One of the world's greatest, truly international cities, London is also the administrative home of BLUF and a great place to visit whether you want to see the historic sites, or explore the gay scene. However, that said, we our only real leather bar, the Backstreet, closed for good in July 2022. We're presently working out where to have our London events.
For many years, The Backstreet was one of the best reasons for leather men to visit London. For 37 years, from 1985 until 2022, it provided an amazing atmosphere. It was a place where people could cruise or just socialise. It didn't charge stupid places, and for many of us, it was where we discovered much about who we really are.
Sadly, all that came to an end in July of 2022, when the building owners refused to renew the lease. So, London now has no leather bar. BLUF - along with other nights that used to take place at The Backstreet - is presently looking for a new location.
Another long established kink store, with a great range of leather, rubber and toys. As with Clone Zone, you'll get a discount if you show your BLUF Card, with an additional 5% on offer on the same day as BLUF London events. Regulation
With branches around the UK, Clone Zone is one of the longest established suppliers of kink gear, and carries products from Mr S Leather and others - plus they give a great discount to BLUF Card holders. Clone Zone
Sat 17 June Welcome to Leather Cruise - a new monthly leather cruise night for 2023, taking place at Central Station's Underground bar. An event ran by the community for the community, this monthly leather night intends to offer a safe space for leathermen to socialise, light cigars, cruise and play. Be sure to follow socials to keep up to date with news of upcoming Leather Cruise nights, rules/code of conduct, admission charge and dress-code.
Any questions, please contact Tom, aka TKLondon (5012) or check out our socias media.
Sun 18 June London Leathemen presents: The Gear Social, a regular event for people into all types of fetish gear to meet, share a drink, and make new friends.
The event takes place the third Sunday of each month, upstairs at the Duke of Wellington in Soho. Upon arriving, let yourself into the roped-off area, go up the stairs and join your fellow kinksters.
Dress code is lax, but make sure you’re repping your fetish with at least one piece of gear!
Fri 30 June Pride Unbound is London's newest convention. Launching over Pride weekend, we aim to bring you a safe space to express your inner kink, whatever that may be. Whether you're into pup play, furries, rubber, leather, AB, bondage or anything else, you can rest assured you'll be welcome at Pride Unbound. We're all bound together by pride, but unbound by freedom(s).
June 30th - 6pm-11pm July 1st/July 2nd - 9pm-midnight
MoreAlthough Londoners often moan about it, for visitors, the public transport system is pretty good. The best way to get around is by tube (underground) or by bus. You need to either get a London Transport Oyster smart card, or have a credit or debit card that works with contactless payments, or a mobile phone you can use for them - buses don't take cash at all, and cash fares on the tube are considerably more expensive. You can pick up an Oyster card at major tube stations or at some airports, and then top it up with money. For visitors, using contactless payment will probably be more convenient - just tap your card or phone on the readers at tube stations or on buses. The system will automatically keep track of all your trips, and once you reach a daily cap - the cost of a day pass for the journeys you've taken - you won't pay any more that day. So, you needn't worry about tracking down a weekend or weekly pass. Bus journeys cost a flat rate, even if you have to change buses. Most visitors don't go outside the two central zones, other than to or from the airport, so your cost per day will be capped at £7.20 (€8.41, $9.05), or £36.10 (€42.15, $45.38) for a week calculated Monday to Sunday.
If you arrive at London Heathrow or London City airports, you can use the public transport network straight away, and it's the cheapest way to get into town. However, Heathrow is some distance from the city, and it can take the best part of an hour on the tube, though it's only £3.10 (€3.62, $3.90) off peak. The Heathrow Express is much faster, but to buy an off peak ticket on the day will cost £22 (€25.69, $27.66) (though it's much cheaper bought in advance).
We don't recommend a taxi from any airport, other than London City, as the cost is likely to be very high, due to the distance. If you arrive at Gatwick, you have a choice of the Gatwick Express for about £20 (€23.35, $25.14), or the slower Southern train at about £12 (€14.01, $15.08). The Stansted Express is around £17 (€19.85, $21.37). All will be cheaper if you buy online in advance.
We can't deny it, London can be an expensive place to stay, and prices can very a lot depending on what's on. We don't have any specifically gay hotels or bed and breakfasts to recommend, but many BLUF members have stayed without problems in the budget Travelodge and Ibis hotel chains. If your main aim is to find somewhere convenient for a visit to Backstreet, we recommend you look towards the east of the city, in the Aldgate area, Docklands or Stratford. From both Aldgate and Stratford, you can easily reach Backstreet by public transport and a taxi back later won't cost too much.
If it's the West End theatres, Soho, and major tourist spots you prefer, it's worth looking for hotels in the Vauxhall area, which is just across the river, and quickly reached on the tube's Victoria Line. It also has some popular gay clubs, and a couple of bars too.