It’s an article of faith with us that the quality of a walking tour can never exceed the quality of its ingredients. The most important “ingredient” is of course the guide. The guide for the annual London Walks Christmas in the Capital Virtual Tour is the breathtakingly gifted Simon Whitehouse. Simon doesn’t just inform – he entertains. Hugely so. He has, like Noel Coward, “a talent to amuse.” As this extract from this year’s tour makes spectacularly clear. Yes, you’re in for a treat. For the record, this year’s – the 2021 – Christmas in the Capital Virtual Tour was aired last night (December 22nd) and it only takes place once a year – so you’ll have to wait for Christmas 2022 for Simon’s next time round with this one. Well, it won’t be the same one – it never is with a guide this gifted and creative. But he is of course available – when he’s not booked, and understandably he gets booked a lot, he’s usually booked months in advance with just the occasional “window” – for private tours now (late December 2021) and going forward. As well as the public tours and virtual tours that he leads.
Going back to my first sentence, this is why – whether you’re a walker or London Walks – you don’t cut corners on the all-important question of getting a great guide. A tour is only as good as its guide. You can can get a schlubber for a London walking tour for a little bit less than it costs to get Simon, but it’s a false economy.
Nuff said?