Walking London, Updated Edition: Thirty Original Walks In and Around London (IMM Lifestyle Books) Routes from 2 to 6 Miles with Photos, Complete Maps, & Details of Sites, Public Transport, Pubs & More

Product Information

And if you’re on the other side of the river, well make a beeline to the best outdoor book market in London. The one on the riverside, right by the National Theatre. You can’t miss it. Tables of books – heaven! – spread out directly underneath Waterloo Bridge (so it’s an outdoor market that’s weather proof!) on the southbank. Ask for Richard, London’s friendliest second hand book dealer. He’ll rustle up a leaflet for you. And pass the time of day with you very agreeably – talk books and prints and London generally.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this guide to the best London walking books and that it’s inspired you to head out and discover more of the city. Whatever your interests, I’m sure you’ll have fun exploring. The walk covers everything from green spaces to abandoned railway lines, towpaths, and nature reserves as it takes you around the UK capital. The self-guided London walks in this book will take you around to see monuments dedicated to monarchs, military greats, politicians, local heroes, artists, writers, and other notable people. It’s a great one if you like history and art. You’ll walk by London Bridge, the Clink Prison Museum, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the Rose Theatre, the Queen Square Park and Garden, and Southwark Cathedral.

7. London's Hidden Rivers, David Fathers

From famous areas like Notting Hill and the City of London to green spaces like Regent’s Park and local areas like Islington and Dulwich, it has a lot of walks you can enjoy in both known and lesser-known parts of London. Next on my list of the best London walking books is 33 Walks in London That You Shouldn’t Miss. This book features unusual places and under-the-radar areas of London, so it’s ideal if you like getting away from the busy parts of the city. So far so “normal”. But here’s what sets London Walks apart. Mary and I own it – just as Ian owned it before us and Keith before Ian – but it’s essentially run as a guides’ cooperative. I.E., on a share the proceeds basis: a larger slice to the guide, a smaller one to London Walks. What’s more, it’s all done on a “trust and honour” basis. It works as well as it does because of the way we’re structured. We’re all pulling together. That’s something quite extraordinary – something very special – in this day and age. And the bottom line – and I’m using the term with full resonance intended – is that the way we’re structured is the reason we’re able to attract and keep the best guides in London. Next on my list of London walking books is The Capital Ring. As the name implies, this book covers the famous 78-mile (125-kilometer) circular route around inner London.

How long are the virtual tours? An online tour lasts about an hour. It’s interactive, there’s a Q&A session at the end, more often than not, some socialising as people from all over the world gather around the ‘online fireplace’ to experience the great stories of London. Need more help? Who are we?From towpaths to off-road routes and riverbanks, Walking London’s Waterways will show you the best of the city’s waterfront areas and introduce you to aquatic areas you never knew were here. That’s from the Introduction. But the image is also right because he’s lighting the gas lamps on the Embankment, along the Thames. And the Thames and London – river and its city – their thousands of years of shared history – is, how could it be otherwise? – the silver stream that merrily merrily we row along in the book’s great opening chapter.

September 2012 update: it’s plural now! Our Book should be Our Books. And that’s by way of introducing Out of London Walks: Great escapes by Britain’s best walking tour company. A London Walk, though, is a different cup of tea. There are lots of Brits going on them. And, hey – they’re friendly! And chatty! And helpful! The whole nine yards – though they might not put it that way.London’s Village Walks is a great London walking book if you like exploring the UK capital’s many urban villages. Legal London walking tours guided by a barrister. Medical London tours guided by a public health physician. Spies of Hampstead tours guided by the former Editor and CEO of Independent Television News and author of Guy Burgess The Spy Who Knew Everybody. London Building Stones tours guided by a professional geologist. And look, just to drive the point home: you should be going to the Cafe in the Crypt for a whole lot of other reasons in addition to its “carrying” London Walks leaflets. Reasons that are best summed up in its having been awarded the Palm d’Or in its “sector”. Yup, the Cafe in the Crypt, winner of Les Routiers London Cafe of the Year Award. And, hey, it’s not as though going to Trafalgar Square is in the least inconvenient, a detour. T-Square is, after all, the great crossroads of London, the very centre of the jampot! London Walks is the premier urban walking tour company in the U.K. and the entire world. We’re a highly-rated family-owned business with over 50 years of experience. We’ve been crafting over 100 walks each week and now deliver over 200 online walks as well – all guided by award-winning guides and professional experts. What can you see on a London Walk? The walks will not only show you great local areas of London, but also pubs and restaurants you can enjoy along the way. It’s just the thing if you love discovering the unexpected corners of the city and getting a glimpse of local life.