Another week, another trip down to the coast.  It almost seems blasphemous not to take full advantage of the hot, sunny weather we’ve been having so when a road trip was suggested to Lewes and Brighton there was absolutely no way I was going to turn it down.  This isn’t really much of a post, but more of a collection of photos of things that caught my eye was we wandered around.

We first hit Lewes, a historical town surrounded by rolling hills and filled with antique shops and blue plaques informing you of the history in the area all around you (not limited to, but including a pub which is thought of as the cradle of American independence). 

Heading to the top of the town, up a cobbled street we walked around the castle and past a bowling green which as been in place since 1640.

After stopping in at the tiny Lewes Arms for a small refreshment we headed over the hills and a series of winding country lanes into Brighton.

Wandering in a roundabout fashion we passed the famous Royal Pavillion, built by George Prince of Wales in 1787 in the Indo-Saracenic style and from there headed down to the beach and Pier where the sun was breaking through the clouds to hit the ocean perfectly, and the arcade was noisily buzzing and whirring.

I think everyone has a favourite outdoor spot in Central London and mine, without question, is Battersea Park.  Where else can you throw on  Let It Bleed by The Rolling Stones and stroll for a kilometre beside the Thames, before submerging yourself in the Victorian Cascades, Sub-Tropical Garden or heading to the lake for some boating?

Before it became a park  the area known as Battersea Fields was a popular spot for duelling (which is pretty badass), however in 1846 an act was passed to transform the area into a Royal Park.  Designed by James Pennethorne whose work also includes the ballroom at Buckingham Palace, Victoria Park and the West Wing of Somerset House, Battersea Park opened in 1858.

As it’s the most convenient direction from my flat, I like to approach on foot and walk through the Cascades past the boating lake and La Gondola Al Parco cafe which is housed in a dreamy single storey art deco building, currently painted a dashing Le Creuset orange, with a covered terrace and floor to ceiling windows.

From there I generally wander aimlessly and get lost among the leafy trails in the south east corner of the park crossing over wooden bridges, and occasionally stopping on one of the amazing Flintstones style rock formations which pop up unexpectedly around corners.  I’ve been known to unwittingly loop around several times before finding the right way out and heading over to the sub-tropical garden to admire the various leafy fronds planted there.

On the opposite side of the park, across a vast expanse of green upon which you can usually find people playing cricket, football or just picnicking lies three more of my favourite spots. We discovered the Old English Garden purely by chance wandering home from Chelsea one afternoon.  The garden is a small square walled area overflowing with hazy flowers and a beautiful wisteria walkway, looked after by the charity Thrive which uses gardening to support and empower people with disabilities.  Though it’s not huge, during the week it’s usually pretty empty and amazingly tranquil.

Just a short walk along are the Festival Pleasure Gardens, which were built in 1951 for the Festival of Britain.  A less densely planted area, the area has been recently restored and sports a pretty amazing fountain set-up.  From there I tend to head straight for the final amazing piece of the Battersea Park puzzle, the Peace Pagoda.  Built in 1985, it stands beside the Thames and is a symbol for peace and harmony throughout the world.  I couldn’t really imagine a better place to stop.
This only really briefly touches on what the Park has to offer and my favourite areas, there's far more including an art gallery, sports areas and a bandstand amongst other things.

Work out your way to Battersea Park with the aid of Google Maps here.
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You seemingly can’t swing a bag of beans without hitting an independent coffee shop in London these days, which is certainly a great thing considering the watery brown sludge the major high street chains serve.  The hardest part now is choosing exactly where to get your caffeine fix from and the choice then comes down to proximity, though I would certainly go out of my way to grab a coffee from the second oldest working Gaggia in London.

Located in a small railway arch on Voltaire Road, immediately to the right of the Clapham High Street Overground entrance, Doctor Espresso - Mama V’s serves up delicious hot (or if you ask nicely, iced) cups of java.  Beginning life as an espresso machine servicing workshop in 1987, owner Russel Kerr opened the first Doctor Espresso caffe in Putney with it's second outpost being today’s stop  - Mama V’s.

It doesn’t take much detective work to figure out that the aesthetic of a place is just as important to me as anything else and upon entering I wasn’t disappointed!  Entering under the beaming neon logo we were greeted by a gorgeous bar of wood and glass bricks flanked by two leafy green plants, and the aforementioned Gaggia shining proudly on the counter in the afternoon sunshine.  A recessed chrome frame sofa full of curves sits in the corner not occupied by the bar and a row of seating faces out of the glass windows looking onto the street, however being that it was a sunny day once we’d placed our orders (one soy latte and one iced black americano) we decided to retire to the outside seating area.

After a short wait grabbing some Vitamin D from the Easter sunlight, soundtracked by the growl of a blender, I was in proud possession of the best iced americano I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting.  A thick crema coated the top, whilst the drink itself had a lovely rich flavour with none of the biting acidity that’s so often the case with many iced espresso drinks.  I have it on firm authority that the Soy Latte was also absolutely delicious.  There was also a nice selection of pastries on offer, however they looked pretty resplendent in their dairy content so we didn’t partake, but if that’s your jam I think you’d be pretty satisfied.

Work out your route to Dr Espresso Mama V’s via the power of Google Maps here.

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