Its a free museum/tourist information/brewery/culture venue. There are some interactive exhibits…read moreabout the history of Greenwich which are both good for kids and grownups. I would say about 30-45 mins in needed depending on how fast you read/how many people are in the centre too. Well worth it as a first point on your tour around Greenwich.

Discover Greenwich is a new £6 million contemporary cultural venue at UNESCO World Heritage site,…read morethe Old Royal Naval College. Alongside an excellent opportunity to immerse oneself in Britain's past is the chance to enjoy some quality tipples at The Old Brewery, the site's very own micro-brewery. With over 500 years of history on display from Henry VIII's Tudor Palace to Wren's Royal Hospital for Seamen and the Royal Naval College Discover Greenwich has fascinating permanent and temporary exhibitions. For the kids (and the kids at heart), there are plenty of hands-on activities. Trying on a knight's helmet is a sure fire way to keep the little ones (and dorks such as yours truly) engaged for at least a little while. For architecture fiends and history lovers there are all sorts of geek-out worthy artefacts, models and resources. It's beautiful, it's FREE and it's fun. Plus, there's quality beer!

The Visitor Centre cafe is in a modern building, and has lots of seats (it would be rare to arrive…read moreand not find anywhere to sit) - just as well, as the place is popular with cyclists and with walkers, who can park their cars at the centre before exploring the Darenth Valley Path, or the nearby Castle or Villa. For warm days, there is also some seating outside. I cycle to the Visitors Centre several times a year, usually on a Sunday with other members of my cycling club. Lullingstone is not as popular as other cafes in the area, but is good enough, I suppose. Whereas other cafes sell tea in big mugs, at Lullingstone you get tea in a pot (with no further pot hot water to top it up and make the tea bags "go a little further"). The selection of cakes or snacks that are such a staple of club cyclists is also disappointing - mostly standard off-the-shelf choices. It is not at the cheap end of the scale when it comes to teas and coffees either.

Good food freshly cook, pleasant staff, busy wednesday lunch-time with walker and school holidays…read more This area is great for walking for all, whether you want hills or linear along the River Darent, keep an eye out for Kingfishers. A good walk around Lullingstone Park and check out the wildlife.

The reservoir is an excellent place to see waterfowl, and to be able to feed them. There is plenty…read moreof room in between the paths and the water, which ensures that the birds are not harassed in such a lovely habitat. There is a grassy fenced off area where you are able to feed ducks and geese - the ducks are quite shy and seem to get bullied a bit by the geese when they are trying to feed. Great place to go on a sunny day with some bird seed

This is a great place for a leisurely day out. The reservoir itself is huge and is home to many…read morespecies of waterfowl. At intervals along the pathway there are hides which enable you to look out over the water and watch the birds in their natural habitat. We didn't manage to walk around the full circumference of the reservoir, we retreated to the visitor centre where we sat on the outside decking area and had lunch while taking in the view over the water. As it was a beautiful sunny day it made the experience very enjoyable.

The Ashdown Forest Visitor Centre is located just outside Wych Cross. It has a small museum about…read morethe Forest and also an area for temporary displays. When I visited there was a display of the Forest at war from the Bronze Age up to the First World War. There is a small shop selling books and small gifts, and a large collection of leaflets and maps. Several of these give details of walks around the area. There is also an Education area, which is presumably for groups of school children and the like. There are also boards detail what the Rangers are currently doing, where the sheep are grazing and what birds can be seen. Also, and most important, there are clean tiolets! As there are no other public ones in the Forest, I suggest you make a note of their location! There are several car parks within a ten minute drive from here where you can explore the Forest at will, but I would suggest coming here first. And watch out for the deer - on the ten minute drive from here to Hartfield I must have seen a dozen cross the road in front of me. Only problem was the camera was in the boot of the car - so keep yours handy if you want to get some pictures.

Epping Forest is one of those those neglected London gems. Less than an hour away from the city one…read morecan easily spend a day trip hiking around Europe's biggest city forest. This visitors centre is a great place. It's beautifully if modestly presented with a few small exhibits and a few things to keep children busy. It also has a range of surprisingly cheap and tasteful souvenirs that dismayed my fridge-magnet collecting friend as 'not tacky enough'. The gems of the place though are the staff who were so helpful and informative in showing us routes and supplying us with maps for our walk. They really helped us and made our little day trip. Bravo to the visitor's centre!

I used the Oriental Travel Company, (Visa section) for the first time this year to arrange a visa…read moreto travel to China for a holiday with my partner. The company is located in a good location for my work and is near both Charing Cross and Leicester Square for transport. The office is on the 3rd floor of a modern apartment building and feels reputable. The company offers different speeds of service and price, (see the website). In addition they can also arrange travel in China, internal flights and so forth, although I didn't use part of this service. The visa arrived on the day I wanted it. I picked it up from their office, (a service that is free), or included in the price they will courier your passport back to you. You can courier documents to them or drop them at the office. Staff were friendly and helpful and advised me on my first application what needed to be changed so that the application wasn't rejected. The main reason to use an agent is that the queue for the Chinese VISA section starts at 7.15am in the morning and at 8.30am will be a 2-3hr queue that stretches around the block. Therefore by paying a small premium you save lots of time and hassle.

I have used Oriental Travel a few times for my business trips to China and can highly recommend…read morethis company. Very efficient services and professional staff. Their office is a few minutes to mine so I normally drop off the application in person than using a courier. Have also used them to sort out the domestic flight & train tickets, car hire, hotel bookings and appoint a translator all went flawless. Took my family for a 12 day holiday to Beijing, Yangshuo and the Yangtze cruise earlier this year. They tailor-made an excellent itinerary in a very short notice. Ground arrangements were all first class. Wonderful guides and drivers, good selection of accommodation and meals. Great job!