Many of the London hop-on-hop-off buses throw in a free river cruise – often to Greenwich,with the ticket. And even if you are not doing that, a visit to Greenwich can make a good day out.

The Beetle’s favourite way of getting there is to go on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) to Island Gardens and to walk through the foot tunnel to Greenwich. There are some fab views, particularly in Winter, looking south, across the river.

Once in Greenwich, there’s quite a bit to do: visit the Royal Observatory, the Cutty Sark and the National Maritime Museum – and it’s free!

The museum building itself is quite interesting: it used to be an asylum building (i.e. what was referred to as a mad house) and then it was a hospital school.

What’s there to see? In the museum, you will find a collection of all things relating to the history of Britain at sea. But this has been updated to include the dangers of sea pollution and ecology, as well as Nelson’s seafaring antics.

The collection dates back to 1823 when a National Gallery of Naval Art was established, featuring some 300 portraits, paintings and artefacts.

The National Maritime Museum opens daily 10:00-17:00 Sun-Mon. Closed 24-26 Dec 2002. Train: Greenwich Train Station. Enquiries: 020 8858 4422 Entrance: FREE.