Bread shop, bakery, school & cafe

I vaguely thought about leaving London recently and the British Library came to mind as somewhere I’d miss. It’s an essential resource because it has almost everything. It also has some interesting exhibitions.

London is blessed with many fine parks, but Brockwell is a real jewel in south London. A short walk or bus ride from Brixton, or right by Herne Hill overground station, the park includes large grassy areas, the fantastic Brockwell Lido (a vast open-air pool – hectic mid-summer unless you get in early - a 7am swim is utterly blissful), tennis courts, a bowling green, a BMX track, a mini-railway, a secret garden, and a few newly landscaped ponds. Perfect for a lazy summer day.

I rediscovered this place recently having not been for years and now I keep returning. The geological galleries are my favourites.

This is the most genuine and unpretentious pub I have visited in London. The Palm Tree is on the east London canal outside of Victoria Park. You won't find it unless you know it's there. (And now you know!)