Short read: Old London – Secret Places & Hidden History
Short listen: Here’s Russell’s podcast about this walk
Long read: Secret Places! Hidden History! Flash! Bang! Lightning! City of London Highlights Tour! Star Power guides. What’s not to like? Grand Tour. Stunning overview. St. Paul’s to the Tower of London. Can’t do better than that for a jumping off point and a final destination. But – whisper it – the getting there is the real fun, because along the way we explore twisty little alleyways and piquant nooks and crannies and a secret stretch of shoreline. Seeing this London is like hearing music you never would have known to listen for. N.B. the walk ends at the Tower of London, right next to Tower Hill Tube.
OLD LONDON – THE PRACTICALS
The Old London Walk takes place at 2.15 pm every* Wednesday. The meeting point is just outside exit 2 of St. Paul’s Tube. The walk is guided by Fiona, Russell or Simon W. N.B. the walk ends near the Tower of London and Tower Hill Tube. *Except Dec. 25
LONDON WALKS REVIEWS
“If you want to know London better, if you want to learn some things about the world’s most cosmopolitan city that most people who spend their lives there never learn… I can think of no better investment than London Walks” The New York Times
“London’s best walking tours” Travel & Leisure
“Even jaded Londoners find these London Walks a source of astonishing gems of information about the city in which they live.” Daily Mail, Top London Treats
LONDON WALKS PRIVATE WALKS
If you can’t make the regularly scheduled, just-turn-up, public Old London walk do think about booking one as a private tour. If you go private you can have Old London – or any other London Walk – on a day and at a time that suits your convenience. We’ll tailor it to your requirements. And – always – we go to great lengths to make sure the guide-walker(s) “fit” is well-nigh perfect. Ring Fiona or Noel or Mary on 020 7624 3978 or email us at [email protected] and we’ll set it up and make it happen for you. A private London Walk is good value for an individual or couple and sensational value for a group. And the clincher: a private London Walk makes an ideal group or educational or birthday party or office (team-building) or club outing.
GIVE THE GIFT OF LONDON WALKS
A private London Walk makes a very special, indeed, unique gift – be it a birthday or anniversary or Christmas present or whatever. Merchandise schmerchandise (gift wrapped or not) – but giving someone an experience, now that’s special. Memories make us rich.
Magda –
Ann gave us a unique experience of London ambiance and showed to us historic places in a modern framework. Thank you Ann I will repeat this walk.
Al Merati –
Laura was a superb guide. As good as I have seen in years of travel all over. The walk is an ideal match of place and feel – fundamental themes and fun trivia.
Kellie Conn –
Simon + The Old City = Fabulous Tour. A great balance of walking and stopping for terrific stories and out-of-the-way points of interest that I would not have found on my own. Simon himself made the tour even better with his content expertise, engaging personality and wit. I would take any tour Simon was leading. He is very knowledgeable and an excellent storyteller that kept the entire group involved and feeling welcomed. Questions – all questions — were encouraged and addressed with interest and respect. I could tell he had tailored the tour to the group’s interests as discussion ensued – and did a marvelous job of it. I took this tour on the day I arrived in London and it kept me highly interested (and awake!) as I adjusted to the time zone. This is the kind and quality of tour I look to London Walks for as long-time pioneers of the walking tour business.
Mike and Lindy –
Simon was our guide last week, and he is quite simply the best guide we could have hoped for. This was our third walk of the week, and his talents as an educator, actor, and storyteller were phenomenal. If we had another week in London we would have sought out his every walk. Our knowledge and appreciation of London grew exponentially over the course of two hours, and the price was an absolute bargain (in our opinion!). We extend our gratitude to Simon for allowing us to feel, really feel, the history that is Old London.
Vicky Gamble –
Fiona was a really good guide. Knowledgeable, interesting and engaging. Saw parts of mind I’d never go to, and learnt loads about the City and how it functions. Also really goood to run into a previous Lord Mayor, who explained his role. Really enjoyed the walk.
Sarah Allard –
I’ve done several London Walks tours over the years, and it is always a delight. I moved to York from Canada over a decade ago, and whenever I am in London and have family visiting, we choose a walk to go on. Last Wednesday (23rd Nov), my Mom and I went on the Old London tour with our guide, Fiona. She was outstanding and it is clear that her knowledge is unrivalled. Her explanations, tidbits of info and enthusiasm for her beloved city are clear. An excellent couple of hours spent exploring the City, the area around St Paul’s Cathedral and everything in between. Highly recommended.
Linda Watts –
Thank you .. London Walks .. we had the best afternoon..with Ann .. she opened up a whole new world for myself my husband and our 12 year old granddaughter.. she loved and on our way home asked questions which we had to Google … looking forward to our next one . Thinking of doing the food one in December
Ed Norton –
The Old London tour presented by Fiona was outstanding. Her knowledge of ancient London history was impressive. This walking tour was very interesting and engaging. A great way to start your visit in London. I highly recommend spending your time and a small amount of your money with Fiona, joining her for this tour.
Leslie Taylor –
Outstanding tour led by Fiona – informative and fun. We learned about the history of St. Paul’s Cathedral, and of other churches, bridges, etc. Fiona took our group to see objects of interest that we never would have noticed on our own. It was a wonderful historical introduction to London. Thank you, Fiona!
Lesley Stansfield –
Laura took us on a voyage of discovery through some lovely streets. Found a gem of a viewpoint in Cheapside and learnt so much. City of London – a country within a country! Laura’s knowledge, and skill at conveying that knowledge, was fascinating. Will definitely do more walks around London!
Jim O’Sullivan –
Did the 2 hour Old London tour with Simon. Excellent, very informative, the time flew by! Simon was very personable, engaging and loaded with interesting information about the square mile. Highlight was standing on top of New Change lokking across at St Paul’s and the London skyline! Would definitely recommend.
Adrian –
Simon guided us today – absolutely brilliant! The whole walk was stuffed with great stories, information and anecdotes. Simon was exemplary- very engaging, willing to answer any questions (about anything) and clearly an expert. A fabulous 2 hours – if you’re in doubt, don’t hesitate!
John & Jane Gosnell –
Despite the slight drizzle and grey skies Simon brought Old London to life for us on Wednesday afternoon. He led us for just over 2 hours and managed to paint a vivid picture of Old London with his clear diction and strong but cheery voice. We have had quite a few guides over the years and Simon was up there with the best. Not only was it a very informative and interesting afternoon, but Simon made me proud to be British as he represented London and our country so well to our visitors from afar.
James Fraser –
What a joyous couple of hours spent wandering around the city learning about the slightly hidden past history from roman times to the present day. Simon Whitehouse was our extremely knowledgeable and entertaining guide who brought the history, buildings and streets to life. Our family then tested each other over dinner about what we had learned and had another enjoyable hour. I have passed the areas for many years, but will now look at them with much more knowledge and understanding. Well done Simon and thank you. We look forward to many more walks in the near future. James, Cheryl and Jude (6.5 stars from Jude)
Sue Nice –
Very interesting and informative walk with Fiona. We visited places that we didn’t know existed, learnt lots of fascinating history and had a very enjoyable walk.
Miranda Chalk –
What an absolutely fascinating couple of hours. Simon is a terrific guide, skilfully delivering a well-judged amount of information that leaves you feeling that at last you know a little of all the layers that make up the history of the City. And keen to find out more.
We loved what he told us about the ancient (and modern!) parts of the City we visited, adding a very useful explanation of how the City is run.
Thanks Simon – I will be signing up for more walks.