Borough market and other London, United Kingdom Off The Beaten Path Tips

Ooooooooooh I LOOOOOOOOOOVE this market!!!!!! :)

It has all kinds of nice nibbleys.. and there is such care in the way they organise and arrange everything. Even the bread is arranged artistically.

It is open area (under covers) and under the railway, closest tube stations are Burrough and London Bridge.

It sells organic foods, all kinds of sinful cookies and biscuits, meats, fish tec. etc. A lovely day trip for sure!

They start closing up their stores form 4:30pm onwards, so the best time is to get there by 10am in the morning, when they are setting up.. before the crowds come. It gets so choc-a-bloc, especially on Saturdays!

In some parts one is almost carried away in the flow of the crowd...

We recently met up for a VT meeting, showing some of our overseas VT members the market (1st and 5th photo). Had a lovely time, albeit crushing as it was a Saturday!

The other photos are my family and family friends visiting the market.

WARNING***
This is essentially a farmers market, so they get to basics. If you are a vegetarian, I would not suggest visiting this market, as even though I do eat red meat occassioanlly, the dead rabbits, pig heads and ducks that they had on display for all to see as they walked by, made my stomach lurch :(

I did not take the fifth photo, it was taken by a VT member, if it was you, please let me know, thanks!

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Phone: 020 7407 1002
Website: http://www.touruk.co.uk/london_markets/london_markets.htm
Other Contact: simontattersfield@boroughmarket.

This is a part of London we love. Richmond is a gorgeous town with so much going for it, beautiful homes, lovely river views, lots of night life and shopping venues etc.

We lived here for a year prior to moving to Wimbledon, in East Sheen - town next to Richmond, in the Richmond-upon-Thames Borough. It is about 45 minutes out of London on the slow train.

Richmond is a really picturesque part of the Thames River. Not all of the river bank is pretty in my opinion, but this section is absolutely gorgeous.

There are always rowers and barges etc. on the river during summer, the mood is festive and everyone sits and has a beer on the banks of the river.

It really is a special place, with a lot to offer in the way of beauty, shopping, culture, entertainment and fun!

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One huge plus of living near Richmond is the glorious Richmond Park with it's incredible beauty. It is a large park (covers 2,358 acres) with some hidden gems, like the Isabella Plantation and two large families of deer.

The two deer species are the Red Deer and the Fallow Deer, and there are about 650 of them.

We often take a drive here and spend hours here, walking, cycling, bird watching, having tea or a picnic.

Whether it is summer, winter, or the seasons imbetween, this park offers to the visitor, an escape from city life, and this is much appreciated!

One thing that is really lovely about living in London is that one can be in the midst of the concrete jungle the one minute, and amongst the beauty and serenity of nature the next.

If you'd like more information about Richmond Park, please have a look at my Richmond page. It is a National Nature Reserve, is a Grade 1 Listed landscape and is London's biggest Site of Special Scientific Interest.

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Phone: 020 7298 2128
Website: press@royalparks.gsi.gov.uk

The name itself rings of something sumptuous... a 'must see' :)

The Isabella Plantation is quite close to where we live, in Richmond Park.

It is a separate, gated off area within the park, that has a delightful array of flora, fauna, bird life, ponds, ducks (yes, that type of bird too!), a bog garden, little bridges and stone walks and paths.

This year marks its 50th anniversary, which is quite something! It is a mature woodland garden, one where it is easy to run away into fantasy land, away from the real world.

The garden is managed organically, with the utmost of love and care, which is so apparent in every angle of the paths, and the array of colour within the plant life, to mention but a couple of things.

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Phone: 020 7298 2128
Website: http://www.royalparks.gov.uk/parks/richmond_park/

We took a day trip out to Chartwell House. It took about an hour to get there.

We met up with our cousin Jane who lives in Bromley (SE London), and, together with her hubby and son, and my mum and sister, we visited Churchill's home.

It is a lovely languishing home, not overindulgent or formal really, which was a pleasant surprise. Sir Winston Churchill lived here from 1922 until 1965, when he died.

Here lies a huge collection of Churchill's paintings and drawings, photographs and memorabilia from his time in leadership, plus war memorabelia.

It has the obligatory awards room, which shows all he accomplished during his rule, along with the many gifts other rulers and leaders gave him, many of them, not surprisingly, had something to do with his penchant for cigars!

The National Trust looks after it now.

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Phone: 01732 868381
Website: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-chartwell/

Churchill was an acclaimed painter.

Not surprising I thought, when I saw the fantastic inspiration he had on his doorstep!

His gardens are absolutely lovely, manicured and fertile, green lawns, stunning foliage and flowers, and so much s p a c e!

As an artist myself, I can relate to this... a beautiful environment - especially when it is nature, is a huge inspiration. And this he had!

They are many acres big, and seem to roll on and on.

Simply delightful!

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Phone: 01732 868381
Website: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-chartwell/

Further into Kent and another interesting name for yet another interesting village! This is about a 2 hour drive from London by car, shorter by train.

It is very close to Biddenden, and we ventured here in search of a cream tea, when the recommended tea place in Biddenden proved to be closed!

But we were glad we came here as the tea was superb, as was the scone (have a look at my restaurant tip re it!).

Headcorn has a rather interesting history!

It started out as a 'den' or clearing of land, where pigs lived. Later on, this land was given to the Maison Dieu at Ospringe, near Faversham the King Henry III. From then on, a weekly market started and the village grew from there.

Under King Edward III the weaving industry flourished in this village, and Headcorn's prosperity can be attributed to this era.

It is by no means a large town, but it is small and bustling, with a life of its own. Plus the tea and scones are divine!

(This tip appears in Kent too, so pls do not rate it if you have rated the Kent one already. Thanks).

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Website: www.headcorn.org.uk

When driving into Biddenden (what a gorgeous name too!), one almost feels like one has stepped into another era.

Many places in England have this Weaver-style cottages scattered here and there, but here there is quite a lot of it. Add some locally-made cobble stones to that and it spells C H A R A C T E R. Galore!

The name refers to 'The Maids of Biddenden'. In 1100, Mary and Eliza Chulkhurst were born here. They were cojoined and became quite famous in the area. Possibly the most famous cojoined twins in the pre-medical era.

Oddly, they are depicted in drawings from that time to have been connected at the hips and the shoulders. They were probably joined at the pelvis and spine realistically though, and not as the fablled pictures suggest.

They died at the age of 34. The one twin died and the other, healthy twin, said she would rather die together with her twin, as they had come into the world together, and they should depart together. She died 6 hours later.

Should you pop into Biddenden, do have a look at the pretty painted sign of the twins on the village green.

Biddenden has recently obtained Broadband in the area. Great for locals I am sure :)

(This tip appears in Kent too, so pls do not rate it if you have rated the Kent one already. Thanks).

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Website: www.biddenden.gov.uk

We love castles, and needed to go and see one with some friends of ours.

Taking into account their age, a castle like Warwick Castle was off limits due to the many steep steps there are, so we had to go to a castle that wasnt too far out of London, that was small enough for them, plus with not too many steps!

In Hever Castle we found this! We were delighted.

It is essentially a fortified home, with stunning gardens and a man-made lake too. This was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn in 1505AD, who later married King Henry VIII in 1533AD. He himself stayed here and his is a very masculine, timber-filled room. Hers is a smaller room, with a large fireplace. Her original headboard for her bed is there still, with her name carved into it.

In the library next door are ancient books they read, and I particulalry liked a little blue book that was beautifully printed by one of the first printing presses. It is well illustrated and written with a calligraphic pen in a gothic script, and is well thumbed!

The oldest areas of the castle date all the way back to 1270. This consisted of a walled bailey and the gatehouse. A tudor dwelling was built within the walls in the early 1500's by the Bullen family. The original front door from this time can be viewed in excellent condition today, although, because there was further building added to the castle, it is no longer a front door but an inner door.

The garden itself at Hever Castle is an absolute gem. It has a natural, more 'wild' side, plus an incredibly ordered and manicured side to it.

The inspiration for the more formal aspect of the garden is Italian in uniformity and architecture. Joseph Cheal and Son landscaped this garden between 1904 and 1908. They also created a 35 acre lake (amazing!), and had 1000 workmen working on it during this time.

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Phone: 0044 (0)1732 865224
Website: http://www.hever-castle.co.uk/

The riverside attracts runners, walkers, strollers, skate boarders and lots of cute little animals :)

It is relaxing and invigorating to have places like this in a city where one can wind down and relax a while.

In summer it is especially nice as there are so many birds and little animals to see, especially little squirrels.

The deck chairs come out in the parks and people smile again :)

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