It’s that time of year again – the leaves are falling, Christmas lights are already up on Oxford Street and you men and growing staches for charity, specifically for those supporting men’s health. Mo Bros, if you will.

Movember is a time when Mo Bros embrace pogonotrophy (the growing of facial hair) and compete to win the Movember prize! Er, we mean unite to raise vital funds and awareness for causes such as prostate cancer.

Turns out that it’s also a great time for discounts around London as a thank you for helping the cause.

At Penhaligon’s flagship boutique in Covent Garden, Mo Bros can receive a complimentary Mo Trim throughout the month of Movember. This gentleman’s shaving service was in place when Penhaligon’s first opened on Jermyn Street 140 years ago and is back exclusively for Mo Bros.

Meanwhile, free burgers are sizzlin’ on the grill at Byron’s for any Movember member who raises £25. Alternatively, you can order the Movember special: the Gizz-Mo. Created by chef and TV presenter Gizzi Erskine, the Gizz-Mo is a cheeseburger with Welsh Rarebit topping (made from mature Cheddar, smoked Cheddar, English mustard, Guinness and Worcestershire sauce) priced at £8.25 and will appear on the menu as a special throughout Movember. Byron also donates 50p for every Gizz-Mo served.

Lucky Voice in Islington will host a dating night for Mo Bros on Tuesday 22 November. According to Lucky Voice, women find men with moustaches to be “tough, mature, aggressive, dominant, and masculine—and as the best romantic partners, either for a fling or a long-term relationship”. Fascinating! We wish you the best of luck in your ‘tache-related romantic endeavours.

Over at Herman Ze German you Mo Bros can get 25% off sausages and coffee throughout Movember when you show your moustache and sponsorship page.  How’s that for short, sweet and simple?

Finally, you can look for other lip fluff related events here.

The National History Museum, the British Museum, the Science Museum are all very exciting, wonderful London attractions. And all a little bit… predictable. There are so many little museums around London that need shouting about. So I’m going to shout about them here.

The Fan Museum. The world’s only museum dedicated to the art of fans is in lovely suburban Greenwich. It’s had a little bit of a makeover recently, so it’ll be look lovely when you visit. Even the fancy garden is fan-shaped. And they do a nice cuppa as well.

Old Operating Theatre. Guts and gore and cutting things! Hurrah! I’ll be honest, there’s not much more I want from a little museum.

Dennis Severs House. Weird opening hours, creepy offerings (taxidermy is a heavy feature) and spooky tales at night. If you want more spooky and candle-lit goodness, the Sir John Soanes Museum gets in on that action as well.

The Horniman Museum. No sniggering at the back! Despite the funny name, the Horniman is a cool and quirky museum in Forest Hill. The fat wulrus is popular with Qypers. Rightly so, who doesn’t love a walrus, especially a fat one?

Eltham Palace. Like your Art Deco? There is nowhere in south London more gorgeous than this pile of bricks. Nice gardens too.

Theatre Museum. There’s a few theatre exhibitions in London. This one concentrate on costumes and fancy wardrobe stuff. If you want more ‘exit stage left’, head to the Globe on Southbank. Not just an awesome theatre, but there’s a museum too.

Pollock’s Toy Museum. This one does what it says on the tin, really. But let’s face it – much less scary than the Ragged School Museum. I’m not going anywhere near that.

Flickr image of Dennis Severs House from heatheronhertravels‘s photostream.

Team Qype are pretty lucky. We get to find out about all the best new places, but where do we like to go on a full three days off? Here are our top bank holiday tips:

Alex

The best thing about bank holidays is that it gives you a full day for some long-overdue exploring. The worst thing about bank holidays is that everyone else does the same. Cue public transport hell, hours spent looking for somewhere decent for lunch and a tantrum by 4.15pm. And it’s even worse if you have kids.

So, this bank holiday, why not stick to one area and minimise the amount of time spent travelling? The beauty of Greenwich is that it’s wonderfully compact but there’s no shortage of things to do and see. Unfortunately, a few of my favourite places in the area are closed on Mondays (Oliver’s Music Bar and Greenwich Market, I’m looking at you) but it still has plenty to recommend it.

The National Maritime Museum; a fifth as packed as Central London museums

Start your Greenwich day trip with an early visit to the National Maritime Museum. Take a look at the outfit that Lord Nelson wore when he died, complete with bloodstains and bullet holes, and play with the cannons before it gets busy in the afternoon (fighting with kids for control of the interactive displays is never a good look).

If the sun is shining then a trip to Greenwich Park has to happen. Climb to the top of the hill and enjoy one of London’s finest views. Once you’re done taking photos, don’t forget to drop by London’s only public camera obscura in the Royal Observatory. If you fancy more of a ramble, try and locate the park’s elusive deer enclosure but beware of the squirrels – they’re a bit overfriendly!

No trip to Greenwich is complete without a mosey up Royal Hill, easily the loveliest street in the village. Once you get to the top of the hill, you can choose to have a sit-down in either the Greenwich Union or Richard I. But it should be mentioned that Greenwich Union does wonderful fish finger sandwiches.

Alex reckons Bianco 43 has the best pizza and this pic is certainly convincing us…

For dinner, see if you can grab a table at Bianco 43 for the best pizza and courgette fries this side of the Meridian Line. Or if you want to show visiting family members that there’s more to south-east London cuisine than Chicken Cottage, book a table at The Spread Eagle. Despite the food being incredibly French, the gorgeous restaurant is proud to be in Greenwich. As one Qyper put it, “the building itself is a magnificent example of Greenwich architecture.”

Ready to go home? Ditch the DLR and hop aboard the Thames Clipper instead from Greenwich Pier. Adult tickets are only £3.70 if you have a Travelcard (£5.50 otherwise) and it’ll get you to London Bridge in no time.

Eamon

My ideal bank holiday weekend is not as rock n roll as once was, and is minus any Notting Hill Carnival malarkey these days. I would commence the weekend with a Saturday stroll along Regent’s Canal, aside my (Italian) wife to peruse the wares of Broadway Market, maybe partaking of a brew from Climpson and Son’s (depending if I’m on or off the coffee). Strolling back, we could possibly drop by the fine but toilet-less Towpath Cafe on our way to indulge in some full-on brownie action at the supreme Paul A Young.

Rock’n'roll? We’d rather have chocolate…

After a browse of the stalls and shops in Camden Passage, I’d more than likely stop off at my local Virgin Active in anticipation if the evening’s gluttony at my favourite London restaurant, Santore.

Sunday would be about a tranquil southward venture to Tate Modern followed by lounging about in the members’ bar, followed by a wander up to the NFT to see what’s on. Or, alternatively, the perfectly tranquil screens of the Barbican.

Monday would include nothing else other than stuffing down Vietnamese food in Kingsland Road, either from Viet Hoa or Mien Tay.

Jane

Famed for having live music every night of the week, there are far worse ways to start the weekend than a night of boozing and bopping at Brixton Windmill, but make sure you stop by Franco Manca for a pizza first. Spend Sunday afternoon in the converted train carriages of The Deptford Project, a cute and quirky cafe doing a fine line in coffee and cake, as well as regular events like their silent cinema film screenings.

Frank’s has some of London’s loveliest views

Before the sun sets, make your way to Frank’s Campari Bar for cocktails, views and weird but wonderful art installations. Keep cool on the extra day off at Brockwell Lido, stopping at Blackbird Bakery afterwards for homemade bread, pastries and hot chocolate. Or in Crystal Palace, hike up the hill to independent bookshop Bookseller Crow, then pore over your latest purchases with a tipple or two at The White Hart (possibly the only pub with its own vintage boutique, Vintagehart).

Sarah

My perfect bank holiday begins with a big night out on the Friday. Start as you mean to go on with fancy drinks at the Zetter Townhouse, then finish up at the Book Club for drinks, dancing and ping pong. The next morning, I’d meet my friends for gossip and eggs benedict at local favourite The Blue Legume, then walk to the British Library.

Work off the Book Club’s boozy cocktails with some ping pong

You don’t need to have membership to come to their exhibitions, and there’s always something here worth checking out. Then I’d walk through Bloomsbury (carefully avoiding the too-busy centre of town) and stop off at the London Review of Books for book-buying and cake-munching. From there, I’d head to the South Bank for people-watching, Indian snacks at Dishoom Chowpatty Beach and arty films at the BFI.

The next day, I’d head over to the Vintage Emporium for morning coffee and a little shop, then Rough Trade East to search out new tunes before picking up some edible goodies at the amazing Story Cafe and heading to my local park to picnic my heart out.

All images taken by (very talented) Qypers