It’s that time of year again – every Saturday in July and August, the tower of Chipping Barnet’s St John the Baptist Church is open to visitors. And it’s well worth the climb! Between 10.30 and 1.30pm, weather permitting, you can follow the narrow spiral staircase to the ringing chamber, past the bells and up to the tower top, where the views are marvellous. On a clear day, you can see for many miles across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey, Kent and Essex. Visible landmarks include the bridge over the Thames at Dartford, Crystal Palace, the tower of the abbey at St Albans, and Ivinghoe Beacon on Dunstable Downs.

You can see the towers of Canary Wharf and the City, the Millennium Dome (or O2 Arena), the top of the London Eye, the PO tower, Alexandra Palace and the arch at Wembley Stadium.

A small fee is payable (£2 for adults and £1 for age concessions) and children must be accompanied (no children under 6 years). Afterwards there are refreshments available in the church, where a series of free musical events take place at 11am each Saturday.