I am sure visiting Wimbledon is mentioned in every guide book, but I want to comment on my experience of visiting Wimbledon last year (2005) to show that you do not need money, nor a lot of time to enjoy one of the greatest tennis events on the planet.

Every year their are always stories in the newspapers at the ridiculous prices charged for strawberries and cream and a drink of Pimms, but don't let these stories have any influence on your decision, as a trip to Wimbledon can be as 'cheap as chips'!

I was working in London last year while Wimbledon was playing and decided to go along with my girlfriend, even though the earliest I could finish work was at 4:30pm. I managed to arrive at outside of Wimbledon at 5:15pm, and it took another 15 minutes to reach the end of the general admittance queue, which was over a mile long.

Morale was very low at this point as I thought it would be hours before we would actually enter into the grounds, but I couldn't believe how fast the queue moves, and we only had to queue for no more than 30 minutes before we were inside.

The cost for general admittance was £10. This allows you to see all tennis being played apart from Centre Court and Court Number 1. If you want to see tennis on these two courts, you can go to a special booth (signposted inside the ground) where you can buy tickets for as little as £5 from people who have left early. This money goes to charity.

People who are leaving also give away their tickets and my girlfriend and I were lucky enough to be given tickets to Court Number 1 as soon as we arrived managing to see the British 'sensation' Andy Murray power his way to a big upset.

There was also a women's double match on afterwards, which we watched for the entirety.

So for the sum of £10 and entering the grounds at 6pm (after queueing for 30 minutes), we got to watch tennis on Court Number 1 and the outside courts for almost 3 hours. Not bad for an evenings entertainment, seeing one of England's biggest sporting events.

The first week of Wimbledon is the best week for doing this, as during the 2nd week, less tennis is played on the outside courts meaning that you will get less tennis for your £10 entrance fee.

More information can be found on the website: http://www.wimbledon.org

Ticket Enquiries: +44 (0)20 8971 2473.

The nearest stations to Wimbledon are Wimbledon and Southfields, with shuttle buses going from each to the tennis.

What could be more typical of summer in London than a day at the tennis? Strawberries, Pimms, cucumber sandwiches, and a day of top-quality sport. Not to mention star spotting!

It's true that most of the best tickets are sold well in advance (you apply through a draw each December for the next year), but it it possible to enjoy a full day's tennis quite cheaply by buying a ground ticket, which means you can watch matches on all the outside courts (that is, everywhere except Centre Court, No.1 and No.2 courts).

You will have to get there early to queue, but there are lots of tickets available and half the fun is the queueing - there are often bands playing and there are sometimes goodies being given away (drinks, stickers, etc.).

Some of these courts have just one row of seats and you stand just behind if you don't get a seat; others are a little larger and have banks of seating on each side. Because the locker rooms are under Centre Court, the players have to walk round the ground to get to the outer courts, giving you a good opportunity to spot the stars.

You can wander from court to court, good if a match isn't very exciting, or arrive during a match and find a spot to watch from if the crowd noise sounds promising.

Refreshments are expensive - strawberries and cream, the traditional fare, is about 4 pounds, and you don't get many strawbs! There are several cafes and even a proper restaurant, but it's perfectly acceptable to bring your own food and drinks. If you want to splash out, though, the food is said to be good and there is often live music while you eat.

If people leave Centre Court early, they can return their ticket stubs to the box office, which are re-sold at half price and the money given to charity. This is a good way of getting onto Centre Court, as many corporate guests leave early, usually after lunch. We were naughty and simply asked people for their stubs, cutting out the middleman, but we did put a few quid in a collecting tin since we felt bad! This way we got to see Pete Sampras play in a great match, and the thrill of watching Centre Court tennis was immense.

(Be prepared to wait ages for a bus back to Wimbledon village in the evening - the queues are long!)