Believe it or not, London is a walkable city; don’t be fooled by maps of the Underground that give the impression that the distances between many places are too far to travel on foot. On our recent trip there, husband and I decided that walking London would be the way to discover hidden gems.

We discovered that, with only one exception, the places we wanted to visit were easily reachable from our base in Kensington; walking to Buckingham Palace, the West End, Covent Garden, and even Battersea Power Station, took little more than an hour. As an added bonus, we saw Regency terraces, garden squares, and other nooks and crannies that would have been missed if we’d travelled by bus, car, or tube train.

First on our list was the Mughal exhibition at the V&A, which was only a fifteen minute walk from where we were staying. The craftsmanship on display was amazing, from jewelled daggers and intricately engraved drinking vessels to fine embroidery. It was easy to understand why the delicate muslins of India became so popular in Regency England.

A visit to Battersea Power Station was also on my list of things to do; taking just under an hour, the route from Kensington leads you through elegant streets and exclusive neighbourhoods, passing the The Royal Hospital, the home of the Chelsea Pensioners.

From there it is a short stroll across Chelsea Bridge towards the Power Station. It was interesting to see how this iconic building has been revitalised; if you’re into high-end fashion, it’s definitely the place to visit. Although it’s an impressive building, I would have liked to have seen more about the history and development of the site other than the few information displays hidden at the end of one the main halls.

Next, was a visit to the King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace to see the exhibition: The Edwardians: Age of Elegance. This focused on the reigns of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, and King George V and Queen Mary. A showcase of both couples’ interests and travels, the exhibition had many examples of Queen Alexandra’s photography (one of her passions) and Queen Mary’s journals illustrated with her artwork.

Edward and Alexandra were very much party people, who indulged themselves with a glamorous social life of dinner and garden parties, patronising the production of works of art and objets d’art. One of the items on display that took my eye was a fabulous blue enamelled Fabergé cigarette case, given to Edward VII by his mistress, Alice Keppel (who, incidentally, was the great grandmother of the current queen, Camilla).

Alexandra’s coronation dress was also on display; designed by a French couturier, it was made of gold silk overlaid with a layer of fine gold net. It must have been dazzling when she wore it for the Coronation ceremony. Sadly, much of the metal thread seems to have deteriorated with time, giving it a muted, grey appearance.

On the whole, this was an interesting exhibition, shedding a light on the aristocracy of the early twentieth century, and following the Royal family’s trajectory from a life of hedonism to a life of duty.

A visit to London isn’t complete without a trip to the theatre; luckily, we were able to get tickets to the Lion King. The sets and costumes were amazing. Photography was not allowed during the performance, so I took this shot of the auditorium before the show started.

A visit to Tate Britain was another highlight; it is free to enter and is home to the largest collection of paintings by JMW Turner. A walk through the Turner galleries show how this talented Regency artist’s work developed over time, with his masterful depictions of both clouds and sea.

Our final full day in London started with a (rather expensive) taxi ride to Southwark – a necessity, as we had booked a tour of Borough Market and it was too far to walk and get there in time.

Arriving early, we made a brief foray into Southwark Cathedral; although a site of Christian worship since Saxon times, it was only given cathedral status in 1905. Several unusual monuments took my eye and I also met the Hodge, the cathedral cat (sorry, no photo of Hodge).

Our foodie tour of Borough Market was a resounding success. Organised by Celia Brooks, a food writer originally from the US who now resides in London; passionate about good food, Celia’s enthusiasm for excellent ingredients was infectious. You can discover more about Celia here.

As the only licensed tour guide of Borough Market, Celia showed us many of the wonderful items available there, from oysters, scallops, chocolate, cured meats, cider, cheese, and even apple crumble. Needless to say, we enjoyed tasting samples of all of these. If you’re interested in food, this is a tour I would heartily recommend.

So that was it for our five day stay in the Capital. On previous visits we’ve seen all the usual tourist hotspots, so I hope these less well-known places spark your interest. I’ve still got lots of places I want to visit in London, and I’m looking forward to my next trip. If you’ve got any suggestions, please let me know.