Harriet Wiseman
The Horse Guards parade is a quintessentially British tradition in which the Queen’s Guards mounted on horseback, parade along Whitehall. It is free to watch and takes place daily at 11am (or 10am on a Sunday). If you have any equestrian fans in your group then the small exhibition in the Household Cavalry Museum detailing the history of the guards and their display is definitely not to be missed. There are ceremonial hats and gloves to try on and it is a fun way in which to learn about the reasons behind the Horse Guards. For a unique vantage point (and not one that many people know about) arrive at the Cavalry Museum an hour before the parade and you can watch the guards preparing their horses through a glass wall to the stables, which shows you the work and care that goes on in the background in order to maintain such a polished presentation. It is always worth checking out their website or phoning ahead to make sure that the parade is taking place that day just in case of any heavy rain affecting their route.
