London in July

My first visit to London was during the long , hot summer of 1976. After a week's scouting at Gilwell Park in Epping Forrest, where the sun opened great , arm deep, cracks in the ground and flash fires swept across brittle fields with terrifying speed, we came "up London".

I smile at the innocence of it now but in the midst of a troubled period in the history of our two nations, a fresh faced bunch of twelve year old Irish boys (there being absolutely no suggestion at this time that girls would ever form part of our band of brothers) were let loose on London's streets in full uniform. Green shirts, navy trousers, polished shoes and belts, neckerchief, whistle and lanyards and the proudest possession of the Air Scout, the sky blue beret!

Sent forth in pairs, we were given strict instructions that under no circumstances were we to stray ..... beyond the Circle Line. That's right, not that the Circle Line was our only route, but that if we confined ourselves to within the territory defined by that line, stay in pairs and be sure to keep our uniforms neat, we would be safe from all harm. The funny thing is, we were.

My memories from those few days in London are of people's openness and the warmth of shopkeepers, newspaper vendors, policemen and passers by, and the recognition of our Irishness as a positive thing. The exception of course was when it came to money, and no amount of twelve year old economic erudition would persuade suspicious shop keepers that our "funny money" was worth the same as the Pound Sterling!

By accident this week, I found myself staying on the Cromwell Road, close to Baden Powell House. After decades of travel and thousands of nights spent in all manner of hotels, its difficult to capture the excitement we felt at staying in this grand establishment in the centre of London.

The absolute highlight was the chic sophistication of the bar, the Milk Bar, in the basement with a vending machine for ice cold milk and a jukebox which seemed to only play one song, Rhinestone Cowboy by Glen Campbell.

Different days.