July: Hitting the Streets

July: Hitting the Streets

28 July, 2008
by: Sherbet

All summer 'Best of...' features seem to start with a soliloquy on how fine the weather has been lately and how we should get out from behind our computers and head out. I am equally guilty. As your Leisure Guru, I want you get out there and pound the pavements, learning something in the process.

Summer isn't just about Pimms, strawberries 'n' cream, sun baking and washed-out festivals. There's an abundance of walking or cycling tours scattered around London offering the chance to explore this great city's streets, so often ignored by locals. How many times have we briskly strolled the South Bank without taking in the sights?

What I recommend is to do a reverse London walk. Meaning if you live near the west end, why not go explore the Shoreditch area and see how the other half of London lives and used to live? Or hop a train or tube and find yourself somewhere you've never been before. Even a seasoned Londoner who has lived here all their life still has yet to stop at every tube. Well, maybe all but the Tube Geeks.

For serious cinema buffs, there's no surpassing Hollywood biographer Sandra Shevey's take on the streets of London. Scoring notoriety from her interviews in the 70s with actors including Marilyn Monroe and Alfred Hitchcock, Sandra now passes on her intimate knowledge of London's weathered streets on a tour that combines locations, film buff facts and amusing anecdotes. Join up with either her early morning market strolls or her in-depth investigations of Alfred Hitchcock's filming locations. Walking shoes are a must: you'll cover ten neighbourhoods and 12 film locations.

Let's face it. London's history is long and dark, filled with war, battles and well, um, death. With that in mind it's hardly surprising there's so many haunted pubs and macabre landmarks. If famous murders, haunted burial grounds and execution sites are your cup of tea then join Fred Strangebone on his frightening Palaces of Death walking tour. Even HRH the Queen's footmen can't wash away her blood-soaked doorstep.

Fans of Dan Brown will love London Walk's tour revealing the truths, and flaws, behind the Da Vinci Code. Having personally undertaken the sister tour in Paris and enjoyed every step, it's well worth a look for anyone skeptical of the Masons and their powerful place in London's history. You might even learn the secret handshake.

As I mentioned, the South Bank is brimming with ocular delights. Don't risk spending all day strolling down the water's edge and getting home with grey or blurry photographic mementos. London Photo Tours keep walks to a maximum of five participants, ensuring you have quality one-on-one time with a professional photographer. Take the perfect image every time, and learn a lot about the Thames' history and the monuments lining it.

Undoubtedly THE archetypical villain, no walking tour through the alleyways of East London would be complete without the mention of Jack the Ripper. Still wrapped in huge debate over his identity, theories suggest he could have been a member of the royal family, renowned artist Walter Sickert or even those Masons again.

At the top of my list for the best iconic walking tours is the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes Walking Tour, taking you through the very real streets where the fictional character and his sidekick Dr Watson solved mysteries. Follow their adventures in Charing Cross to the Strand and arrive at a vivid re-creation of Sherlock Holmes' study. If you're a bit peckish at the end of the walk, I suggest the aptly named Sherlock Holmes pub next to Trafalgar Square.

Yes, yes, the Beatles were Liverpudlians but they did spent most of their recording time in London at the world-famous Abbey Road Studios. The tour will give you the chance to walk on the iconic Abbey Road crossing and see where the Beatles were inspired to write songs such as 'I Want To Hold Your Hand'.

For the athletic types I suggest the Central London Bicycle Tour. A tenner gets you a bike, helmet and three and a half hours of an experienced guide taking you through the busiest, and perhaps most beautiful, part of London. Running every day except Tuesday and Thursday until the end of September, there's no better way to escape London Transport and still see loads of the city.

Of course walking tours can seem a bit touristy with the main draw card being a historical icon or landmark of London. But this is what makes London so magnificent: over 2000 years of archeological, political and social significance is bound up all into one area of South-East Britain. The list of tours available in the summer months is huge.: Check out our selection, handpicked for you (And the rest of London.) here.

Keen for more? See more about:

London for Tourists
Jack the Ripper
London Events

Sherbet