Top London Cruising and Outdoor Guide

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Have you had enough of endless chat on Grindr that goes nowhere? Are you looking for some real-time man-on-man action right now? Apps like Grindr and Tinder have their use; however, there’s something exciting and carnal about meeting a stranger for sex, in person, in a public place.  That’s why cruising is still massive in London and is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Where can you cruise in London? In so many places it turns out! There are dedicated cruise clubs, club events with dark rooms, and of course, London’s well-known saunas. Then you’ve got parks, and public toilets.

Here’s a complete guide on cruising in London. Starting off with cruise clubs:

Cruise Clubs

Across Europe, you’ll find some of the most well-known cruise clubs in the world, and London has its own called Vault 179. The atmosphere is dark, and the crowd is sexy. Grab a drink at the bar, then head on into the maze and dark areas for some no-holds-barred fun. There are themed nights like naked or underwear only. Check its social media page before you go on the night to ensure you’re dressed appropriately. 

Club Events with Dark Rooms

The London gay club scene is full on, and some of the club events have cruising on the agenda with dedicated dark room areas. There are loads of them, and if you plan your travel right, you’ll be there when one is in full swing. The two biggest are Roast and Trough, but others pop up. The primary venues for these parties are Electrowerkz, Fire, and Union Club. Here’s some further detail.

Roast

Roast is a men-only club night held every second Saturday at Electrowerkz. The bar is steps away from Angel tube station. Roast is known for its packed dark room where you’ll meet sexy bears, cubs, chubs, and muscle men.

Union Club

Union Club in Vauxhall is where you’ll find high-energy cruise parties. SBN (Stark Bollock Naked) and NBN (Near Bollock Naked) happen every Sunday and Trough and Berlin-inspired Hard On are held monthly.  

Saunas

London has several long-standing saunas, the two most popular being Sweatbox and Pleasuredome.

Sweatbox

Described as Disneyland, but sweatier and with no kids, Sweatbox in the Soho gayborhood, half a block from Carnaby Toilets is London’s most popular. Sweatbox tends to get a younger crowd who figure, why not party and hook up at the same time.

Pleasuredome

Steps away from Waterloo train station, Pleasuredrome is another popular London Sauna. The crowd here is more mixed than at Sweatbox, and it’s got state-of-the-art facilities and is very modern and hygienic.

Parks

Parks are popular places to hook up. There are usually lots of hidden places behind trees or in a bush area where you can have some fun.  London has some excellent parks for cruising. 

Hampstead Heath

The most well-known cruising spot in all of London is Hampstead Heath. Guys have been meeting each other there since the 19th century. It’s still as popular today as it was back then.

The cruising area starts behind the historic Jack Straw’s Castle, down into the bushland area. Hampstead Heath sees cruising action all day; it gets the busiest around sunset, and guys will hang out there at night too. It sees a diverse crowd from local labourers and truckies to supreme court judges and the odd celebrity. 

To get there, you head north along Heath Street (A502) until you reach the artificial white stone pond near Jack Straw’s Castle. The cruising zone starts there and extends into the woodlands to the west. The nearest tube station is Hampstead Heath on the Mildmay Line.

There’s another place in Hampstead Heath worth visiting, and that’s the Highgate Men’s Bathing Pond. It’s not exactly a cruising spot, but it’s a men-only zone and guys have been known to get naked in the pools.

As a dedicated ‘safe space,’ it’s highly unlikely that you’ll witness any police harassment here.

Hyde Park

For over 200 years, guys have been hooking up with each other in Hyde Park. The main places to cruise are the Rose Garden and areas near the Serpentine, as there are lots of secluded bush areas. While people hang around during the day, the nighttime sees the most action.

Because of its convenient location, Hyde Park gets a fair amount of cruising activity from both locals and tourists. The nearest tube station to the cruising area is Hyde Park Corner on the Piccadilly line. 

There have been reports of police patrolling the park, so keep that in mind when visiting. 

Clapham Common

The third most popular park for cruising in London is Clapham Common in the south. It’s a massive park (about 220 acres) in South London, partly in the boroughs of Lambeth and Wandsworth. The wooded areas and secluded spots, especially on the western side near the South Circular Road, are the active cruising zones, especially at nighttime. 

Clapham Common gets a variety of gay men coming to play, of all ages and professions, locals and international visitors. Clapham South is the nearest tube station to the action. 

In the past, there were reports of police harassment, but these have lessened over the years. 

Public Toilets

Beat sex has to be some of the most exciting forms of hooking up there is. The thrill of finding someone in a public toilet with the same idea as you has been something gay guys have been doing for decades. The good news is that it still goes on, and there are some well-known sites in London. Here they are:

Carnaby Street Toilets

These underground toilets are probably the most famous in the world for cruising. Nobody goes here to use the facilities; it’s all about hooking up. The convenient location right in London’s Soho gayborhood makes for easy access. 

The grunginess of the toilets adds to the atmosphere, making it seedy, filthy, and fantastic. It gets busy day and night and attracts a very broad crowd. 

Other Notable Public Toilets for Cruising in London

Carnaby Street is the most famous, but you can also get some action in the following places;

• British Library (Level 3 toilets): Well-known cruising toilets. Sadly, there has been some increased security here, so be cautious. Lunchtime is the peak here.

• Victoria Station Main Concourse Toilets: A busy central London station with cruising activity, you’ll find guys here who have arrived from out of town.

• Liverpool Street Station Toilets: This is the one located opposite Burger King. While many tube stations have beat potential, this busy transport hub gets a lot of cruising activity, with men discreetly blending into the commuter crowd afterwards.

• Hilton London Bridge Toilets: Go to the ones near the lifts during lunch hours if you’re up for a discreet encounter.

• One New Change Toilets: Shopping malls are notorious for having great beat sex locations, and this one has two. Try the LG or 1/F toilets. These are well-known for getting a professional crowd, especially after work until around 7 pm.

How to Find the Best Cruising Places

Ok, so most of you love using hookup apps, which is great, and guess what, there’s an app that can help you go out and cruise too. It’s called Sniffies. 

Sniffies is a map-based app, and its cutting-edge location feature helps guys find each other no matter what park, toilet, or shopping mall they’re in. 

Is Cruising Legal in the UK?

Remember back in 1998 when George Michael was arrested in a public toilet in Los Angeles by an undercover cop? If you’re too young to remember this event, listen to the words of his song Outside. Bottom line, he was arrested for lewd conduct, charged $810, and had to do community service for 80 hours.

In the UK, there are laws around genital exposure that you need to be aware of before going out and getting some action. 

So there’s some legislation in place, but it’s all pretty vague and ambiguous. Basically, if you’re getting it on, in public, in front of a group of old ladies, you’re going to get into some serious trouble with the law.

If you’re keeping it on the downlow, and there’s only the two (or three if you’re into that) of you, you’ve got little to worry about. 

Be smart about it, if there are families around, and regardless of whether he’s a sexy daddy or not, then be respectful. 

The good news is that many of the rules don’t apply at a nudist beach, like the one in Brighton, where you have every right to let it all hang out. Sex on the beach, in a public place probably isn’t the best behaviour though. Keep in mind,  if there are straight people around, be discreet. 

The bottom line is, exercise some caution and some common sense, be aware of who’s around that isn’t there for the same reasons as you are, and you’ll be fine.