http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34219 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34219 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34164 Dropping down from Crystal Palace to Elmers End and through West Wickham you arrive at Corkscrew Lane, and suddenly its woods, valleys and rolling fields. The Lane takes you right to the top of the majestic North Downs and on a good day you can see 30 miles. You might touch 40 mph on the exhilarating drop to Westerham. Turn left to follow the ancient Pilgrims way as it winds through vineyards on its way to Canterbury, 70 miles away. Then it’s the big cogs to climb the elegantly named Hogtrough Hill (15%), heading north through Cudham and the pretty Downe to Keston. Cutting left down the steep hill by the Norman church takes you past fields and stables until suddenly you arrive back at West Wickham again. The last push up Anerley hill is helped by the thought of the amazing double expresso at Café Paradou on Crystal Palace Parade – the perfect place to nod to the other riders who meet there.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34164 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33527 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33527 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31903 A fascinating, illustrated board, complete with map, explains when the different varieties of apple, pear and nut trees were introduced to the UK and by whom. Alongside the regular Cox's, Bramleys and Blenheim Oranges, there are more unusual varieties, such as the Vranja. A short message reads that residents can take one or two pieces of fruit home for their own use, but as the trees are only a few years old, they may have to wait a while.
In in the meantime, if starving for fruity vitamins, visitors to the park can also find blackberry bushes by the railway line and a large cob nut tree towards the main road.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31903 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31748 Best of all, it's accessible on the Metropolitan tube line and a round trip will cost all of £7. En route, the Cock Inn at Sarratt and the Rose & Crown at Chorleywood make splendid stopping off points for sustenance and liquid refreshment. We passed a watercress farm too, and a huge bunch of freshly-harvested greens cost £1.50 and tasted a hundred times better than the stuff from the supermarket.

Take the Metropolitan Line from Baker Street or Marylebone Station to Chalfont & Latimer. Follow the river walk along the Chess river to Chorleywood village.
Chorleywood is on the Metropolitan tube line also.
The walk is about 7km.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31748 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31369 Peckham was mentioned in 1087 in the Doomsday Book, when it was called Pecheha, an Anglo Saxon word meaning 'village among the hills'.
During the reign of Henry 1, Peckham was a farming village and the land was used for growing crops and fruit. By the 18th century it was famous for its melons, figs and grapes.
In 1767, William Blake visited Peckham Rye and had a vision of angels in an oak tree. The ''Angel Oak', as it was later called, has since disappeared
The park's original layout opened to the public in 1894. There is a large lake and several smaller ponds alive with noisy ducks and geese, a Japanese garden, arboretum, bowling green and woodland walks. My favourite spot is in the Sexby Gardens where plots of lavender give off a wonderfully soporific, mid-summer ambience.

During the Second World War, temporary huts were erected to detain Italian prisoners of war. One still remains, located next to the café.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31369 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30951 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30951 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30895 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30895 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/26486 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/26486 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/24537 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/24537 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20325 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20325 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19674 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19674 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19672 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19672 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3401 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3401 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1626
This is a shame because the Temperate House contains some fabulous specimens, including the world's rarest plant - a cycad called Encephalartos woodii - and the world's largest indoor plant, the 52-foot high Chilean Wine Palm.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1626 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1614 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1614 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1060
Anyone fit enough can walk all the way down to the River Thames or chip off into town along Grand Union Canal.

Look out for the rare breed cows.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1060 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/806 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/806 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/800 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/800 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/568 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/568