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/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/32816 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32816 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32456 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32456 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31749 The British-Asian fusion cuisine is pretty tasty too.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31749 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/24426 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/24426 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20325 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20325 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20272 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20272 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20271 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20271 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20209
Sometimes though, I enjoy a trip to Harrow-on-the-Hill, especially in the autumn.

My partner, who lives there, gave me a guided tour one weekend. We strolled upwards about 10 minutes from the tube (Metropolitan Line), past the famous Harrow school, to St Mary's Church on Church Hill. The atmospheric churchyard is where Lord Byron sought inspiration. We cut down a dark passage through the trees leading from the gravestones into an open area which had amazing views across London.

Another short walk back to the church and down the High Street and we were at The Castle Inn pub. We had lunch on the lovely garden terrace, where some windfall apples had fallen on the ground around our feet.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20209 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20176
The western end of the canal gives you Camden and Little Venice... the eastern end gives you London's industrial heritage, the amazing Victoria Park, Bow, a quick detour for the Colombia Road flower market on a Sunday and Broadway Market on a Saturday.

But now I'm having second thoughts about posting this because it's a rare treat and we don't want too many people bounding down the tow path...]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20176 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19667 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19667 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19647 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19647 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16380 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16380 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16346 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16346 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/15490
The food is supposed to be authentic Mumbai cuisine, which is the one place in India where you can find the whole country's various delicacies united. It overlooks a lake, and you can smoke some great apple mint tobacco in their sheeshas. Great value for money.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/15490 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/11707
You look past the green lawns and Palladian architecture below, across the Thames, past the Dome and Canary Wharf, to the whole of north London spread out on its hills above the metropolis. Nowhere else do you get this feeling of the sheer scale of the city, and binding it all together, the sluggish grey ribbon of the river.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/11707 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/11248
In the huge hall were paintings, statues and candles and I was amazed by the domed ceiling. It went up and up and up, and it had a huge painting of some baby angels and what could possibly be Cupid in a cloudy sky. I walked around the walls gazing in awe at the paintings. Lots of them were of Jesus, Jesus on the cross, Jesus with his Disciples, Jesus with a crown of thorns on his head. There were a few like the giant ceiling, with angels and clouds, and all of them were very beautiful. After the hall we climbed up a load of stairs into the Whispering Gallery.

The Whispering Gallery was a sort of balcony, going round the circular walls, and when you looked down from the railings you could see all the people walking down in the hall below. The interesting thing about the Whispering Gallery was that if you told a friend to go to the opposite side of the balcony, and hold their ear to the wall, and if you whispered something into your side of the wall, they could hear your voice coming out of the wall! This was great fun, and everyone (as I was on a school trip with my classmates) got the giggles.

After the Whispering Gallery everyone climbed up some more stairs, flight after flight after flight of stairs, until we reached the actual top of the dome. There was another balcony here, but this balcony was on the outside of the walls and if you looked down you could see the whole of London, Big Ben, Buckingham palace, and all the tiny ant people walking down below. The walk up all the stairs was tiring, but for this view, it was definitely worth it. There were no words to describe this, except for the biggest meaning of overwhelming ever.

This was probably one of my favourite school trips and I highly recommend it as as well as being an educational trip of London's history, it is fun and very interesting.

Lena Wigfall (age 9).]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/11248 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10658
Watch London life unfold at the traffic lights. Read famous street addresses. Actually visit places you've only seen pictures of. Get lost somwhere amazing and ask the driver how to get back when you've had enough. Revisit. Take pictures, keep a journal. Do it again the next day.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10658 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/8939
All Londoners should visit here at least once, to help your understanding of what makes London the unique world city we live in. With lots of interactivity for the children, and well laid out exhibits for the rest of us!

Just one tip; the Museum Cafe is good for a cup of coffee and a sticky bun, but I wouldn't recommend it for lunch.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/8939