Travelling by Mainline Railways.

Let's suppose you want to visit Bath, Windsor or Hampton Court. Or perhaps you'd like to see York, or Durham? Edinburgh or Liverpool? Why confine yourself to London or rent a car, when Britain's trains are there to take the strain?

They may not be the most modern in Europe, with the exception of the magnificent, fast and comfortable Eurostar from London to Paris, Brussels, Lille and the continental rail network - but standards are improving all the time. All of the suburban trains have been replaced with new rolling stock, and travelling in the South East is now a reliable, clean and comfortable experience. Plus you can use your Oyster or travelcard right out to Zone 6.

Further afield, you will have to take a mainline train - but as I show on this 'walk' it's not hard. Today we take the high speed train to Reading, where we can see this redbrick town 38 miles West of London with its association with Oscar Wilde. On the way, we pass the connection from Slough to Windsor, and the destination of our service is Bath Spa and Bristol.

The journey starts at Paddington Station with its magnificent roof built by the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806 - 1859) The bicententenary of his birth occurred in April 2006. His Great Western Railway is a wonder of engineering, and Paddington is a good place to start. We gasp at the sheer scale of the station as we emerge from the Dictrict & Circle Line, or Bakerloo (all Zone 1)

I then take you through how to buy a ticket - you can wait in a queue with me and hear as I make my purchase from the clerk. Then we find our train, and travel to Reading. After a short pause we return to London again.

The same process applies to all mainline railway journeys:

Check your train times and fares with the Network Rail Journey Planner Then travel to the appropriate mainline station and buy your ticket from an automatic machine or the Ticket Office. There are different tickets for some train companies like the Gatwick and Heathrow Expresses, and a variety of fares, so check with the Journet Planner for the cheapest fare. See my Getting to and from London's Airports podcast for the airport trains.

Air fares in Europe and especially the UK are often more affordable for longer journeys, so if you plan to visit Glasgow or Edinburh, check with the budget airlines before deciding to take the train. Most of all, enjoy the rich heritage and variety of the United Kingdom during your visit!

A walk from The Monument via Old Jewry and the City Livery Companies back via the Bank of England to St Paul's Cathedral.

This is Part 2 of a circular walk from St Paul's Underground (Zone 1 - Central Line)

We start at Monument on the Circle and District Lines Zone 1 but you can also start at Bank (Central Line Zone 1) and walk down King William Street or use the underground subway and escalators.

Our walk takes us from Monument, near the spot where the Great Fire of London broke out in 1666. You can climb the Monument for panoramic views of London. Not as high as the Eye, but heavy on history. The Great Fire destroyed so much of our heritage and this column topped by a basket of golden flames was erected in sad memory of the event.

We continue past St Mary at Hill church, and under Fenchurch Street mainline station. The remainder of the walk takes us in and out of tiny alley ways. We see the site of London's first synagogue. We visit Bevis Marks, London's oldest synagogue and home of the Spanish and Portuguese congregations.

After that, we see many of the old City Livery companies. This is truly 'Secret London' - hard to find, but with my help you will see parts of the City no one else will find. The Leathersellers Hall. The Drapers Hall. The Carpenters Hall. The Grocers Hall. The Mercers Hall. Finally The Saddlers Hall. Parts of the walk traverse land owned by the Grocers and Drapers, but we are permitted by ancient right to walk past their ornamental gates.

A fascinating insight into the City of London! Don't miss it. You can take either of these walks without doing both, or complete a circular walk from Monument to Monument or St Paul's to St Paul's.

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Part 1 of a walk from St Paul's through the City of London to Monument.

Part 2 will return via Old Jewry and the City Livery Companies back via the Bank of England to St Paul's Cathedral.

We start at St Paul's Underground on the Central Line Zone 1. Our walk takes us down Cheapside to the church of St Mary-le-Bow (pictured). Those born within the sound of Bow bells are the true Cockneys. Next we pass between the church of St Stephen Walbrook and the Mansion House. Both these two churches provide a rich soundscape as we enter.

In Bow church we hear a French Horn with Piano preparing for a concert. In St Stephen's we hear the organ.

From this point, we enter secret London. Without this guide you would be most likely to get hopelessly lost in the narrow alleys and passages which criss cross this part of the financial district. The next two churches are St Mary Abchurch and St Clement's.

Our walk finishes at The Monument, near the site of the outbreak of the Great Fire of London which destroyed so much of our heritage in 1666. Monument Underground is on the District & Circle Lines but is joined to Bank and the DLR. From here, you can continue the walk back to St Paul's which will be published in a few days time on londonwalks.libsyn.com

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