Living in London has many advantages including great culture, brilliant nightlife and great jobs, but the dating scene can be daunting.

For those of us who are not keen on the bar or club pick up and who have not found Mr or Mrs Right in our extended group of friends or ’friends of friends’, what is the next option?

Office romances are often not allowed or at the very least discouraged, but this is where we spend a majority of our time.

Sports teams are often a great place to meet new people but we are not always feeling our most attractive after an hour plus running around in circles on a synthetic sports pitch.

Online dating? A huge group of willing and able daters right at our fingertips? But there is still that slight stigma of desperation to online dating.

Speed dating is another option, but the pressure of 5 minutes chatting to a complete stranger can be scary.

You might be thinking that this is a negative read so far, but my response is you have to know your fears in order to face them. These things listed above are some of the many woes that bog down London’s many singletons and now it is time to forget them.

My dating mantra is giving anything a go! I once got invited on a date with a guy to go windsurfing on the coast- something I am a COMPLETE novice at. I thought the usual, “how sexy can I possibly be in a wet suit”, “he will think I am useless for not picking this up quicker”, “we wont have anything to chat about in the long car ride to the coast”and many many more negative thoughts. Then one thought overpowered them all, “what if i don’t go and I missed the best day of my life and the man of my dreams”and that was enough for me to take the plunge. What a day it turned out to be! He had, in fact, invited some other friends which took the pressure of immediately and once I threw myself in completely we had the best day together laughing and being ridiculous in the chilly England waters.

In the end the magic wasn’t there and we became really good friends, and still are, but you know what? I recently met a lovely young man through him and so off I go again on the roller coaster that is dating in London.

My motto is that we should enjoy the ups and downs of dating because they are the journey that take us to that perfect partner. Dating in London might be tough but it’s worth the rewards!