Whether you’re a Soho virgin or a ‘face’ on Old Compton Street, a trip to London’s gay Mecca is always a treat and a veritable fest for the eyes with top totty and gorgeous gals strolling the streets. But when is the best time to camp it up in the capitol?
Undoubtedly London has its Gaydar turned up to a spanking 20 out of 10 for most of the year, but if you want to make the most of the city it’s in the summer when London really heats up.
While most of our straight friends pack their holidays into a short 6 week period around school holidays, most gay people are happy to vacation at other times to avoid the crowds, kids and crazy prices of late July and August!
London becomes a comparative oasis of calm and tranquillity during the summer. The tube is relatively un-crowded, the traffic moves easily through the streets and getting a cab has never been easier. Summer sales are in full swing and the bars, clubs and parks are teaming with gay lads and lasses all showing acres of flesh and the firm results of those winter gym routines with pride.
If the days are hot, then the nights are even hotter with some of the best clubs hosting mammoth extravaganzas from favourites Action, Crash, Popstarz, GAY, Heaven, Orange and AM. What could be better!!!
Take A Mince Around Soho
If you’ve never sampled the summer delights of gay London here are a few pointers to get you started. We know that you all value our camp little opinions, so here’s our guide to a damn fine mince around London.
You could do worse than to start in Soho. Old Compton Street has to be the gayest bit of tarmac in the capital and if you don’t want to stray too far this is the place to start. It’s hard to miss the many bars and pubs in and around this area, which are bound to have large crowds spilling out onto the streets soaking up the sun and atmosphere.
Candy Bar
4 Carlisle Street, W1, 020 7494 4041
Intimate and cruisy lesbian bar that tends to attract the trendy dykes - or those who think they’re trendy. However, don’t let this throw you off the scent as it’s a real lesbian casserole (complete with its fair share of dumplings! yummmm). Going to the loo can be a bit of a spectacle, but if squeezing past lots of lovely ladies is your thing then I suggest you develop a bladder problem post haste. www.thecandybar.co.uk
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Comptons
53 Old Compton Street, W1, 020 7479 7681
Comptons is a bar for guys who like their men all roughty tufty. Popular with lads who don’t like too much hair, it’s boozy and cruisy to boot. On two floors, Comptons is a perfect place to pop in for a swift one (usually in the toilets) or just pop your head round the door to get a whiff of the testosterone. Always has a large crowd outside on the street looking hard and horny. www.comptons-of-soho.co.uk
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Clone Zone
64 Old Compton Street, W1 020 7287 3530
This shop must surely get an award for cramming so many gorgeous gay gifts into premises the size of a wardrobe. The ground floor has the obligatory camp T-shirts perfect for summer, erotic books and greetings cards with big American willies on them. And if that’s not enough – I dare you to pop downstairs! Last time I ventured down there, they had this marvellous swing thing. I was in it for hours, being rocked back and forwards – fabulous stuff!!
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The Edge
11 Soho Square, W1, 020 7439 1313
The Edge has it all really. Four floors of super, sexy, sassy drinking space. It has a real mixed feel and somehow manages to avoid all the pretentious politics. Situated on the corner of Soho Square, it’s perfect for eyeing up all the talent, which gathers in droves on hot summer evenings. We like this one! www.edgesoho.co.uk
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Prowler Store
3-7 Brewer Street, W1, 020 7734 4031
This is gay shopping at its best. This shop is littered with gorgeous thing after gorgeous thing. You have to check out ‘The Den’, which of an evening is full of giggly young queens flicking through the saucy mags. If you stay there long enough, you’re bound to witness one of them run screaming from the room as they clap eyes on the photos they were promised would never see the light of day!!
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Village Soho
81 Wardour Street, W1 020 7434 2124
Village Soho is the bar that transformed sleazy old Soho into gay sleazy old Soho. It’s perhaps the skinniest bar in town and it’s ideal if you get pleasure from people squeezing past your bottom. There are three bars and a scattering of chairs. Upstairs is probably best, and most popular with lovely ladies. It’s not really a place to spend a whole evening but somehow you always tend to feel the need to pop in. www.village-soho.co.uk
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The Yard
57 Rupert Street, Soho, W1, 0207 437 2652
With two bars on separate floors and it’s own private courtyard the Yard is a firm favourite on the Soho bar scene and the perfect place to drink al-fresco and escape after a long hard day. The crowd is unpretentious and a pleasant mixture of suits and trendy young things enjoying the relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The balcony of the loft bar makes the perfect viewpoint from which to eye up the talent as it enters the bar. Calming and chilled you can’t go wrong here.
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Feeling adventurous? Fabulous summer spots a little further afield.
Brockwell Lido
Brockwell Park, Dulwich Road, SE24 0PA 020 7274 3088
Love your Lido, possible the best Lido in the world, or so they say is situated a mere stroll from Brixton tube station in Brockwell Park. Built in 1937 it has recently gone through a major re-vamp and offers an oasis of calm that is open to everyone. There is always more than a few gay revellers making a splash and the pool is open during weekdays from 06.45 to 18.00 and on weekends from 12.00 to 18.00 with BBQ’s on hot summer evenings and floodlight swimming. We advise that you normally ring 020 7274 3088 to check pool opening before making a journey to the Lido for a swim. www.brockwelllido.com
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Highgate Ponds
Hampstead Heath, London
Naturist, men-only and women-only sunbathing takes place in the large open air changing areas of the one men only and one women only swimming ponds near Highgate on Hampstead Heath. Concrete floor, so take something to lie on. If you are feeling a little too prudish to bear all why not take a picnic and a bottle of wine and join the Versace clad lads that sprawl on the grass outside and spend a Sunday afternoon sunning yourself at this old, but pleasant, Victorian venue. The enclosures are open 7 days a week from dawn to dusk and it's free. It can easily be reached by bus from Camden. Trunks required if swimming in the pond, unfortunately.
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Oasis Sports Centre
32 Endell Street, W1, 020 7831 1804
Oasis Sports Centre is situated on the corner of Endell Street and High Holborn and is extremely popular with gay boys and girls looking for a patch to spread out their towels and top up their tans. Facilities include; 2 swimming pools, one indoor and one outdoor both heated, 2 studios, 110 station fitness gym, health suite and sunbeds. The locker rooms have been known to get, well, busy but if you do get hot and bothered you can cool right off afterwards.
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Royal Vauxhall Tavern
372 Kennington Lane, London, SE11 5HY, 020 7582 0833
If it’s a chill out party that you’re looking for then look no further than the Royal Vauxhall Tavern. This infamous area has been a centre of metropolitan debauchery for 3 centuries and in keeping with this the Sunday afternoon session at the Tavern is one of the most riotous, cruisy and attitude-free sessions in town. This long running party kicks of at 4.00pm until 12.00am on Sunday afternoons with House and Dance music. And the crowd? Mainly a local contingent spill out onto the pavements and grassy knoll behind the pub. www.theroyalvauxhalltavern.co.uk
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Find out all the latest gay travel information by buying the 2007 Spartacus International Gay Guide. Get it online and save some money to put towards the other Bruno Gmunder guides - Hotel and Restaurant Guide and Sauna Guide.