Exploring London
There
are so many ways to explore London, our favourite is to first get a good
overview by joining a bus or river tour. After that, you can't beat putting
on your best walking shoes and heading to a new neighbourhood. Here are some
links to companies who provide guided tours, as well as a variety of walks.
London on foot
Barnet has 5 Local Nature Reserves which have natural features of special
interest in the local area. They are free to visit at any time and are an
ideal environment for children to learn about local wildlife and nature.
Open spaces in Barnet
Hampstead, with its magnificent Heath and its delightful village streets,
has long been one of the most pleasant places to live and work, and is a
favourite destination for visitors and tourists alike. The Heath and Hampstead
society offer a number of guided walks.
Heath
and Hampstead society
In addition to Hampstead, the borough of Camden has much more to offer by
way of open spaces and places to explore.
Places
to explore in Camden
Canal walks organized by the London Canal Musuem take place during the summer
(until the end of September), but they do have an intriguing mobile phone
based self-guided walking tour - The Wapwalk (we haven't tried it). Email us
with your thoughts if you do try it.
Canal Walks
The Spitalfields area is the real London and what better way to see it
than with a unique mix of stand up comedy, social history and street theatre.
Created by East End resident and award winning writer Alan Gilbey, this unique
mix is his response to the morbid murder tours that wander the area almost
every day. And with galloping gentrification and the demolition of one end
of historic Spitalfields market there couldn't be a better time to see these
atmospheric side streets before they're swamped by branches of Starbucks!
Back passages
of Spitalfields
Until the mid 1960's, Canary Wharf was a cargo warehouse at the centre of
West India Docks at the heart of Docklands. With the exception of the buildings
at West India Quay all the original warehouses on the Isle of Dogs have been
removed. The Museum in Docklands is
an excellent place to visit and learn about the area. Download a self-guided
walk from the Canary Wharf website to explore the area.
Walks
around Canary Wharf
The borough of Islington is one of London’s most distinctive areas:
offering arts, crafts, entertainment, good eating and drinking, specialist
shops, markets and a rich and fascinating history. On the council's website
you can download 6 self-guided walking tours in the area.
Walks
in Islington
Diane Burstein, professional London Blue Badge and City of London Guide
and LBC 97.3FM Broadcaster is the person who will help you explore London
on a Guided London Walking Tour. More details on the website.
www.secretlondonwalks.co.uk
London Walks is the London walking tour company whose hallmarks are an astonishing
variety of routes, utter reliability, and - most important of all - superb
guides.
www.walks.com
Tour Guides have a number of guided walks that cover different themes as
varied as Jack the Ripper and Government and Democracy.
www.tourguides.co.uk
Walking Tours provide guided and self-guided tours that can be ordered directly
from their website.
www.walkingtoursinlondon.com
Sightseeing tour companies
Sometimes it's great to just sit back and let someone else decide
what to see and also do the driving and talking. The following websites
will let you choose your perfect sightseeing tour.
Big Bus Company Sightseeing Tours - Book Online NOW
River cruises
Often overlooked, one of our favourite ways to see London in a completely
differently way is to take to the river - Greenwich and Hampton Court are
just two of the many destinations.
