Five free things to see and do in London

We've just returned from another summer trip to the British capital, seeing some of the sights that we didn't manage to fit in last year. Although London is a vibrant and exciting place to visit, this can come with a hefty price tag; it's a city with a reputation for being stonkingly expensive, whether you're a hapless holidaymaker or a bona fide Londoner. But it doesn't need to be - having conducted extensive research, I've compiled a list of my top five things to do in London which don't need to set you back a single penny.

1. Browse at Borough Market - Admittedly, you'll need some serious willpower here; if you have as little self-discipline as me, you're likely to come away clutching a bunch of artisan goodies and an empty purse. It is, though, perfectly possible to enjoy the market's sights, sounds and smells for nothing. Many stallholders offer free samples of their wares - particularly if you ask nicely - such as honey, breads, oils and sweets, so that you can try before you buy. My absolute favourites have to be The Cinnamon Tree Bakery, who I first encountered last year at The Cake and Bake Show, and Bread Ahead, whose doughnuts are out of this world. To really make the most of the market, head to Borough High Street on a Friday or Saturday, when traders set up early and go home late.

Nearest underground station: London Bridge.

2. Visit the Imperial War Museum - One thing that pleases me immensely, as I've always been a bit of a history nerd, is that wherever you go in Britain, the museums are, more often than not, free. The Imperial War Museum is one such institution, and has been on our list for a while. It's only just reopened after undergoing massive transformation, including the construction of a state-of-the-art sunken atrium and brand-new terraces, and looks absolutely stunning - the entrance hall alone houses a Spitfire, a V2 rocket, a Harrier jet, and a T-34 tank, among other over-sized artefacts. Upstairs, the Family in Wartime follows the lives of a local family during the Second World War, while the refurbished Holocaust exhibition documents the rise of Nazism and its appalling culmination. It makes for sombre viewing, but is an absolute must-see.

Nearest underground station: Lambeth North or Elephant and Castle.

3. Take a Thames-side walk - If you want to see some of the main London attractions, but don't fancy shelling out for a bus tour, a great way to see the city is to walk along the banks of the Thames. Following the Thames footpath, you can take in such sights as the Shard, Southbank, the London Eye, and even - if you're not completely out of puff - the Houses of Parliament. One not to miss is the Tower of London, currently home to 'Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red', the installation of ceramic poppies commemorating the centenary of the outbreak of war in 1914. It's possible to walk from Tower Bridge right up to Westminster (though you might need frequent breathers!), but you'll have to cross the river at various points. This, though, is a good excuse to see - and set foot on - some of the city's famous bridges, like London Bridge, Westminster Bridge, and, for Harry Potter fans, the Millennium Bridge. Thankfully, in real life, it's still standing.

Nearest underground station: you can begin wherever you like, but I recommend starting from Tower Hill and heading west.

4. Wander through Regent's Park - despite being such a huge city, London has green spaces in abundance. I think that Regent's Park is one of the prettiest - even on a thundery day like the one pictured above! It's a pleasant mix of open grassy areas, perfect for little ones to run around and let off steam, and landscaped gardens, complete with manicured flowerbeds and fountains. There are a handful of places to eat within the park, including cafes, a restaurant and the Smokehouse, a barbecue takeaway, but make an afternoon of it by bringing your own snacks and eating al fresco - though perhaps hold out for better weather before you unfurl your picnic blanket!

Nearest underground station - Baker Street, Regent's Park, or Great Portland Street.

5. Take in the Tate Modern - if contemporary art is your thing, you definitely won't want to miss this off your itinerary. Although it's one of London's premier tourist attractions, entry is free, unless, as with most museums and galleries, you want to visit one of the special exhibitions, which are on throughout the year (Henri Matisse's cutouts are currently on show, as are works by Kazimir Malevich, created during one of the most turbulent periods of Russian history). However, with so much to see inside the old Bankside Power Station, a trip to the Tate Modern can be just as absorbing without seeing one of these, with free guided tours every day. You'll also find free displays on various themes, like 'Poetry and Dream', within which are mini-displays such as 'Beyond Surrealism' or 'Energy and Process', featuring Cy Twombly among others.

Nearest underground station: Southwark or Blackfriars

If you've enjoyed a free or budget day out in London recently and want to shout about it, or if there's anything at all you'd like to see featured on my blog, feel free to leave a comment below!

Goodbye Exeter, hallo Tübingen! A prelude to my adventures in Germany

As I've just received the dreaded email containing my second-year university exam results, this seems to be a suitable time to write a 'goodbye Exeter'-type post. You might be pleased to hear that I've passed and thankfully got all the grades I hoped for - even, by some miracle, in my Russian exams! This means, quite dauntingly, that I'm officially a third-year student. Eek!

You may also have noticed that I'm having a little bit of a change of scenery around here; I've got a new name, a new URL and hopefully, in the not too distant future, I'll have a new domain to match. That's because in September, I'll be flying off to Germany to start my Year Abroad, which I'll spend studying in the very pretty little town of Tübingen. 

Although I've found the idea of studying abroad frankly terrifying, I'm starting to look forward to the new and exciting opportunities that it will undoubtedly bring - not least where blogging is concerned! I'll endeavour to keep What Hayley Did up-to-date with as many pictures and anecdotes as I can manage. Over the course of my study placement, I'll also be writing 'Mole Diaries' for ThirdYearAbroad.com, and I may even make a foray into video-blogging, should the fancy take me...

There are a good few weeks yet before I depart for Deutschland, but if you want to keep abreast of all my pre-departure developments, such as finding out about accommodation, applying for language courses and choosing modules, you can track me down on the following social media pages:

Twitter - @HayleyJWrites

Facebook - What Hayley Did

Instagram - @chaoshayley

As always, I love to read your comments, so do let me know if there's something you'd like to read about preparing for a Year Abroad, or anything you'd like me to feature in a future blog post. Feel free to email me at hayley.johns16@gmail.com, or use the little box below this post.

Bis später!

Image: Rose Haidu via tuebingen.de

In praise of... the sandwich cake

As I'm back home from uni for the summer and I no longer have any problematic sharing-a-tiny-kitchen-with-housemates-type problems, I've started baking again. It's been quite a while since I last wrote a post for the cake 'n' bake section of the blog, but my most recent kitchen escapades have provided me with some inspiration: in the form of the humble sandwich cake.

What I love most about this cake is that it's infinitely customisable; above, you can see that I've tried out a few different flavour combinations. Some of my favourites include coffee, chocolate, or a traditional Victoria sandwich with strawberry jam. You can mix things up further by adding an extra sponge layer, or even topping off your creation with a meringue and an icing drizzle.

Today, though, for the second time in a fortnight, I've made a lemon curd sandwich cake. For this variation, I used my standard sandwich sponge mix, which consists of 8oz butter, sugar and flour and four eggs - you can scale this up and down to your heart's content, to make bigger and smaller cakes. To this, I added the grated zest of two lemons.

If you fancy creating a chocolate version, you can substitute 2oz flour for 2oz cocoa powder, and for a coffee-infused cake, add a tablespoon of instant coffee to the mix.

Because lemon is probably my favourite cake flavour, I added an extra zestiness to one half of the cake with some citrus curd. I used this lemon and lime curd from Devon-based Hogs Bottom Garden Delights, which is absolutely delicious - highly recommended!

To counter the sharpness of the lemon and avoid a citrus overload, I spread the second half with vanilla butter cream. My fail-safe butter cream method is use twice as much icing sugar as butter; for the lemon sandwich, I used 4oz of icing sugar to 2oz butter.

Spread your chosen fillings over your two cakes - jam and butter cream work perfectly together, as does a combination of butter cream flavours, such as chocolate and vanilla. And with summer coming up and Wimbledon around the corner, you could create a luxurious sandwich of fresh strawberries and whipped cream.

All that's left to do is quickly and carefully sandwich the two halves of your sponge together. I'd recommend lifting them both off the cooling rack to do this, rather than dropping one half from a great height onto the other!

And there you have it: a complete sandwich cake. They're easy to bake and they're even easier to personalise. Once you find your favourite combination of flavours and fillings, this will definitely be your go-to sponge. And if it takes you a while to find the perfect match, I'm certain that you'll enjoy trying and tasting.

Sightseeing adventures in our amazing capital city - days 3-4 in London

On the morning of our third day in London town (or rather Dagenham, where we were staying to be closer to Mum's family), we arrived promptly at the train station after a huge buffet breakfast, only to be told that all overground trains had been cancelled, but replacement buses were running from Barking. Ideal. 

Much to our delight, this necessitated a ride on the tube from Dagenham Heathway into Westminster. Mel wondered how far away the Houses of Parliament might be when we got off the train and this was her answer:

Our grand plan for the day was to walk up to Buckingham Palace and back again, taking a look at various other landmarks on the way. Lots of people were whizzing about on so-called Boris Bikes, but the proper racing was left to the professionals, who had chosen that day to cycle 100 miles from Surrey into London, thus closing all the roads - crossing at Whitehall was a nightmare and it was quite impossible to get over to Trafalgar Square. 

But we successfully (eventually, after having to rescue Mel from a traffic island by the Banqueting House) made it to the Mall, where the cyclists finished their race. We even saw the Mayor himself crossing the finishing line.

I did pop by Buck House to see if my mate Liz was there, but apparently she's on her holidays in Scotland, so she advised that I go back another time for tea and cake, which was nice.

We did, however, visit her rather lovely gift shop, stocking up on presents for grandparents - tea towels, fridge magnets and biscuits. I did have my eye on a pretty teacup and saucer, but it was slightly out of my price range; £49 for just one!

Once our bags were full and Dad's wallet considerably lighter, we made our way into the neighbouring St James' Park for refreshments. There were some lovely views back up towards the Palace, which feature in a small but v patriotic video over on my Youtube page (shall come back later with a link!)

Horse Guards Parade was the next stop on our itinerary - again featuring in my daft little video montage. Avoiding the poo left behind, we crossed the parade ground and arrived back at Whitehall. But, in true tourist fashion, this was not before we had had our photo taken with two very smart but mute guards. 

The changing of the guard took us by surprise and Mel and I were almost stamped on mid-photo when the guard (who we were standing next to at the time) banged his sword and began to march off! Oops.

But we lived to tell the tale and to subsequently catch a boat to Greenwich. The trip, surprise surprise, is thoroughly documented on my little Youtube channel.

The naval college is a beautiful building and is absolutely huge. Unfortunately, Dad was banned from the maritime museum but there was little time to go ashore in any case. So we returned to Westminster on the river, with scintillating commentary from somebody who may or may not have been Ricky Tomlinson.

Our final day in London took us to the famous Tower, site of many executions and imprisonments and home of the Queen's jewellery box. 

It was extremely busy inside, but the Yeoman Warders did a fantastic job, giving very amusing guided tours, including a quick visit to the chapel where Anne Boleyn was buried ('not under the table, but underneath under the table'). I was surprised to learn that the Beefeaters actually all live within the walls of the Tower - with all the tales of ghosts and spectres, I don't expect it's a life for those of a nervous disposition.

Inside the White Tower (that's the big square one in the middle), we passed through a vast exhibition of royal armour; Henry VIII was not a small man, was he?! There were some fascinating pieces elsewhere in the various towers too, including crowns used at the coronations of George I, Victoria and Edward VII to name but a few. Sadly, there were no replicas in the gift shop, because I reckon I'd look rather fetching in the Imperial State Crown.

Maybe Liz will lend it to me when I next visit.

(: xx

Sightseeing adventures in our amazing capital city - days 1-2 in London

This summer, instead of spending a week at a holiday cottage in Dorset as we've done for many years previously, the Johnses decamped eastwards and, by way of our favourite stretch of motorway (meaning the M25, naturally), arrived in London last Thursday.

I'd been to London twice before, but, as one had been a school visit to the two Tates and the other a journey on a supporters' coach to a third-round FA Cup tie with Arsenal, I'd never explored London at large, so to speak. On this occasion, we planned to be proper tourists and enjoy all the sights the capital had to offer.

From our hotel out at Dagenham (some of my mum's side of the family lives in Essex, so we stayed quite close to them), we were able to catch the c2c service into Fenchurch Street, thus avoiding the underground, I think mainly for Mum's sake. When we alighted, almost our first sight of London was the imposing Tower Bridge and its much older namesake, which we visited later in our stay.

Although we were armed with a mini-map of the city, we didn't have much idea of how best to get to our first destination, the Natural History Museum, and our family tends to be rather lacking in the leg department anyway, so walking from Tower Hill to South Kensington probably wasn't a realistic plan. But our parents wisely invested in tickets for a tour on an open-top bus (later hilariously called a 'topless bus' by our proper-East-End great aunt). 

We disembarked the Big Bus near Hyde Park and walked the rest of the way to the museums, past dozens of embassies and their suited-and-booted drivers. Surprisingly, the queue for the NHM was quite short and moved quickly, so we soon found ourselves in Earth Hall, on the eastern side of the museum. Aside from the amazing exhibits, even the building itself is impressive; it was purpose-built in the 1870s, although the guidebook says that many people ask what it was used for before it became a museum - a question we were also guilty of asking!

Some of our favourites among the exhibits were the skeletons of a giant sloth, a plesiosaur and a diplodocus (such a teeny head!), prints from John James Audubon's Birds of America (the most expensive book in the world), my new friend Charles Darwin and a first edition of his famous Origin of Species.

Such was the scale of the museum and its vast array of content that, although we spent most of the day there, we still didn't manage to see everything and our plan to visit the neighbouring V&A has had to be postponed until a future trip.

Worn out from several hours walking around the NHM, we hopped back onto the hop-on hop-off topless bus to finish our tour and (hopefully) end up where we started, back at the Tower of London. Once we were safely installed on the correct bus, we discovered that our tour guide was the very amusing Phil from Yeovil, who knew all about Plymouth and was even familiar with such highlights as Mutley Plain; for such a small city, Plym is hard to escape! 

Passing by Marble Arch, Trafalgar Square (and its big blue Fourth Plinth chicken) and St Paul's Cathedral, we returned to the Tower and then eventually to the hotel in Dagenham after an exhausting first day in London.

The following morning, we arrived back in central London to pick up just where we left off:

After disembarking at Fenchurch Street once more, we followed the Thames Path as far as the Millennium Bridge, which, to our relief, no longer wobbles as violently as it once did, though it's rather slippery when wet, to quote Bon Jovi.

We had a good look around Bankside, now home to the formidable former power station which houses the Tate Modern, and the replica of Shakespeare's Globe theatre. Unfortunately, the last tour of the day had just left as we arrived and we didn't manage to catch one later in the week, so that's on the list with the V&A for a future trip.

As we hadn't been able to see the inside of the Globe, we carried on along the Thames' south bank until we came to... Southbank. Of course.

Full of shops, cafés and street vendors, it was the most vibrant part of London we encountered on our trip (I have no doubt that there are other bustling, arty places, but the general tourist route probably doesn't include them). Particularly interesting was the selection of bookstalls set up beneath Waterloo Bridge, selling vintage books and magazines - even Rupert the Bear! 

But the main reason that we had trekked so far as Southbank was to visit the now-iconic London Eye. Luckily, we were able to get fast-track tickets to avoid the veeeery long queue which had formed below the wheel.

Going on the Eye actually wasn't at all scary, because you almost don't notice that the pods are moving - they're very smooth and slow, although the half-hour it took to get around seemed to go too quickly!

And thus ended our second day in London Town.

To be continued...

(: xx