Neal's Yard, Covent Garden

Neal's Yard is a small, colourful courtyard in Covent Garden, central London, reached through narrow alleys off Monmouth Street and Short's Gardens. The buildings around the yard are painted in bright blues, yellows, pinks, greens and oranges, and plants and wooden shopfront signs add to the effect. The yard grew from a run-down warehouse area in the 1970s into a hub for wholefood, natural remedies and independent business, and it remains home to the original Neal's Yard Remedies shop, Neal's Yard Dairy nearby and several cafes and bakeries. Visitors come to browse, eat in the courtyard and photograph the painted walls, and the space is small enough to see in 15 to 30 minutes. The best photographs are taken from the entrance on Short's Gardens, looking along the yard to the colourful frontages, and from a corner angle that captures several colours in one frame. Light is best on weekday mornings when the yard is empty. Crowds gather at lunchtime, on weekends and in the afternoon, when the narrow space can become crowded. The yard is free to enter and open during shop hours, usually from 10:00 to 18:00, with cafes sometimes open later. Visitors should be considerate of residents and businesses, who work and live in the buildings around the courtyard. Nearby attractions include Covent Garden Market, Seven Dials, the Royal Opera House and the London Transport Museum, all within five to ten minutes' walk. Covent Garden Underground station is the closest, though exits can be crowded, and Leicester Square and Holborn stations are alternatives. Prices at cafes in the area are typical of central London.