"Perhaps the most peaceful – and desolate – spot in London. By the Thames Barrier, there's a visitors' centre with no visitors..." Read more.
"The type of place you can investigate endlessly, tucking between walls, leaning into nooks and jumping from stone to stone..." Read more.
"From obscure, hand-printed pamphlets to full collections by the finest poets, plus most literary magazines ever published..." Read more.
"If you can tune out from a road energised with traffic, the sirens and the motorbikes, and slow your pace to that of the river, this really is a remarkable part of the city..." Read more.
"Think hedgerows and open spaces, ancient trees and ponds. It's eerily silent, too. When we were here, we heard someone say: "We could be anywhere in the world." And it's true..." Read more.
"Surviving both the great fire and the second world war, St Giles' Cripplegate is in the heart of the complex and is another calm spot in the city..." Read more.
"It invites slow saunters, casual leaning against a wall and hours spent exploring. The range is eclectic and international; you're sure to find a book you didn't know you were looking for..." Read more.
"Eel Pie was known for jazz studios in the 1960s and its hippies in the 1970s, but in 2012 it is quiet and smells of honeysuckle...." Read more.
"The paddock originally housed exotic animals including kangaroos, but is now a fine flower garden which, in the springtime, displays more bluebells than you've ever seen in your life..." Read more.
"Following the curve of the river from Hampton Court Bridge to Kingston is a tree-lined stroll, with clusters of swans, vine-covered walls and rowers aplenty..." Read more.
