London Apartments for the Peter Pan Cup at Christmas

For anyone visiting London and looking for some London accommodation, if you’ve never tried them already, then why not have a look at booking a London serviced apartment for your stay. Instead of the usual hotels and hostels that might at first pop into mind, London holiday apartments are becoming an increasingly popular option for visitors to the city. Whether they are a couple looking for a city break, a family visiting for a few days or business travellers staying during the week, serviced apartments are flexible enough to cope with the demands of every type of guest.

If you’re visiting London over Christmas for whatever reason, and you like to sometimes do and see things a little out of the ordinary, then on Christmas morning get yourself down to Hyde Park to an intriguing sporting spectacle. While most people will either still be tucked up in bed or working their way through the presents, members of the Serpentine Swimming Club will be plunging themselves in to the icy waters of The Serpentine, the lake in the middle of Hyde Park in Central London. This is an odd tradition that has been going since Christmas Day 1864, and it shows no signs of stopping now. The waters can reach temperatures of below four degrees in winter, so the swimmers will not want to stay still for any length of time. They take part in this crazy race for a chance to be the proud holder of the Peter Pan Cup named after J.M Barrie, the creator of the story of the boy who refused to grow up. He was a patron of the race and presented the first ever cup, so the name has stuck ever since.

There’s always a jolly crowd gathered at the lake to witness the spectacle and it’s a great way to get some fresh air on Christmas morning. A bit of a walk on the morning will help ease the burden of all calories that will be consumed later in the day! Hyde Park provides a wonderful wintry landscape, if you’re lucky there might be a layer of snow on the ground which will make it all the more scenic for the spectators, however the swimmers might not appreciate the icy temperatures so much. The race itself is a 100 yard sprint for the swimmers. It starts at 9.00am on 25^th December, a nice early start for all involved. The race itself is only open to members of the Serpentine Swimming Club who must have competed in the entire Winter Series to take part. If you’re heading down on Christmas morning, it all starts on the South Bank close to The Lido Cafe. Just make sure you wrap up warm!

If you’re not lucky enough to know someone who lives close to Hyde Park and has a spare bed/sofa, then you’ll be looking for some London accommodation when you make the pilgrimage to Hyde Park on Christmas morning and you’re probably best staying for a few days to make the most of it. A London serviced apartment or London aparthotel would be the ideal choice for this sort of stay as an apartment gives you so much more space than an equivalent hotel. With plenty of space to enjoy and more rooms also, so if you’re travelling in a group you can all get in the one apartment rather than being split across a few rooms. Try Serviced City Pads for a great range of London apartments for short-term stays.