Out and about

Grab a copy of the ubiquitous A-Z street finder (even Londoners carry them!) to make sense of the wild tangle of streets and discover a whole new city.

Go to Kew, a jewel in the botanical gardens; roam the exquisite 19th-century home of Sir John Soane, and soak in the buzz at Bloomsbury, a peculiar mix of architecture, literary history and traffic! Outdoor types can go boating on the Serpentine in Hyde Park. Docklands has jet skiing, waterskiing and windsurfing. Go bird watching at the unusual new Wetland Centre in Barnes, home to geese, ducks, swans, waders and birds, of course. Or check out Chislehurst Caves in south London – 22 miles of underground caves and caverns dating back to 2000 BC – the Druids worshipped in them, they were air raid shelters during World War II and in the 60’s, Cream, Hendrix and Bowie have performed here!

Hampstead Heath is the cure for city blues. Must-sees are the Spaniard’s Inn, Robert Adam’s beautiful Kenwood House, and the lovely Georgian cottages. A delightful touch of the morbid is creepily yours at the Gothic Highgate, Kensal Green and Brompton cemeteries. An offbeat art pick – the Arabesque splendour of Leighton House near Holland Park, full of luscious pre-Raphaelite paintings.

For First-timers: The Cotswolds, Stratford upon Avon, Stonehenge, Windsor, Bath, Brighton, Oxford, Cambridge.