An unassuming glass door on an otherwise plain facade hides a cavernous space, with high ceilings and huge sliding partitioned walls producing excellent exhibitions in a space you'll want to go back to.

The best thing about any charity shop is that you never know what you are going to find. I have a well tested route around London that includes all of my favourite charity shops. This Oxfam has a great selection of books and often turns up some interesting clothes too.

A walled secret garden, the Physic Garden is like a time capsule, founded in 1673 to allow apprentices of the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London to study the healing properties of plants, it is now a living museum. Tours are offered by volunteers with immense knowledge of botany and the cultural history of the garden or visitors can wander the grounds alone and spot odd and fascinating plants such as the mystical Mandrake.

The oldest surviving fire station in Peckham, converted and restored by 6a architects, is now an annexe to the South London Gallery.

This uninspiring sounding place is a disused railway line that runs along the roofline from Finsbury Park to Highgate. A great place to excerise and escape.