Take a trip south of the river to take in some of the loveliest parts of London.

Borough Market

Under cover and open daily, Borough Market is the most vibrant food market in London. A must-visit for foodies, you’ll find fresh fruit and vegetables side by side with locally produced delicacies, fresh meat and fish and artisan breads and charcuterie.

Borough Market, London, England, UK by DAVID ILIFF

On its busiest days, the stalls spill out onto the streets around the market hall with even more choice of food to sample. As well as delicacies you can get to experiment with at home, there are plenty of things you can eat on the spot from rare breed pork sausages in freshly baked bread rolls through to curry and paella.

If you fancy making your own picnic on the hoof try grabbing some bread you can tear, some soft cheese from one of the fromageries and a bottle of fizz complete with plastic flutes and take it to the grounds of the neighbouring Southwark Cathedral for an al fresco feast.

Southwark Cathedral

Once you’ve enjoyed your picnic, take some time to explore the majestic cathedral inside as well as out. A place of Christian worship for over 1,000 years, St Saviour’s was first documented in the Doomsday Book in 1066, although there are suggestions that it was a site of religious significance as long ago as the fifth century.

The current structure and facade of the cathedral are in the Gothic style, dating from the 13th century, although the nave was rebuilt in the 19th century in a gothic style. Its construction in the early 1200s made it the first Gothic church in London, but it wasn’t made a cathedral until shortly before World War I.

Southwark Cathedral, London, England, UK by Adrian Pingstone

The cathedral has a vast, soaring ceiling and some beautiful stained glass windows that glow to the south of the building on the side of Borough Market. If you happen to be in the area during the week the Thursday Singers, made up of local community members with a love of choral music, take to the choir stalls to sing for choral Evensong and Festival Eucharists.

After the hustle and bustle of the Market and before taking to the South Bank, Southwark Cathedral provides an oasis of calm in the middle of the busy city.

Bermondsey Street

Noted by The Guardian as the most up-and-coming area in London, Bermondsey is seeing something of a surge in popularity in recent years. At its heart lies Bermondsey Street, with its chic collection of boutique shops and independent cafes and eateries with something for all tastes.

In the middle of Bermondsey Street lies the Fashion and Textile Museum. Established and curated by local fashion designer Zandra Rhodes, the museum offers a fascinating insight into the use of fabric and textiles to create clothes that are works of art in their own right. The museum also has a lovely tea shop that offers loose-leaf teas including one brewed from pure dried rosebuds and a range of homemade cakes.

Conclusion

Fast becoming one of the most popular and fashionable areas in London, Southwark has plenty to offer the visitor. Whether it is shopping, history or the village feel of Bermondsey, the district will make you feel right at home. If you want to see the area from the air why not try a London Helicopter tour, visit the website link here for more information.

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Seven Sisters Country Park, East Sussex, England / Photo by DAVID ILIFF License: CC-BY-SA 3.0

So I tend to book Sussex cottages for a week or two at different times of year. Get down there and check out the fields and hedgerows. I keep a journal showing what’s growing and what’s not, what insects and birds I see and which are conspicuously absent.

It’s a fascinating record of a changing countryside. Some years you get gluts of one species, other years you see others in more particular abundance. This year I’ve seen an astonishing number of Five Spot Burnet moths, the red dots on the black wings almost glowing in the sun.

Actually it’s been a pretty good summer for Sussex cottages so far. I know we’ve had a lot of wind and rain but when you think about it there’s been quite an amount of sunshine too. I distinctly remember spending two consecutive weekends on the Downs, shirtsleeves rolled up and my socks off, taking a breather with a bottle of beer and feeling very hot indeed.

I’ve seen quite a number of Gold Swift moths this year, which is surprising given their general decline. Though the hotter weekends in June may have prompted them to breed properly, which they haven’t been doing for a couple of years. When I go back to my Sussex cottages in August I’ll have to compare notes again against last year. Normally the Gold Swift flies in numbers in June and August, conceding with a pair of broods over the year – but as I say in recent years this has been a pattern much interrupted by the vagaries of wind and weather.

There have been a number of sightings of woodcock on Black down this year, with several being spotted during the month of June. It’s interesting to note as well that with some major council clearance of rhododendron, we should start seeing redstarts back in the area again in a couple of years.

I find it fascinating to watch the changing aspect of the county and the concomitant changes in the distribution of the birds and plants it supports. I wonder what will have changed next time I come back to my Sussex cottages.

The post A Nature Lover’s Dream – Staying in Cottages Sussex and Getting Back to a Simpler Way of Life appeared first on Best of European Union.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by DAVID ILIFF

The London Eye

This attraction is a really great way to see the city (and a lot cheaper than a helicopter ride) and on a clear day you can see as far as 25 miles, but even on a not so clear day the views over London are still stunning. It’s the world’s largest observation wheel and takes about 30 minutes to do one revolution. If tickets are booked in advance they cost from £15.00 per adult but concessions are available for children and OAPs. If you turn up on the day expect to pay from £25.00 per adult, no concessions, and if you fancy it you can either hire an entire capsule, which can hold up to about 25 people.

Tower of London

Situated on the northern side of Tower Bridge (an attraction in its own right) this iconic building houses far more than just one sight for its viewer. The Tower of London is known for holding the crown jewels, but it began life as a show of power under the Norman invader, William the Conqueror. The tower then went on to become a prison to Sir Walter Raleigh and even two of Henry VIII’s wives. Entry to the tower costs from £18.00 per adult or £47.00 for family made up of two adults and up to 6 children. For those who fancy a good pint and some food afterwards cross Tower Bridge and about 50 metres down the road is a great pub on the left hand side called ‘The Draft House’; ask them for their pork scratching’s, they’re amazing!

Shopping

For those of you who love high street shopping nowhere comes as famous as Oxford Street. If you fancy more designer wear then Regent Street runs immediately across it. For those who love something a bit more alternative and niche, without having to go far, then Carnaby Street, which runs immediately parallel to the East of Regent Street is a fantastic experience; it’s Christmas decorations and lights are also always something to behold.

There are so many things you can do in London but the three above provide a good range of things you could do all in one or two days, depending on how much shopping you intend to do!

Why not spend your bank holidays 2012 seeing the sights of London; however, if you plan to go early in the year check, when do the clocks go forward? You don’t want to miss your flight!

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