Where I Write in London #1 Primrose Hill
Welcome to Where I Write in London, a blog where I take my laptop somewhere new and report back. The coffee (or wine), the atmosphere, the distractions—I'll cover it all. Come along, grab a seat, and write with me.
#1: Primrose Hill
I live under ten minutes on foot from Primrose Hill's high street, so it only felt right to start here.
Primrose Hill's high street is a short, pretty stretch of independent boutiques, cafés, and restaurants next to Regent's Park and the hill itself. It feels more like a village high street than part of a city, just one where the greengrocer arranges the fruit like a still life and the charity shops sell second-hand Vivienne Westwood.
I'm a morning writer. My brain is sharpest before noon, so I like places that match my energy at 9 a.m.—awake, buzzing, but not chaos. Primrose Hill delivers.
By ten o'clock, the high street is alive. Dog walkers stop to chat outside the bakery. Someone is always carrying flowers. A woman in oversized sunglasses walks past with a flat white and a whippet, looking like she was cast to live there. There's a current of easy, unhurried movement that's perfect for the kind of half-watching, half-thinking state I need when I'm writing and need inspiration.
I prefer to sit outside with my laptop and a coffee beside me, and I'll watch people greet each other, browse the bookshop at half nine on a Tuesday, or try to stop a golden retriever from eating a croissant off a stranger's table. Nobody here ever seems to be on their way to an actual job. *Sorry, I still haven't cleaned my laptop screen.
The Dogs Deserve Their Own Section
There must be more dogs per square metre in Primrose Hill than anywhere else in London. I have no data, but I do have eyes and I love dogs.
Every breed you can think of will pass you within the space of an hour. If you write sapphic romance and you need a meet-cute, just sit on the high street for twenty minutes. Two dog leads will tangle, it's statistically inevitable.
The Overheard Things
Now. I should mention that Primrose Hill is—how do I put this—not a cheap place to live. It's the kind of neighbourhood where the local grocery shop is Partridges (holding a Royal Warrant as Grocers to HM The King), and no one thinks twice about a nine-pound juice. I love it, genuinely (and my coffees won’t break the bank), but the things I overhear are sometimes absurd.
A few of my favourites:
“I can't do Thursday. I've got the dog's physiotherapist at three.”
"Milo's looking to buy in Peckham now. I said good for you, darling, and then I went home and had a glass of wine."
“She's doing a sugar-free birthday party. I don't know what the cake situation is.”
"The dog walker cancelled so I've had to rearrange my whole morning."
"Apparently the house two doors down went for three point seven and it doesn't even have off-street parking."
"Tabitha's class is doing mindfulness now and she put her hand up and said, 'My mummy and I already do this. We do journaling and gratitude.'"
The Writing Part
The reason I love writing here is because Primrose Hill gives me just the right amount of stimulation. It's not the silence of a library and it's not the sensory overload of a chain café. It's just enough to keep me both concentrated and engaged.
Today I went back in my manuscript and rewrote three chapters of the third book in the Maiden Voyage Series. Dani and Captain Jordan are finally getting to know each other — it's hard not to when a last-minute cabin shuffle means you're sharing the captain's quarters for six nights. I love where their story is going. I also worked on a new manuscript!
Practical Notes
If you're a writer, go mid-morning on a weekday. The weekend crowd is lovely but busier, and you'll spend more time guarding your table than writing. Bring headphones in case you need to block things out, but try without them first. It’s fascinating! And pick a café with a window seat or a table outside. The people-watching is half the point.
Next time, I'll take you somewhere different!