Kew Gardens Orchids Festival offers a much-needed blast of flamboyant colour to drab February days. Bringing the warmth of Africa to our shores this year, the Prince of Wales Conservatory is once again the host for this year’s floral extravaganza. Feeling in desperate need of some colour and warmth, I took a Friday off work to escape to another world.
Bentley Priory Museum is undoubtedly one of greater London’s hidden gems. Located near Bentley Priory nature reserve, this grade II* listed mansion was the Headquarters for Fighter Command during World War 11. Acting as an intelligence filter on incoming air raids, RAF Bentley Priory helped us win the Battle of Britain and maintain the free world. Intrigued, I took an afternoon off to find out more.
In need of some inspiration to revitalise my Office Breaks, an invitation to the GO travel show at Kempton Park caught my eye. Hosted by Landor Travel Publications, the show promised more than 100 leading attractions from Shakespeare’s Globe to the Bombay Sapphire Distillery. Offering the added bonus of a trip to RHS Garden Wisley, I needed no further persuasion to sign up.
Deep in the heart of the New Forest lies a village dedicated to witchcraft. Cottages emblazoned with stealthy ladies on broomsticks brim over with crystals and spell books in the manner of Glastonbury village. But for all its witchery, there’s no denying it’s a village that leaves you spellbound. Fascinated by the folklore, I delved a little deeper into the bubbling cauldron of witchcraft in Burley.
witch emblem on shop front in Burley, New Forest
In the frantic rush of City life, finding peace and solitude seems as likely as finding hen’s teeth on the Central Line. From the scream of ambulances to the drone of overhead planes, there’s no escape from a constant barrage of noise. Desperately seeking peace and solitude, I decided it was time to take refuge at the Amaravati Buddhist Monastery for some well-deserved rest and recuperation.
buddha display at amaravati buddhist monastery
As a lover of the outdoors, I sometimes resent having to spend my leisure time indoors to visit art galleries and exhibitions. And this is particularly the case when cooped up in the office all week during our short summer months. But what if the art world could be teleported outside? This is the premise of the Sculpture Park in Churt, near Farnham, which boasts more than 600 sculptures in ten acres of enchanting gardens.
large wooden tryannosauras sculpture at Churt Sculpture Park
A startling one in four Brits will experience a mental health problem in their lifetime. With workplace stress viewed as a major cause of mental health issues, a range of well being initiatives from healthy eating to exercise programmes are now the order of the day in most offices. But how have treatments changed in recent times? I went along to the Bethlem Museum of the Mind to find out.
Bethlem Museum of the Mind exhibition room
October Plenty is an autumn harvest festival which is held each October in Southwark. A colourful procession of medieval pageantry weaves its way through the ancient cobbled streets of the Thames walkway to Borough market. Led by the formidable Green Man, the procession is a joyful celebration of the passing seasons and the abundance of the harvest.
The October Plenty Autumn Harvest Festival
With bikes now constituting up to half of all road journeys on some central London routes, cycling is taking the capital by storm. And with bike racks now as customary as breakout space, there’s never been a better time to get on your bike. Keen to get a piece of the two-wheel action, I headed down to the City to catch a peek at London Nocturne.
cyclists competing at London Nocturne
Living in a city that’s home to 270 nationalities, I’m constantly amazed by the different cultures that surround me daily. And with such a range of faith festivals, there’s ample opportunity to learn more about those I regularly rub shoulders with on my daily commute. Intrigued by the brightly coloured turbans that grace our city, I decided to spend an afternoon immersed in Sikh traditions at the Vaisakhi Festival at City Hall.
A costumed Sikh man at the Vaisakhi festival in London