There’s a particular kind of day in London that doesn’t happen very often. The sky is properly blue. The city smells of cut grass and sunscreen instead of exhaust fumes. Everyone’s in a good mood. This route was made for exactly that day.

Starting at Green Park and looping east along the river to Tower Bridge before swinging back west along the South Bank to the London Eye, this is central London at its most spectacular — and because you’re on a cargo bike, you see all of it. No tube tunnels. No sweating on the Jubilee line. Just open air, the Thames glittering beside you, and a three-year-old in the front who is absolutely convinced they are the captain of a very large ship.

Before you roll

• Distance: 12–14km, flat throughout.
• Timing: Start around 9am to catch the Changing of the Guard at 10:45am. The whole loop takes a full day at a relaxed pace.
• Tower of London: Opens at 10am on Mondays. Book tickets in advance at hrp.org.uk if you plan to go inside.
• HMS Belfast: Book at iwm.org.uk if boarding. Free to admire from the riverside path.

St James’s Park: pelicans since 1664

The day begins gently. St James’s Park sits just a short ride from Green Park, tucked between Buckingham Palace and Whitehall, and it’s arguably the finest of London’s royal parks — the lake, the willow trees, the view back towards the palace. It’s also home to a colony of pelicans that have lived here since the seventeenth century, when a Russian ambassador gifted the first pair to King Charles II. They’re enormous, entirely unbothered by children, and completely magnetic.

Feed the ducks. Watch the pelicans. Let the city wake up slowly around you.

The Changing of the Guard: skip the Palace, go to St James’s

Everyone knows about the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. Far fewer people know that the better place to watch it is at St James’s Palace, two minutes from the park, at 10:30am — before the guards even march.

This is where the Old Guard forms up. You’re standing right in front of them, no crowds, no jostling. Then the band starts playing and they march away towards Buckingham Palace with the full pageantry of a thousand years of military ceremony. It’s free, it’s unrepeatable, and it runs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 10:45am. Check the morning of — it does occasionally cancel.

Westminster Bridge: the postcard moment

Cycle east along Birdcage Walk, past Westminster Abbey, and turn onto Westminster Bridge. Stop in the middle. Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, the Thames wide and silver beneath you, the city laid out like a stage set. It’s the photograph everyone takes and it never gets old, because it’s genuinely one of the great urban views on earth.

This isn’t a stop that needs explaining. You’ll know it when you’re standing there.

The Tower of London: a thousand years on the river

The route follows the north bank of the Thames east, through the City of London, arriving at the Tower. From the outside — from the moat, from the riverside path — it’s staggering. The White Tower has stood here since 1078. The walls are thick enough to hide entire worlds inside them. The ravens, which must never leave or the kingdom will fall (or so the legend goes), strut around the lawns like they own the place. They do, really.

Toddlers, in our experience, find the ravens and the Beefeater guards in their red uniforms approximately as exciting as anything they’ve ever seen. Going inside is optional — tickets need to be booked in advance at hrp.org.uk, and the Tower opens at 10am on Mondays — but even from the outside, this is a stop that earns its place on any London itinerary.

Tower Bridge: cross it on a cargo bike

This is the moment. Tower Bridge is free to cross, and crossing it on a cargo bike with the Thames below you and the city skyline opening up in every direction is something close to perfect. The bridge was built in 1894 and it still lifts for passing vessels — if that happens while you’re on it, the three-year-old will be talking about it until they’re thirty.

From here the route crosses to the South Bank, and the character of the day changes. The City’s stone and history gives way to the open riverside: HMS Belfast moored mid-river like a steel island, the Tate Modern’s chimney ahead, the whole sweep of central London laid out on the far bank.

HMS Belfast: the ship that fired on D-Day

A WWII cruiser moored permanently between London Bridge and Tower Bridge. From the South Bank path the scale of her is extraordinary — 613 feet of grey steel, the gun turrets still trained across the water. She fired some of the opening shots on D-Day in June 1944 and she’s been here, open to the public, since 1971.

You can board her (pre-book at iwm.org.uk — be aware the interior involves steep ladders between nine decks), or simply stop on the riverside path and take her in. Either way, she’s unmissable.

The South Bank: lunch, play, the London Eye

The South Bank between London Bridge and Waterloo is one of the great public spaces in Europe — wide, flat, endlessly animated. There are cafés and restaurants with outdoor seating all the way along, and after a morning of history the instruction is simple: find somewhere you like the look of, sit down, eat well.

After lunch, the Jubilee Gardens playground sits directly beneath the London Eye. The equipment is solid, the location is extraordinary, and a three-year-old who has spent a morning looking at pelicans and ravens and a warship will find approximately fifteen minutes of renewed energy here. The SEA LIFE Aquarium is two minutes away if the heat calls for a cool-down indoors.

Hyde Park: the long way home

Cross Westminster Bridge back to the north bank and follow the Embankment west — the river on your left, the city opening up — into Hyde Park to close the loop. The Serpentine is calm in the late afternoon. There are birds to feed, shade to find, and a small playground near the Italian Gardens.

It’s the right kind of ending. The city quietens. The three-year-old falls asleep in the cargo box. And you ride the last mile home through one of the world’s great parks thinking: yes, this is exactly what London is for.

The loop at a glance

Stop	Highlight	Notes
Green Park	Pickup & start	Easy access from the station
St James’s Park	Pelicans, ducks, lake	Free
Changing of the Guard	St James’s Palace, 10:30am	Mon / Wed / Fri, check on the day
Westminster Bridge	Big Ben view	Free
Tower of London	Ravens, Beefeaters, 1,000 years of history	Tickets if going inside: hrp.org.uk
Tower Bridge	Cross it — free	Bridge lifts for vessels
HMS Belfast	WWII warship on the Thames	Free from path; tickets to board: iwm.org.uk
South Bank	Lunch + Jubilee Gardens playground	Cafés and restaurants open Monday
Hyde Park	Serpentine, birds, playground	Free

Total distance: 12–14km. Flat throughout. Suitable for all ages.

Fancy trying it yourself?

We hire electric family cargo bikes in central London — perfect for exactly this kind of day. Book your ride on gozoom.uk and we’ll get you rolling.

If you do the loop, we’d love to know how it goes.