including a who’s-who of the art world, from Basquiat and Warhol to Banksy and Hirst, among others).
A far cry from the stuffy museums of yesteryear, Moco has a seriously cool vibe with slick white exhibition spaces and multi-sensory environments spread across 25,000 square feet. Our pick is the digital and immersive art experience, which showcases the latest innovations at the interaction of art and technology. Use code ‘LondonLocals’ at checkout for 30% off tickets until the end of February.
The Lucky Saint pub (Credit: Lucky Saint)
4. Have a Cheeky Pint (Without the Hangover)
Dry January doesn’t have to be quite so drab when you can still pop into your local and prop up a traditional wooden bar with a pint or two. Billed as ‘a pub for our times’, The Lucky Saint in Marylebone comes courtesy of the eponymous alcohol-free beer brand and serves up its namesake tipple on-tap alongside a small but perfectly formed menu of pub snacks (pork crackling, anchovies on toast and pickled egg included).
As well as Lucky Saint, there’s a clutch of other alcohol-free beer – such as Guinness, Tiny Rebel and Asahi – as well as boozy options for those still on the sauce. What’s more, there are alcohol-free cocktails including a stellar Paloma – this year’s ‘it’ drink – as well as concoctions that mix Lucky Saint into creative ‘beertails’.
Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake (Credit: Johan Persson)
5. See a Ballet with a Twist
Debuting at Sadler’s Wells in London almost 30 years ago, Matthew Bourne’s dark and brooding interpretation of Swan Lake remains as relevant and contemporary now as it did back in 1995, and its short run at Birmingham Hippodrome this February is the perfect chance to catch it while you can. Thrilling, bold and emotive, the traditional ballet is given an edgy and masculine twist with the all-male corps-de-ballet, the historic venue providing a suitably dramatic backdrop to the high-octane production.
The Silent Pool Distillery is set beside a beautiful lake (Credit: Thomas Horne)
6. Take a Tour of a Gin Distillery
Why not mark #Ginuary – a month-long celebration of gin in the UK – with a visit to the Silent Pool Distillery in the rolling Surrey Hills? Set beside its namesake lake, the tour includes the story of the rather mystical location, which provides the locally sourced botanicals that go into every bottle, as well the history of gin itself. Plus, you’ll visit the stills that make the spirits, each with their own name, learn about the four-stage distillation process and get to try a tipple or two along the way.