Inspired by the beaches, colours and vibrant atmosphere of South America, this bikini and beachwear…read moreboutique offers a South American collection with styles and sizes to suit all. Tica London is a real oasis. With beautiful, exotic prints and lovely, helpful staff who let you hide in the changing room whilst suggesting loads of gorgeous different styles. I addition, the jewellery is fantastic, including handcrafted jewellery made with seeds from the rainforest. Tica truly is yhe most brilliant start to any holiday. A little pocket of sunshine to inspire you to get yourself over to the beautiful beaches of Brazil.

Fantastic place. Very classy and modern. Wide range of models offering lots of different styles.read more

Westminster Lodge has been newly refurbished, and is in top shape for the fitness-conscious of St…read moreAlbans. They've done an absolutely bang up job here, and, even though I was only here in a caring capacity, it doesn't take a genius to see it would be a brilliant place for a membership. The addition of Verulamium Spa - a beauty retreat - harks back to St Albans in its Roman heyday. Get involved and check it out. Though prices for food in the cafe are ludicrously expensive. Got to pay for it somehow, I suppose...

As of November 2008 this leisure centre is still standing but I know that there are plans in the…read morenext year or two to knock it down and rebuild. As it stands it is a fairly old fashioned leisure centre but serves its purpose. There are 2 swimming pools, one shallower learner or children's pool and one for lane swimming and more advanced learners. I know 2 children having lessons there and they are learning quite well under the staff's supervision. There is a viewing gallery and a cafe upstairs and in the reception there is a small amount of swimming equipment for sale. I know there is a gym there which is cheaper than private gyms, and it's smaller too, however as I said before the whole lot is being refurbished.

The Wycombe Sports Centre at Handycross Junction 4 of the M40 is a great facility. It has swimming…read morepools, badminton courts, squash courts, a running track, a climbing wall and much more. It has a massive car park which is just 30p for 4 hours which covers most activities with time to spare. It's easy to get to as long as the motorway is flowing OK. It can get very busy after work, about 5pm, and you can end uo having to park quite a way away. The activities are generally well priced especially if you have a membership card which is available for locals and non locals.

Red Kites (Formerly Hughenden badminton Club)meets every Thursday 7-10 at Wycombe Sports Centre…read more I have found this a very friendly club of intermediate standard with some socialising thrown in rotating play over two courts. Always open to new players, just drop by or call 07710 300101 and ask Paul for more details

Having walked passed the gates to York Hall I was pleased to have a good reason to enter through…read morethe boxing entrance tonight - my first ever Book Slam, and what an amazing experience it was. Not quite sure where they hide the swimming pool mentioned by so many other reviewers as the main space is dedicated to boxing. Tonight's event made the most of it with a number of boxing-related performances. Once we found a seat at this sold out event, we joined the food queue. Big disappointment as they had stopped serving and we missed out on jerk chicken and lamb stew. Unfortunately, the promise of taking orders for the interval turned out to be an empty one ... Joined the drinks queue instead and enjoyed a liquid dinner of cheap wine - from tiny bottles - they had run out of full sized ones ... classy drinkers these book reading folk! Somehow this slight sense of chaos went well with the surroundings which reminded us of better times long gone. It was a magical evening alround.

I got to York Hall to swim, having found that it's run by the same people as manage Ironmonger Row…read moreBaths so I'm automatically a member of both centres as well as loads of others, which is awesome. Compared to shiny new refurbished Ironmonger, York Hall is a bit grotty. The changing rooms look fairly dirty (bring flip flops!) and your 20p for the locker is not returned. Also it's 20p for a hairdryer! I also didn't really like that there were fairly old boys getting changed in there with their mums. I'm not particularly precious about that kind of stuff in general, but it made me feel a bit uncomfortable. The pool itself is huge and the medium lane is 3 lane widths which means you have an overtaking lane. I thought this would make my swim a lot easier than at Ironmonger where there's a lot of traffic but you tend to get people randomly floating about which messes the whole thing up. I don't understand why (a) they don't figure out they should just go to the giant designated slow lane and (b) why the staff don't say anything. Stressful. Overall though it's a very good pool and as it's super convenient to me I'll keep going. The whole historic/boxing side is really cool, too!

What a discovery! The first I saw of this place was its truly amazing ironwork entry gates. They…read moredepict a mass of flora and fauna. The trees and plants are identifiable species and it's great to spend a little time looking for the little details like butterflies, as well as the more noticeable fox etc. Seriously gates like that warrant a 5 star on their own. The nature reserve itself is a narrow strip of woodland, opening out a little as it climbs away from the road. There's a little education centre which is, of course, aimed at providing for local school kids. But they were happy to let me use the loo. A couple of features to look out for: there's a little play area. I have to admit since it was deserted I had a little go on the swings! Years since I've done that. The reserve also has a range of plant life including the unique 'Haringey Knotweed', a cross between Japanese Knotweed and a Russian Vine. I'm not sure that's a good idea but anyway there's some by the playground! Lovely, peaceful little scrap of a place. I can't help wondering why these places are always so geared towards kids. No harm in teaching the kids of course but I do wonder if a few adults wouldn't mind the odd guided nature walk

Railway Fields is home to BTCV a national charity organisation which has projects locally. They are…read morea group mainly made up of volunteers who want to help improve their local environment, learn new outdoor skills and meet local people. I believe Railway Fields is a fantastic example of how local areas can be improved for the better and become fantastic peaceful places for people to enjoy and escape from the quick pace of living in a city. For more information about the people who work "in the hut(!)" in Railway Fields, please go to BTCV's website; http://www2.btcv.org.uk/display/btcv_home

I can't rate the leisure centre in Maidenhead enough! I moved to Maidenhead from London about 9…read moreyears ago and have visited the leisure centre many times and for such different activities! Not only do they have a large swimming pool which caters for adults and children, they have squash courts, badminton courts, a great gym and tennis/netball courts. However I have also visited the leisure centre for evening events such as comedy nights- what a great venue!

I have been living in Maidenhead since a young girl and the Magnet Leisure Centre has been a…read moreregular entertainment venue for myself and many family and friends. Run by the borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, many of the staff have been working here for such a long time that there is a very welcoming and comfortable feel even if visiting alone or for the first time. They offer a swimming pool, tennis, badminton and squash courts, trampolining, a well equipped gymnasium, fitness classes, a children's soft play area - Cheeky Charlie's, a creche, children's party facilities and much more. Entrance fees are affordable for a whole family and they even offer 'Advantage Card' discounts with the Advantage Card being a multi-discount card issued by the borough. A pleasant and clean leisure centre which is recommended for all leisure and fitness fans!

A large, modern and spacious sports centre which boasts a large gym with plenty of equipment…read moreincluding cardiovascular and weight training to get a really great overall workout. Really fair prices on joining and monthly payments. This centre also has a creche located inside which is a very large area with a huge array of toys and activities. The staff in the creche are fantastic with the children. Child related activities are immense and include tumble tots, musical teapots etc. In the grounds you have a large car park and an activity area for the children to play and burn off any energy they have left. There is also a nice cafe/restaurant upstairs which serves snacks/meals and hot or cold drinks. It is a large space with tables and chairs and a great place for a chat after a class!

Watersports in a beautiful location. This R.Y.A certified centre/club is a hub of activity…read morethroughout the year, running instructors courses, club nights, kids multi-activity weeks and much more. Decent changing rooms, top of the range kit and even its own shop. Friendly knowledgable staff, and a good cup of tea always available! They have loads of kit on hire and the sails will be already rigged up for you, so you can pop along after work and go straight onto the water. What more could you ask for? If you get really hungry and you have a bit of dosh to spare you could always pop off down the road to ' The Fat Duck'.......