If you want a peaceful day out of the busy city, Highgate doesn't really feel like London. The cemetery is interesting and peaceful, there's a tour of the old half which is definitely worth the money. Karl Marx, among others are buried there.

There is a rather beautiful faded glory to these mythical creatures, which flank the steps guarding the ruins of the Italian Terraces in front of the former Crystal Palace, which dramatically burnt down in 1936.

South London is largely underrated considering at times it's a treasure chest of gems; Battersea Park is one of those big sparkly ones. An interesting mix of faultlessly pruned gardens, displaced architecture, shape, form and colour generate a delightfully influential weekend stroll. With views of the almighty Battersea Power Station and the river dividing you from the Chelsea Embankment.

Designed by Wells Coates, the Isokon Building opened in 1934 and was the first apartment block to be built using reinforced concrete. The Isokon Gallery is open at weekends telling the story of the Isokon building, the pioneering modern apartment block as an experiment in new ways of urban living.

The Sackler Crossing is part of a route through the 120 hectares of Kew Gardens, designed by John Pawson in 2006. Set low to the surface of the lake, it seems to float across the water.