I live in Yorkshire but love London - taking my kids there for the first time reminded me why

Lots of people understandably prefer the gentler pace of life, beautiful countryside and cheaper prices in this part of the world but I must admit I really love our bustling capital city, albeit as somewhere to visit rather than live.

So it was a really exciting opportunity recently for myself and my wife Rachel to take our two older children to London for the weekend in what was their first-ever visit there.

We’d held off taking them until we felt they were old enough to fully appreciate it and at nine and seven respectively, it seened like the perfect moment.

We headed down on a Saturday morning train from Sheffield, with the quick two-hour journey down to St Pancras only briefly interrupted by the unexpected but memorable intervention of ‘a swan on the line’ somewhere past Leicester.

We took the tube to our hotel and even that was lovely to see through the children’s eyes as they took the Underground for the first time and realised how it connects up London.

From the adults’ perspective, it was also impressive that children under 11 get to travel for free.

We were fortunate enough to be staying in the Andaz London Liverpool Street hotel – a truly impressive place that is the perfect mix of style, class and quality while still being relaxed and welcoming enough that you felt comfortable being there with a young family (something that is not always the case in high-end hotels).

The staff were very attentive and friendly and we were able to leave our bags behind the desk before heading out again to explore.

It was FA Cup Final day and there were plenty of nervous but excited Crystal Palace and Manchester City fans around Liverpool Street station as we headed for the tube with the aim of getting to Big Ben (something the children had been particularly keen to see).

Our vague plan to walk along the river afterwards was prevented by the fact a huge protest over the war in Gaza was taking place on the other side of the Houses of Parliament.

Coming minutes after we had been walking through the football fans preparing for a very different day, it was a reminder of the breadth and variety of experiences taking place in London at the same time and the city’s genuine place as the heart of the nation’s political, sporting and cultural moments.

The protest also meant we changed our plans and decided to walk through the beautiful St James’s Park up to The Mall and onto Buckingham Palace, a journey of around 20 minutes.

The brevity of the walk between two of London’s most famous landmarks in Big Ben and the palace surprised us and we were fortunate enough to time our visit with soldiers parading outside.

We walked on through Green Park to Leicester Square and visited two highly popular places with tourists in the Lego shop and the M&Ms store.

They may have had less pomp and ceremony than Buckingham Palace but both were really fun for the kids.

Having well and truly gotten our steps in for the day, we headed back to our hotel on the Underground and were able to check into our fantastic family room.

It was essentially two adjoining rooms with nice touches such as writing desks, a complimentary minibar with snacks and non-alcoholic drinks and dressing gowns and slippers.

The hotel has five separate dining options, including a Japanese restaurant called Miyako, but for our evening meal we went for the simpler fare of the Lady Abercorn’s Pub & Kitchen.

The children went for fish and chips while Rachel had a chicken burger and I went for a beef burger. All were absolutely delicious and the kids had room for ice-cream afterwards as well.

We settled back in for the night to watch Eurovision together in our hotel room after a brilliant first day.

In the morning, we had breakfast in the hotel’s Eastway Brasserie, a meal that was an even bigger hit with everyone than what we’d had the night before.

As well as full English breakfast buffet options, you could also order freshly-made pancakes and omelettes, while there was a huge selection of continental and bakery options. Rachel rightly said she’d never seen me eat so much!

Needing to burn off a few calories, we managed to make it to Kings’ Cross in time for the opening of the Harry Potter Platform 9 ¾ experience where you can relive the books by pretending to dash through a magical brick wall on the way to catch a train to Hogwarts.

We then headed to the Princess Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens. It is a lovely and fitting tribute to Diana.

It was then time for the final part of the trip and something we’d all been hugely looking forward to – watching the the Royal Shakespeare Company’s hugely-acclaimed Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge Theatre.

We’d be wanting to see it for years and it was everything we hoped for and more with its combination of humour, emotion and brilliant songs.

Angelica Scott who played Matilda was simply outstanding and must be destined for big things.

For those unable to get to London easily, Matilda is touring the UK later this year, with Bradford among its dates. But there was something really special about seeing it performed in the West End.

It was the perfect note to end our trip on and we headed back up North on the train on Sunday evening with some fantastic memories to look back on.

We were surprised at not only how much we’d managed to fit in within about 36 hours but also the amount of family-friendly activities it is possible to do, whatever your budget.

We also knew we’d only really scratched the surface of what London has to offer; it shouldn’t be long before our next trip.

Chris Burn and family stayed at the Andaz London Liverpool Street. Visit https://www.hyatt.com/andaz/longe-andaz-london-liverpool-street. They attended the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda The Musical. Visit https://uk.matildathemusical.com/