Spies & Special Forces
Knightsbridge Underground Station – exit 2 (by Harvey Nichols department store)
Guided by Dan Parry
Walk Times
| Day | Walk Type | Start Time | End Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 September 2024 | Tour du Jour | 2.30 pm | 4.30 pm | Summer | Reserve Online |
| 19 October 2024 | Tour du Jour | 2.30 pm | 4.30 pm | Summer | Reserve Online |
| 9 November 2024 | Tour du Jour | 2.30 pm | 4.30 pm | Winter | Reserve Online |
Discover real-life James Bonds, with Dan Parry – “a world-class guide”
The glittering whirl of Knightsbridge conceals a shadowy world of modern-day assassins, spies, and special forces. From dead drops used by the KGB to the deadly SAS assault on the Iranian Embassy – via MI5 actions against the IRA and a daring rescue by MI6 – this unique walk is a spies tour with a twist.
Focusing on the sharp end of intelligence operations, we discover real-life James Bonds acting on guts, daring, and a wild stab in the dark.
Knightsbridge has long hosted the British intelligence community and their friends in special forces. Just a gunshot away from the nearby Russian embassy, this part of London is smart, fast, and conveniently crowded. But out of sight in its quiet back-streets are dead drops known to have been used by the KGB, the discreet apartments used by MI6 as a training school, and the home of diver Buster Crabb who vanished on a secret mission to investigate a Russian cruiser.
We encounter the hotel where MI6 met KGB officer Oleg Gordievsky – who they later rescued from Russia. Next door were the offices of the private military company run by the founder of the SAS.
We discover atom bomb spy Klaus Fuchs as he was being shadowed by MI5 watchers. We step into the world of secret agent Anna Wolkoff, we hear of the heroism of SOE’s Christine Granville – murdered in the area – and we meet Belgium’s Gabrielle Petit, who was shot at dawn in 1916 after spying for Britain.
A family-friendly stroll – guided by Dan Parry. A former BBC documentaries producer and author of D-Day (published by BBC Books), Dan also leads our ever popular London’s Spymasters tour.
David here, chiming in. Dan Parry comes trailing clouds of glory. He and his walks get rave reviews like sparks coming off a grindstone. No other ‘body of work’ attracts them the way Dan’s walks do.
Chantal Taylor –
This guided tour really stirs the imagination and brings to life the world of spies in London. Dan has a great wealth of knowledge and the tour was fascinating. Really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend.
Barry Emms –
I arranged for 4 of us seasoned ‘walking tourers’ to join Dan on his Spies & Special Forces walk in Knightsbridge today (10/8/24). Dan is an excellent guide and painted pictures and stirred the imagination with his words. He’s a great speaker and conducted the walk at a lovely pace. Highly recommended. We will be back for more!
Kevin –
An excellent walk. Dan is extremely knowledgeable and provides great insight into this secret world.
David Coppin –
Unquestionably very good stuff. And the basics were all there. I’m a little bit deaf but I could still hear virtually every word thanks to Dan speaking in a clear concise fashion. Nice to be reminded of incidents I’d long forgotten about or knew little or nothing about, and was especially pleased that Dan squeezed in a bit of wartime nuclear espionage with Klaus Fuchs misdeeds spilling the secrets of the British Tube Alloys Project. Poignant stuff at Harrods. I didnt say to Dan but I had a sort of girlfriend at the time who was working there as a 16 year old Saturday girl and the bomb going off was needless to say the worst day of her life with someone she knew having his leg blown off……one wonders what happened to people after being victims of the Provisional IRA.
Helen Weiss –
I really enjoyed this walk with Dan – an excellent guide full of interesting stories and a passion for the subject. Highly recommended
Mark Silinsky –
Absolutely loved the trip. You can’t go wrong with Dan.
Tom Cassidy –
Dan led an exciting and well-informed walk through a part of London that many people know on the surface, but don’t realise the fascinating history lurking behind the building facades. Dan really brought it alive for us and it was well-paced and extremely enjoyable.
Chris Compton –
One of the best London Walks I have done. Dan was thoroughly across the material and had a very good delivery style
Paul –
Dan is very knowledgeable, and tells a fantastic story as he takes you through some great locations in London. He clearly loves the subject and has a huge depth of knowledge, although it was told in a really accessible way. Tales were told at a great pace, clearly and with some occasional humour which we loved.
Would recommend highly to anyone interested in the secret sides to this mysterious world, and the finale of the tour at the Iranian embassy is easily the best telling of the event I have ever heard – a real highlight for us.
Sarah Barry –
We booked this tour, having previously been on another tour with Dan and we were not disappointed. Very interesting and informative tour and Dan was very good at setting the scene for each of his stories. We had a nice size group and had no trouble hearing what was being said. We were so lucky with the weather too which made for a really great couple of hours learning lots of fantastic history.