Bread shop, bakery, school & cafe

They describe themseleves as a 'village shop in the City' and sell everything 'typically english' you could dream of, from homemade scotch eggs to english meade, this tiny shop is the reason I cross the road early every morning, just to see what treats they've got in for the day.

Forget Selfridges or Liberty! Fenwicks Contemporary Womenswear department has the biggest selection of Sonia Rykiel this side of Paris, amongst other great labels such as Thomsen, Dagmar, Les-Prairies-de-Paris and See by Chloe. But the best thing about it – it's quiet!

Behind Markfield Beam Engine is the River Lee which travels from the Chiltern Hills all the way to the Thames via Tottenham Hale. There is a special light along this stretch of the river possibly due to there being about 10 massive reservoirs behind the levee on the other side of the river, offering an amazing sense of space. A great place to walk, cycle and feed the ducks, swans, geese and coots.

Half a mile from Markfield Park down the River Lee is Springfield Park. The park rises steeply up from the river and has an amazing array of tree species making it beautiful in all seasons. At the brim of the hill there is a line of park benches each one surrounded by box hedge offering a private view across the Lee Valley, Walthamstow and beyond. The park warden was nice enough to give me a chestnut log a couple of years ago from which I carved a bench and two stools.