The England - London - The Big Smoke - Mini Venture

Day 1 - British Museum

Massive museum displaying artefacts from around the world. Many historical, significant items on show. 

The areas include: Africa, Americas, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Rome, Asia, Europe and Middle East. There are also arrangements of certain Themes such as: Enlightenment, Collecting The World, Living and Dying, Clocks and Watches, Money and Prints and Drawings. 

The Great Court at the centre of the museum is a breath-taking piece of architecture. 

Remember to pay a visit to the magnificent Reading Room at the centre of the Great Court. 

It would be easy to spend the whole day at the museum (half a day is the minimum).

Day 1 - London 40 Year Pub Crawl

A tour of a selection of London pubs between Fleet Street and London Bridge. Tremendous views of the City from the south bank of the River Thames. Drop in at the Tate Modern Gallery, The Globe, Borough Market or The Shard on the way. Unique and historic pubs included such as The George Inn, The Anchor, Old Bell Tavern and The Blackfriar.

Day 2 - Globe Theatre

A convincing replica of Shakespeare’s original Globe Theatre authentically constructed in wood and even a thatched roof. It is a working theatre. 

An informative and well presented guided tour of the theatre takes about an hour. The tour includes a walk around the main auditorium from the ‘penny stinkers’ standing area to each of the 3 tiers of seating areas. Also included is a demonstration of the printing press used to print the plays in the 16th-17th centuries and also a first folio edition of 18 of Shakespeare’s plays. 

There is a café and gift shop. 

Day 2 - Golden Hinde

A replica of Sir Francis Drake’s ship the Golden Hinde, that sailed around the world between 1577 and 1580. Although the replica ship has been  in dry dock since 1996, she had previously  sailed 140,000 miles including a circumnavigation of the globe. 

Although the ship is only small (25 metres long), there’s plenty to see on board with a selection of display cabinets showing the equipment and armoury that Drake’s crew used on their round the world voyage. Particularly grim were the tools used by the barber surgeon. The ceiling on the gun deck wasn’t very high and so be prepared to crouch low or even crawl if you visit that particular deck. The ship is quite enlightening as to the hardship faced and endurance required of the 80 crew members. 

Day 2 - Tate Modern Gallery

A massive art gallery with a vast number of modern art works on display. A large number of spacious galleries used to exhibit the art. Many famous works are on show. 

Housed in a converted former power station positioned on the south bank of the Thames, opposite St Pauls. Easily accessible from Blackfriar’s Tube and across the Millenium Bridge. Wonderful views of St Pauls, The City and The Shard from the Level ‘6’ café/restaurant. 

Day 2 - Saunter London's Southbank

A short walk along the south bank of the River Thames between Blackfriars and Southwark. Use it to drop in for visits to the Tate Modern Gallery, Globe Theatre, Golden Hinde, Borough Market and St Pauls Cathedral. There are plenty of pubs for fuel stops too. Enjoy the best view in London from the south bank of the River Thames to St Pauls and the City. Wobble your way across the Millennium Bridge. 

Day 3 - The Shard

A short walk along the south bank of the River Thames between Blackfriars and Southwark. Use it to drop in for visits to the Tate Modern Gallery, Globe Theatre, Golden Hinde, Borough Market and St Pauls Cathedral. There are plenty of pubs for fuel stops too. Enjoy the best view in London from the south bank of the River Thames to St Pauls and the City. Wobble your way across the Millennium Bridge. 

Day 3 - Tower Bridge

The famous London’s Tower Bridge with its drawbridge lifting mechanism. 

Skywalk 44m above the River Thames and watch people, buses and boats pass beneath your feet through the glass floor. Enjoy wonderful views up and down the river including HMS Belfast, The City and the Shard. Find out how the bridge was built and stories around its construction and working life with the imaginative information displays. Visit the Victorian engine room and find out how they used coal and steam power to lift the bridge. 

Day 3 - A London High

A spectacular walk that incorporates some of the highest towers of London in the route. Take the opportunity to visit the public viewing gallery in the Shard or bravely walk across the glass floor in the high walkways of Tower Bridge. Find tranquility in the gardens of St Dunstan In The East. Contrast the old and new architectures in the City. Watch London’s lights switch on as you sip a pint at the riverside Founder’s Arms.  

Day 4 - Churchill War Rooms

The underground War Rooms that were the planning and communications hub for Britain during the Second World War. 

Tour the rooms that were used by Churchill and his commanders. 

Visit the excellent Churchill Museum that describes the man’s life from cradle to grave. 

There are many interesting artefacts on display and it is enlightening as to how Britain managed the war. 

Day 4 - Natural History Museum

A huge museum which has a display of tens (probably hundreds) of thousands of items in subject areas including: Dinosaurs, Fishes, Amphibians and Reptiles, Mammals, Marine Invertebrates, Birds, Insects, Trees, Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Minerals. Basically anything that forms our natural world. Some of the halls are themed, e.g. Human Environmental Impact. There’s even a gallery for Natural World Art. 

The museum is hosted in an architecturally astounding building. Look out for statues of animals, both inside and outside the building. 

Understandably, the museum is very popular. It may be preferable to visit on a weekday when it is less busy. Plan to spend at least half a day visiting the different halls, although you could quite easily spend the whole day. 

Day 4 - London's River, Parliament And Parks

A walk between Blackfriars and the Natural History Museum in South Kensington. Starts and finishes with picturesque walking along the River Thames. Warm your hands from all the hot air coming out of the Houses of Parliament. Pleasant walking through St James’s Park to Buckingham Palace. See how the other 1% live in Belgravia and Kensington. Visit the superb Churchill War Rooms and Natural History Museum.

Day 5 - Horizon 22

Take a trip to the highest viewing platform in the UK, Horizon 22. At 254m you have an incredible view over the city of London. The tower is in the centre of the City and so has amazing views looking down on all the other high towers in the area. See as far as Canary Wharf and beyond. Take a bird's eye view on the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Tate Modern and St Pauls. Enjoy coffee and cake at the viewing gallery café. Horizon 22 is an experience not to be missed. And it's free too. 

Day 5 - The Monument

Visit Pudding Lane where the Great Fire of London started in 1666. Nearby is The Monument that was designed and built by Robert Hooke and Sir Christopher Wren to commemorate the fire. The Monument is an impressive 61.6m column with a gilded urn on the top. Climb the 311 steps of its internal spiral staircase to a viewing platform near the top and experience the elements and exposure as you take a tour of the platform. Note that it has a metal barrier and cage around it and so is perfectly safe. There are dramatic views of the towers in the City and wonderful views in both directions along the Thames and over towards St Pauls Cathedral. 

Day 5 - St Paul's Cathedral

VTake a wander around Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece. Admire the wonderful architecture, mosaics and carvings. Marvel at its domes…all three of them. For the energetic, climb up to the Whispering Gallery for dramatic views down onto the floor of the Cathedral. Climb higher to the Stone Gallery for superb views across London. For those with energy left, climb to the Golden Gallery, the highest point on the dome. I recommend that you take the ‘free’ guided tour (there are short and long versions). The long tour visits the amazing Dean’s (Geometric) Staircase. Pay homage to Wren, Nelson, Wellington, Parry and Turner in the Crypt. Visit the informative museum. 

Day 5 - A London High 2

A walk that links 3 London venues that offer amazing views from a great height. These are Horizon 22 (254m), The Monument (61.6m) and the top of the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral (85m). It also provides an opportunity to walk amongst the tower blocks of the City and admire their size and beauty. The route also calls in on the sculptures of Forgotten Streams, a nod to London’s forgotten rivers and also takes a short trip along the historic Watling Street.

Day 6 - Science Museum

A large museum hosting thousands of important exhibits, some of them iconic such as Puffing Billy, the world’s first steam locomotive and the Apollo 10 Command Module. 

There’s a diverse range of items based on pure and applied science in areas that include: Energy, Making The Modern World, Medicine, Astronomy, Mathematics, Information Age, Energy Generation and Flight. 

The museum is free, but there are paid exhibitions too such as Power Up (50 years of computer games) and Wonderlab (interactive lab for 7-14 year olds). There is also an Imax cinema. 

Day 6 - Walking The Science Way

An interesting walk that includes the streets and parks between Blackfriars and Kensington. Passes many interesting places along the way. Drop in on the last of Eleanor’s crosses at Charing Cross. Tour the lions and fountains around Nelson’s column. Pay homage to the moving memorial to the Artillery soldiers of the First World War. Enjoy a stroll along the Serpentine, before paying a visit to the Albert Memorial and his Hall.