"The Lambeth Walk" is a song from the 1937 musical Me and My Girl (with book and lyrics by Douglas Furber and L. Arthur Rose and music by Noel Gay). The cockney lyrics are simple:

Any time you're Lambeth Way
Any evening, any day
You'll find us all
Doing the Lambeth Walk. Oi!

Every little Lambeth pal
With her little Lambeth pal
You'll find 'em all
Doing the Lambeth Walk. Oi!

Lambeth is the area south of the River Thames around Waterloo Station where we start our walk. Waterloo is on the Northern, Bakerloo, Waterloo & City, and Jubilee lines as well as being a mainline station in zone 1. Exit the Underground from the Jubilee Line and turn into Waterloo Road towards the Old Vic Theatre. Turn into Lower Marsh and continue until you come to Archbishop's Park at the rear of Lambeth Palace, official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

After walking through the park we come to the redundant church of St Mary at Lambeth, home of the Tradescant Trust and the Museum of Garden History. From here we walk along the Albert Embankment by the River Thames with wonderful views of the North bank including the Houses of Parliament. We pass St Thomas's Hospital and Medical School named after the English martyr St Thomas a Becket, County Hall and the London Aquarium, the London Eye and the lion which used to stand by Hungerford Bridge before the demolition of the Lion Brewery.

Just before the Royal Festival Hall we cross one of the Golden Jubilee foot bridges and the walk ends at Embankment (District & Circle lines) or Charing Cross (Bakerloo and Northern lines) both in Zone 1.

Robbery, murder, prostitution, fraud, bankruptcy - it's all here in this walk. Once again we return to the Fleet River, all but invisible today but an erstwhile open sewer flowing through the most desperate neighbourhoods of London.

The walk starts at Blackfriars Underground (Circle & District and Overground zone 1) and ends at Farringdon (Metropolitan, Circle, Hammersmith & City and Overground zone 1). There is not much left to see of the places described, so you will have to use your imagination. Some aspects of the walk are lurid and unsavoury, so my advice is that the sound file should be heard by over 15's unless you have listened to the walk in advance. The walk is best enjoyed on a weekday, as it passes through part of the Inner Temple and the route chosen might not be open during the weekend.

We kick off with the unsolved mystery of Roberto Calvi who was found hanging from Blackfriars Bridge, weighed down and with his pockets full of money. The route takes us through the site of the former Fleet Prison and the former Bridewell royal palace and prison where convicted prostitutes were publicly flogged to entertain the curious and encourage other offenders to cease and desist from their ways. Many of the prostitutes plied their trades in the prisons themselves, encouraged by the warders and governor who made a tidy sum out of the business.

Lawyers did their business in one of the inns of court (see my Legal London walk) and on this route they jostled and fought with the criminal fraternity in the Whitefriars/Alsatia area outside their gates. An early example of physicians curing themselves, or perhaps not.

We cross Holborn Viaduct and get a fine view over London towards the River Thames before descending into Shoe Lane, another notorious place where respectable people would not be seen dead, or if they were they might if you see what I mean. Here cutpurses would routinely relieve them of their money and maybe sell their cash back to them shortly afterwards. Here also was Mother Clap's Molly House, a male brothel.

Rest assured the locality is far more respectable nowadays, and the site of Farringdon - terminus of the world's first underground railway hoves into view up Greville St where the walk ends. Little more than a stroll really, and as I say it's not the most attractive part of London but stuffed full of history, much of it of the worst kind.

This walk can take 90 minutes or all day if you want to visit the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge Experience. It is a circular stroll from Tower Hill Underground on the Circle & District Lines, Zone 1.

What makes this walk special are the stunning views across the River Thames. Moving from one vantage point to another, the eye is filled with wonder as vistas open up at every turn.

Starting at Tower Hill, we walk under the road and admire the colourful enamel panels depicting the history of the Tower of London, some of it tragic and gory, little of it glorious.

Continuing around the Tower in a circuit down to the river, we pass the Traitors' Gate and Dead Men's Hole. From here we pass from the bustle of a prime tourist site to the relative quiet and calm of St Katharine's Dock. Refurbished after its original purpose was superseded, the basins now host a mixture of traditional sailing vessels and expensive motor boats, moored alongside fashionable bars, restaurants, shops, apartments and penthouses.

There is an opportunity to continue walking the Thames Path to Shadwell and Canary Wharf, but we return past the Tower Hotel to cross the river by Tower Bridge towards the Engine Room, where we descend the steps and walk along Shad Thames as far as the Design Museum.

Here we stop and admire what is arguably the best view of Tower Bridge, the Gherkin, Tower 42, the Tower of London and City Hall in a broad sweep with Dixie paddle steamers in the foreground.

Unusually the bridge opened twice during the time I was recording the walk, but if you want to see the bascules raise you can consult the daily schedule for opening times.

Files for your GPS, Google Earth and Maps:
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A circular walk from Wimbledon Underground and Mainline Station, Zone 3. The best way of reaching the start is by taking the District Line to Wimbledon from Central London, or by changing to the District Line Wimbledon Branch at Earl's Court. The walk is 3.8 miles long.

This is a charming, picturesque, historical and interesting walk on high ground through Wimbledon Village and around the Common. There is also a chance to visit the Wimbledon All-England Club, home of the most famous lawn tennis tournament in the world.

We first climb Wimbledon Hill from the railway station, and pause at St Mary's Church. This is the fourth place of worship on this site extending back more than 1,000 years. The present church was opened in 1843. It was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott. In the chancel are wonderful mediaeval painted beams and a memorial to Sir Joseph Bazalgette, the engineer of London's sewerage system. His mausoleum is in the church yard.

We then pass through Wimbledon Village and then along the south side of the Common with its large Georgian houses. After taking some refreshment at one of the many charming pubs around the Common and walking into the Crooked Billet, we walk up the west side where the houses are even bigger and grander. The largest is Cannizaro House (pictured) which is now a hotel. The grounds are owned by the London Borough of Merton and can be visited. Here you will find over 400 species of trees and shrubs. The collection of rhododendrons and azaleas is said to be one of the finest anywhere in England.

From a little enclave of houses built on the Common and a preparatory school associated with William Wilberforce who owned a house nearby before starting his campaign to abolish slavery, there is the chance to take a diversion to look at an iron age hill fort or the Wimbledon Windmill Museum. There are also many other rides and walks throughout the Common.

Finally the walk returns to the starting point across the Common and down several tiny alley ways, crossing the line of a prehistoric path and back to the new town centre.

Files for your GPS: GPX

History lovers and those who are fond of spooky alleyways and secret spaces in the mediaeval City of London will love this walk. It covers the same territory as the City walk west of St Paul's a couple of years ago, but there are only two places we visit again so this is genuinely a new delight. Mind you, it will be essential for you to have your wits about you when you do this walk - we dive in and out of tiny entrances almost invisible to tourists, and walk through part of the City you would never find without a guide.

During the walk, we see a memorial to ordinary folk who gave their lives to save others and who would be forgotten except for the good offices of the symbolist painter G F Watts. We walk underneath the Old Bailey and visit St Sepulchre where there is a stained glass window dedicated to musicians and especially the father of the Proms Sir Henry Wood. His ashes are interred in the floor. In the same church is the bell tolled the night before executions in Newgate Prison and a poem exhorting the condemned souls to repent.

After walking through run down and abandoned parts of the old Smithfield Market ripe for redevelopment, we walk into a private road of elegant houses that is technically in Cambridgeshire. Half way up the road is St Ethelreda's Roman Catholic Church and through a hidden gap the most out-of-the-way pub in the whole of London. This is the spookiest part of the entire walk and full of atmosphere.

We then pass through the old Barnard's Inn, once part of the Court of Chancery but now the home of Gresham College where free lectures are given to all comers. We revisit Gough Square where Dr Johnson's cat Hodge is set in bronze on a copy of the famous Dictionary with an opened oyster. Finally we return to St Paul's and Paternoster Square after standing right under the site of the spire which once was the centre of the Blackfriars monastery church and we see the preserved crypt of Whitefriars behind glass in the basement of the Freshfields law office building.

Files for your GPS: GPX

This is more of stroll through part of London's extensive Theatreland. It lasts just over 80 minutes and starts in Trafalgar Square (Charing Cross Underground - Zone 1 - Bakerloo and Northern Lines) Take the exit from the subway marked 'Trafalgar Square' and walk to the base of the Nelson Column facing towards the Tower of Big Ben.

After an extensive description of Trafalgar Square and the Nelson Column, we walk aroud the square and look at the grand buildings, including Admiralty Arch, Canada House, National Gallery, St Martin-in-the-Fields and South Africa House.

The walk then continues down to the River Thames and the Playhouse Theatre. From here, depending on the visibility and the weather, there is a choice of crossing and re-crossing the river by way of the Golden Jubilee bridges, from which there are unrivalled views of the London skyline in both directions, or walking under the Arches to Embankment Underground and thence back to Charing Cross station forecourt - the centre of London as measured from mileposts and mapping.

Most of Little Adelphi is covered on my Covent Garden walk, but we do walk along John Adam Street and look at the lovely buildings in the streets, including the home of Samuel Pepys near the old Watergate, and the Royal Society of Arts. Returning to The Strand, we admire the glass fronted Coutts Bank with its revolving full-size tree and haunted banking hall.

From this point on, it's all about the theatre. We pass the Adelphi with its fantastic Art Deco facade. Nearby is the Vaudeville. By Carting Lane we visit the old Coal Hole Tavern, once the haunt of Thames barge coal heavers. Then we enter Savoy Court with its world famous luxury hotel (now being refurbished) and the Savoy Theatre, originally showcase of the Gilbert & Sullivan operettas.

After that, we pass the Strand Palace Hotel, the Lyceum Theatre, Drury Lane, the Aldwych Theatre (pictured above) and Bush House, home of the BBC World Service.

The walk ends with a choice. You can either walk up Kingsway to Holborn Underground (Central Line Zone 1) or end at Covent Garden Piazza just off to the left up Drury Lane. The Covent Garden Underground station is on the Piccadilly Line, and is near all the attractions of Covent Garden, including the Royal Opera House and the newly refurbished London Transport Museum.

This is a most enjoyable walk through Islington, starting at Angel Underground (Zone 1 - Northern Line, Bank Branch) and ending at Highbury & Islington (Zone 2 - Victoria Line and Overground).

The first part of the walk passes through the antiques market area along Camden Passage. The middle section follows the line of the New River - neither new nor a river. This man-made watercourse took fresh water from Hertfordshire to New River Head. Little of the river is visible nowadays, but the route is clearly visible and there is a charming garden were we walk alongside the water by formal gardens near Canonbury Grove. The last part of the walk passes Canonbury Tower and House. The Tower was built in the early years of the 16th century as a manor house on the site of an Augustinian Priory owned by the canons of St Bartholomew's in Clerkenwell (which we pass on the Well, Well, Well... walk).

The walk should take about an hour, and includes references to such people as Charles Lamb, Sir John Spencer, Evelyn Waugh and George Orwell. Upper Street is also the site of a restaurant in which Tony Blair and Gordon Brown are said to have discussed the timing of the transfer of the leadership of the Labour Party, and hence the office of Prime Minister.

Most of the route is quiet and free of heavy traffic. The houses are predominately 18th century terraced properties, and the area is well known not only as a smart and expensive place to live, but where the left wing intelligentsia of the capital prefer to hang out. It also reminds me of the British Monopoly board - the Angel Islington is a modestly priced light blue property on which it is much more affordable to build hotels than on places further from 'Go.'

I recommend this short walk as a very interesting way to spend an hour - more of a stroll really, past charming houses and lovely residential locales.

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A lovely historic walk through the tiny roads, alleyways, and steps around the centre of Hampstead. Hampstead is about 4 miles north of the centre of London. It is easily reached from stations like Tottenham Court Road, Euston, or Embankment by taking the Edgware branch of the Northern Line. The station is in Zones 2/3.

Turning left outside the Underground station, we have only a few paces to walk on the busy Hampstead High Street before we turn into Flask Walk. The first portion of the stroll is through the area that sprung up around the spa. The water from the chalybeate spring contained dissolved iron and was considered health promoting. The practice died out in the late 19th century, but there are pubs, street names such as Well Walk, and many other associations with this period of Hampstead's history.

More importantly even today Hampstead is more likely to be associated with the rich, the famous, intellectuals, artists, and writers. The list of literati and gliterati is a long one, including nowadays stars of film and TV, but in the past such names as John Galsworthy who wrote The Forsyte Saga here, three generations of the du Mauriers, the painter John Constable, poet John Keats and many many more.

The walk passes  the French and Dutch influenced houses around the William IV public house, and enters Hampstead's parish church dedicated to St John. This is a 1745 gem - a galleried interior of wood painted in two shades of grey with a beautiful plasterwork ceiling. Definitely a must-see, and in the two adjacent burial grounds there are so many famous people that the church offers a tomb walk leaflet to guide visitors around the church yard.

There are wonderful views over London, and we reach a high point of 440 ft above sea level near the Jack Straw public house. The best is kept for last, as we wind our way down a steep hill and enter a tiny enclave of small houses beside a narrow street with another wonderful view to east and west. This leads to steps that conveniently descend to the Underground station where the walk ends.

This is a lovely urban stroll through one of London's most fashionable historic places. There are some steep hills, narrow uneven streets, cars and vans labouring up the inclines, and expensive eating places and watering holes. But for free entertainment and learning about the past, it is a great walk and one especially suitable for families.

This walk starts at the Thamesside village of Hampton. You can reach Hampton by train from London (Waterloo) or by the District Line to Wimbledon and change to a train to Hampton. The station is in Zone 6 - so you can buy a Zones 1 - 6 off-peak Travelcard.

Leaving the station from the South-West train, exit towards the shops and turn left along the High Street. As we walk down the High Street, I tell you about Godaddy.com (for 10% discount use code blu74) and the powernap software Pzizz.com (affiliate number 16992). Click on the links to the right for details and to benefit London Walks.

Continue down to the River Thames and the church of St Mary, which is said to be haunted by Mistress Penn who was a nurse to Edward VI the only son of Henry VIII. Nearby there are two houses which belonged to the actor David Garrick and his eponymous nephew. Opposite Garrick's Villa is a temple which is connected to the house by a tunnel under the road, and housed a statue of William Shakespeare.

Shortly we leave the busy traffic and enter Bushey Deer Park where one should avoid approaching the deer that roam free, especially in May - July and September - October. We walk through the lovely water garden that is little known and generally very quiet, and leave the garden by a gate leading towards the Diana Fountain. This whole area was designed by Sir Christopher Wren who was employed to remodel the Tudor palace of Hampton Court.

After leaving the park we enter the formal grounds of the palace through the Lion Gate. We then walk through the gardens and around the outside of the house, admiring the wonderful facades and marveling at the fact that here we have two entirely separate ages of architecture - Tudor and Baroque. It all happened by accident, but it works well nonetheless. After walking through the gardens, there is a chance to enter the palace.

The walk ends nearby just across the bridge over the Thames at the station of Hampton Court. This is also in Zone 6 and trains run to Wimbledon and into London every 30 minutes. Lunch can be taken in Hampton Court before boarding the train, and I give a recommendation for Cottage Pie in one of the town public houses.

This is a lovely walk through the charming village of Harrow-on-the-Hill, home of the famous Harrow School and much more. Although Harrow is some way from the centre of London, it is easy to reach.

The best way is to buy an off-peak Travelcard covering zones 1 - 6. Take the Jubilee Line northbound to Finchley Road. Here cross the same platform and take a Metropolitan Line to Harrow-on-the-Hill. The quickest is a fast Amersham service, but any Metropolitan Line train will do: the Metropolitan LIine takes the same route as the Jubilee Line, but bypasses most of the stations where Jubilee Line trains stop.

On reaching Harrow-on-the-Hill, climb the stairs from the platform and turn left. Exit the station through the south exit leading to Lowlands Road.

This is a short walk of less than 2 miles. It's more of a stroll but there are some hills to climb and descend at the end. You are rewarded with fine views over London to the north east and the west.

Harrow-on-the-Hill is all about Harrow School - second only to Eton College in prestige amongst English public schools. It was founded in the late 16th/early 17th century. The school does not provide all the history on this walk however. We pass the site of the first fatal motor vehicle accident which occurred in 1899. We see where King Charles I watered his horses at a well, and wistfully looked back over London before riding north to surrender himself to the Scottish army. We enter the lovely old church of St Mary. Originally consecrated in the 11th century by St Anselm, the present building has some wonderful effigies, 14th and 15th century brasses, and is the burial place of the founder of Harrow School John Lyon and his wife.

Somewhere in the grounds of the church, Lord Byron's daughter Allegra is buried. All that remains is a commemorative stone by the main doorway, but nearby is a plaque by the Peachy gravestone where the young Byron as a schoolboy spent hours under the trees, gazing into the distance, and developing his muse.

Why Well, Well, Well? Well! - because we pass a number of places where there were wells and spas. In fact, at the Clerk's Well you can see the original well behind glass. The parish of Clerkenwell was named after this source of water, which later became a pump to service the neighbourhood with clean, fresh supplies from a nearby spring. Unfortunately this tap became polluted and had to be shut down, possibly from the nearby Smithfield Meat Market. Another well is Brideswell towards the end of the walk and Bagnigge Wells comes between King's Cross and Farringdon. So - well, well, well it is.

This walk is not the most beautiful I have done, but has a great deal of historical interest. We start at King's Cross (Victoria, Northern, Piccadilly, Hammersmith & City, Circle, Metropolitan Underground lines, mainline railways, Thameslink Zone 1) and finish at Blackfriars (Circle, District, Riverboats mainline railways Zone 1).

The route follows the line of the old Fleet River, now underground. For some of the way we also follow the line of the railway tracks as far as Farringdon. We pass the big London sorting office at Mount Pleasant belonging to Royal Mail. Near the Clerk's Well we pass Clerkenwell Green and the Parish Church. This is a handy detour especially if you are hungry. The church and green is on another of my walks through Clerkenwell and the Smithfield Market. We pass over lands once the property of the Bishop of Ely, and under Holdborn Viaduct where you can climb the steps to the road over and admire the view.

Another stunning view is from the dip where Farringdon St intersects with Fleet St and Ludgate Hill. The Wren cathedral of St Paul's is visible here and earlier on in the walk, and you can also walk up Ludgate Hill and visit the tiny Wren Church of St Martin's. On the right is Fleet St once associated with the British newspaper industry and journalism.

We now pass St Bride's Church and learn about the Bridewell Palace. The walk finishes at Blackfriars near the 1931 Unilever Building, on the noisy Riverside Walk beside Blackfriars bridge, with fantastic views across the Thames as far as the London Eye and Westminster.

Highgate lies between Haringey, Camden and Islington. It is one of London's more expensive and fashionable neighbourhoods. It has an active conservation society, and has much to conserve.

Highgate Hill is one of the highest points in London, and the view from the beautiful Holly Lodge Estate is stunning. There are associations with Charles Dickens: his father and mother took the family here to escape their creditors, and Charles modelled Mr Jingle in Pickwick Papers on one of its well-known residents.

The walk is a hilly one. It starts from Highgate Underground on the High Barnet branch of the Northern Line in Zone 3. You can use the Journey Planner at the London Walks home page to work out a route using public transport.

The highlights are Hampstead Heath, a wonderfully quiet location where traffic is inaudible, the hills are more reminiscent of the countryside, and people fish for carp in the lakes. We pass through the quaint streets and houses of Georgian Highgate. Highgate School, founded in 1565 is on the route. We see houses where Dickens, J B Priestley, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and others lived. In Highgate Cemetery Karl Marx, George Eliot, Michael Faraday, Ralph Richardson and many others were buried.

The walk is full of history and wonderful sights and a view over London unrivalled anywhere in and around the capital. There are churches, lovely pubs where you can sit out and enjoy a snack and a beer, a pub-theatre, manicured estates, grand houses, lovely parks, and the site where Dick Whittington 'turned again' with his cat when the sound of Bow bells called him back to become Lord Major of London. Or may have - as the tale is a 14th century fiction.

The walk finishes at Archway, one stop down the Northern Line in zones 2 and 3. This is a fairly strenuous walk, highly enjoyable, fairly short, and one of London's best strolls. Don't miss it. You can get to Highgate easily in just a few minutes from Tottenham Court Road, Euston or King's Cross.

How can you possibly beat a walk along the Thames on a fine day? Shadwell (the name probably came from Shite-well or Shit-well) might be an unauspicious start, but in a few paces from the Docklands Light Railway or East London Line Zone 2 you come across the fabulous Nicholas Hawksmoor church of St George's with its 160 ft (49m) tower. Dickens described its 'Romish' practices in the mid 19th century as 'miserable fancy dressing pantomime posturing.'

Dickens features again and again on this wonderful walk. The Mystery of Edwin Drood with its opium dens, The Uncommercial Traveller, and Our Mutual Friend are all references on this walk.

Tobacco Dock is sadly no longer the vibrant retail development it was, but you can still walk through it and see the statue to the Bengal tiger and the young boy rescued from its jaws. You can see the two full size pirate ships, and admire the fantastic brick built construction (Grade 2 listed by English Heritage).

After strolling through an area where there was a notorious workhouse, we arrive at Wapping station. From this point, the walk continues along the Thames Path affording unrivalled views of the Thames and Canary Wharf in the distance.

Joined by one of our listeners, Kim from New Jersey, on this walk, we take a break in the Prospect of Whitby public house with its full length pewter-topped bar, wood posts made from the masts of ships, hangman's noose dangling over the river, and several fine draught ales I tell the tale of the Hanging Judge Jeffreys as we quaff our beer on a bench in the open air beside the river near the old parish boundary wall. Wonderful.

There are more pubs along the way after crossing Limehouse Basin including The Grapes as well as a fine restaurant bar The Narrow (chef proprieter Gordon Ramsay). FInally we leave the Thames-side to admire another Nicholas Hawksmoor church of St Anne's with its high clock faces and strange pyramid in the graveyard originally intended to top the tower.

The walk ends at the DLR station of Limehouse (Zone 2) from where it is only a few minutes ride back to Bank or Monument (Central, Northern, District & Circle Lines Zone 1).

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Marylebone is the area north of Oxford Street. It was originally the closest village to central London until developed in the 18th and 19th centuries for housing by two landlords. Now Marylebone is a mixture of housing, offices and retail.

The Marylebone walk starts at Marble Arch Underground station (Central Line Zone 1) and finishes at Baker Street (Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City, Circle, Bakerloo, Jubilee lines Zone 1).

We walk through a number of squares and along Upper Berkeley Street to the Wallace Collection. We then pass near the Wigmore Hall, one of London's best small concert venues and down the gem of a shopping and eating street called St Christopher's Place before emerging briefly into Oxford Street, the busiest but by no means the best shopping street in the West End. Turning up Vere Street past Maroush V, a good lunch stop, we come to the home of the LICC at St Peter's Church, built in 1724.

We then walk along New Cavendish Street through the medical area before turning up Marylebone High Street. This is a 'must see' when visiting London - not only for the shops, restaurants and general atmosphere, but also because Charles Wesley (1707 - 1788) writer of more than 150 hymns and leader of the Methodist movement is buried near St Marylebone's Church.

The final part takes us along the busy Marylebone Road past Madame Tussauds to the Tube at its junction with Baker Street.

This is the second part of our Bayswater walk. The first part to the west started at Notting Hill Gate Underground (Central, Circle & District Lines Zone 1/2) and finished at Lancaster Gate (Central Line Zone 1). We now continue from Lancaster Gate, and finish at Marble Arch (Central Line Zone 1).

Our first port of call is the lovely church of St James the Less in Sussex Gardens. The list of Vicars of Paddington posted on the wall goes back to the 14th Century, and our stroll through Bayswater starts inside the church which has been extensively refurbished.

Bayswater is a series of interlocking squares. We continue through Sussex Square through a small charming mews into Gloucester Square. from here we can see the church of St John the Evangelist in Hyde Park Square. We meet the clergy as we enter this church, and hear about Horseman's Sunday when the Vicar annually greets his congregation from horseback, and more than 100 other steeds follow his lead around the roads locally.

In Albion Street we pass a house once owned by the last Rajah of Sarawak, and then the home of William Makepeace Thackeray. After passing along Connaught Street - in Edwardian and Victorian times a fashionable shopping destination - we finish at the site of the Tyburn Gallows and enter the Tyburn Convent where sisters still pray for the souls of the 105 Catholic martyrs who lost their lives. The site of the Tyburn tree now stands on a roundabout by Marble Arch. It is named after the river Tyburn which now flows underground.

From here it will be possible to continue this walk through Marylebone, ending at Baker Street, Madame Tussauds and the literary site of Sherlock Holmes' appartment.

This is a circular walk through Campden Hill in Kensington starting at Notting Hill Gate Underground (Circle, District and Central Lines Zones 1 and 2). Leave the Underground through exit A and go straight ahead until you turn left into Campden Hill Square. The walk takes us up one side of the square, across the top and down the other side to Holland Park Avenue. This is a lovely sloping square developed over many years around private communal gardens. There were a number of interesting residents including Siegfried Sassoon. We look at their houses and hear a little of their history.

The walk continues along the edge of Holland Park away from traffic, and crosses beside the Open Air Theatre before emerging into Melbury Road. This is a fascinating part of town best known as an artists' colony. The land was acquired from Lady Holland on a 99-year lease when debts forced her to sell. Huge houses were erected with large north-facing windows where artists and sculpters painted and modelled the rich and famous, becoming even more rich and famous themselves in the process. Holman Hunt was one of the most notable residents. His wife continued to visit St Paul's Cathedral after he died to gaze at The Light of the World. Lord Leighton's house is open as a museum.

We then walk by the southernmost gate of Holland Park into Kensington High Street and into the Phillimore Estate. Linley Sambourne House can be visited - a perfectly Victorian town house. Open March - December. Visiting times click here. From here we swalk up and down several streets in Campden Hill, stopping at places of interest, some literary, some musical.

The walk finishes in Kensington Church St by a house where Musio Clementi once lived. From this point it is a short stroll back to Notting Hill Gate and the Underground.

This is the second the third parts of the 4 part walk. We start at Hyde Park Corner (Piccadilly Line Zone 1) and cross through the Wellington Arch to stand by the Mogul-style Memorial Gate at the top of Constitution Hill. This gate, opened by Her Majesty the Queen in 2002, commemorates the soldiers from the Indian Sub Continent and from Africa and the Caribbean who served in war.

Ignore the signpost - it points in the wrong direction and follow my instructions through The Green Park and down to Buckingham Palace. From there we walk down The Mall past St James Palace and Clarence House before walking around St James Park.

There is an opportunity to visit the Churchill Museum and the Cabinet War Rooms before continuing around the lake back to Buckingham Palace. Here we can visit the Royal Mews or admire the Queen's Gallery, or maybe see the Changing of the Guard (daily at 11.30am).

The walk finishes at Hyde Park Corner, where it continues back to Kensington Palace.

Here are the maps in PDF for you to download if you wish:

The Green Park
St James Park

This part of the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk starts and finishes at Hyde Park Corner Underground (Piccadilly Line Zone 1). There are also several bus routes that converge on Hyde Park Corner - check the Transport for London journey planner for details.

I find it sad that there is so little publicity for the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk. If you try searching for a map of the walk on the Net, you will not find one. I even went into the information desk at Marbe Arch and asked for one. The woman on duty who was a member of the Friends of Kensington Gardens handed me a map, which I later found to show the cycle route around Hyde Park but no sign of the walk.

The walk is about 8 miles long. It is described as a 'lopsided figure-of-eight.' The pivotal point is Hyde Park Corner. Imagine two zeros which touch there, forming the figure 8 turned through 90 degrees - the symbol for infinity ∞ - where the left hand extent is Kensington Palace and the right hand the most easterly point in St James Park and the crossing point Hyde Park Corner. The intersecting point is at 43 mins 6 seconds. At this point, you can decide to continue with the East section of the walk (published shortly) or turn back towards the start at High Street Kensington.

Here are the maps in PDF for you to download if you wish:

Kensington Gardens
Hyde Park

The idea of the walk was originally to join up places with associations for Diana, but I think this objective was not well met and all we have is a very good walk covering four royal parks - Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Green Park, and St James Park. Undoubtedly Kensington Palace is important - after all, that was where Diana lived with her sons. She was often seen by locals being driven in and out of the palace, but less often spotted incognito on one of her breakout shopping trips in disguise. It was from Kensington Palace that I witnessed the funeral cortege as it was prepared in the early morning and later wound its way along South Carriage Drive. My thoughts of that fateful time are documented within hours of the funeral itself on my web site, which received several hundred hits as one of the first sites on the Net where photographs were published.

I met Diana on a few occasions when I shadowed her during shopping expeditions to Peter Jones, where I was merchandise manager in the 1980's. That was before her marriage, when she was able to come accompanied by one detective, before she was hounded by the paparazzi, and before everything changed in London after the bomb at Harrods.

This is half of the Diana walk - actually parts 1 and 4. I have done because the walk is a long one and would take several hours to complete. Part 1 is from Kensington Palace to Hyde Park Corner. Part 4 follows immediately, and covers the return section to Kensington to complete the western part of the loop. This circular walk is 5 miles long, all wheelchair accessible, completely flat, and with good toilet and refreshment facilities throughout.

Parts 2 and 3 will be a separate walk to follow - from Hyde Park Corner through Green Park and St James Park and back. You can skip to the eastern part at Hyde Park Corner, and then return to where you left this walk if you want to do the whole in one day.

This walk starts and finishes at High Street Kensington Underground (Circle & District Lines Zone 1) but passes Lancaster Gate (Central Line) and Hyde Park Corner (Piccadilly Line).

This is an indulgence I hope you will forgive. Do not worry. I have not run out of ideas for the podcast yet. This one seemed too good to miss. Does it qualify as a walk in London? Of course not, but on the other hand Bergen is only 90 minutes direct flight from London (Stansted) and the budget airline Norwegian charges very little for a ticket. If you can stand the slooooow checkin and the resultant queues that is...

So how come Bergen? Well, Vicky and I were stranded there for a few days waiting for a Hurtigruten passage up the coast of Norway. Don't ask - we reserved a cabin on a ship called the Polarlys, but Hurtigruten called to say it had been overbooked. They offered us a suite on a much bigger vessel called Finnmarken, which developed a fault in its forward thrusters and was taken out of service for repairs at Stavangar. By then the Polarlys was full and we watched it sail out of Bergen with our cabin filled by someone else. Later in the week, we left on a much older vessel called Lyngen. See my photo galley for images of the trip above the Arctic Circle to North Cape and Kirkenes near the border with Russia. See also my description of the voyage.

Anyway, the upshot was we spent 5 days in Bergen, so became experts on the sights. It's a fine place. Friendly. Everyone speaks good English. Expensive, like all of Norway. Can be wet - it rains 220 days in the year. But when we were there, the weather was good. So join Vicky and me on a lovely walk round this fine town and enjoy the sights and sounds with us. Who knows, you might just be inspired to visit Bergen for yourself and do the walk. We have done all the hard work for you.

Bayswater lies north of the Bayswater Road between Notting Hill to the west, and Mayfair to the east. To the south are Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. Bayswater is more mixed than Kensington - not as chic and certainly not so well cared for. There are more multi-occupancy dwellings, small hotels, rooming houses, and large properties both in need of renovation as well as undergoing improvement. The sound of building works echoes through Bayswater even more than in neighbouring boroughs.

The size of the properties, the width of the roads, the feeling of space, and the grand if somewhat rundown squares characterises Bayswater. The triange of Lancaster Gate, Westbourne Street and Sussex Gardens forms a natural divison between West and East Bayswater, and so I have split the walk in two. This first part is the westernmost section, running from Notting Hill Gate passing Queensway and finishing at Lancaster Gate. In a later podcast I will walk from Lancaster Gate to Marble Arch, forming the eastern section of the Bayswater walk.

Notting Hill Gate is on the Central, Circle and District Lines in Zone 1. Leaving the Underground, we walk along Notting Gate and Bayswater Road, turning left at St Petersburgh Place where there is a large synagogue with a prominent rose window (1877 - 79) nearly opposite St Matthews Church (1882). Try and get to the church as the carillon clock chimes the hour.

Just round the corner is the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Hagia Sophia in Moscow Road (1877 - 82). The walk continues through grand squares, emerging in the corridor of Westbourne Road full of the smells of restaurants and food shops from all over the world. The old Queens Cinema with its Egyptian facade closed in the 1980's and was for a long time occupied by TGI Fridays. This has not ceased trading and the cinema is once again empty, leanding a forlorn appearance to the junction with Queensway. The shopping centre formed from the old Whiteleys Department Store still looks good, and we walk through the centre from north to south. Here you can cut the walk short at either Bayswater or Queensway Undergroudn Stations - actually very close together, despite what you might conclude by looking at the iconic London Underground map.

We then continue along Leinster Place and Leinster Gardens past 1960's public housing and finish this section of the walk at Lancaster Gate (Central Line Zone 1).

This walk starts at Angel Underground station on the Bank branch of the Northern Line in Zone 1. Angel can be reached by taking the Central Line and changing at Bank.

Clerkenwell is a former monastic settlement. The land was originally donated to the Order of St John of Jerusalem in 1140. Clerkenwell is a mixed area where ancient buildings, Georgian houses, and loft apartments occupied by media professionals jostle together with wine bars, office blocks, converted warehouses and workshops.

The area is full of history. Once a den of thieves, robbers and pickpockets, with the highest murder rate in London during the 19th century, it is now firmly on the road to 'gentrification' albeit that the mixed character of the streets will never have the cohesion and grace of Kensington, belgravia, Mayfair or Chelsea.

The Northernmost part of the walk passes the New River and reservoirs used to supply London from Hertfordshire. We then pass Sadler's Wells Theatre before passing Spa Fields where a riot of parliamentary reformers took place in 1816.

In the fascinating church of St James we see the memorials to the martyrs burned at the stake in Smithfield between 1400 and 1558. After that, we enter on Priory lands just past Clerkenwell Green. We see the headquarters of the Order of St John. The St John's Gate Museum is free, and there are guided tours of the Priory Church and the area.

The walk continues through the Smithfield Meat Market to St Bartholomew's Hospital. The gem of this walk is the oldest church in London, St Bartholomew the Great. Don't miss this - if it's not open, go back there when it is.

Finally we walk round Charterhouse Square, and finish at Barbican Underground (Zone 1 on the Hammersmith & City and Circle Lines).

A walk from Lancaster Gate Underground (zone 1) or Paddington across Hyde Park to the Lanesborough Hotel, then through Belgravia dn Chelsea to finish at Sloane Square Underground (zone 1). Lancaster Gate is on the Central Line. Sloane Square Underground is on the District & Circle Lines.

This walk follows part of the course of the Westbourne River. Starting at Lancaster Gate we cross Bayswater Road and immediately enter the park by the Italianate gardens with five fountains and a 1730's dam and pump house.

Continuing alongside the Long Water we enjoy wonderful views of the lake, the parkland and the sights of London in the distance. At this point, the Westbourne River flows in a conduit beneath the left bank of the lake, which joins the Serpentine. We continue alongside the boating lake with its solar shuttle launch powered by the sun and numerous pedaloes and rowing craft.

At the Dell Cafe we can stop for refreshments and continue towards Rotten Row and South Carriage Drive to the pedestrian crossing opposite the Lanesborough Hotel. This hotel is one of the most expensive in London, and was formerly St George's Hospital. Knightsbridge is named after a bridge which crossed the Westbourne River at this point. After crossing the busy road beside the famed horse-crossing, we skirt the hotel and turn away from Hyde Park Corner, returning to Wilton Place and the quaint mews streets around Kinnerton Street. Here we can see a number of small cul-de-sacs that used to lead to the Westbourne River.

In Motcomb Street, the Pantechnicon stands opposite the new Waitrose Belgravia supermarket. Pantechnicon (or all-arts in Greek) was the name for a 1830's bazaar, which later became a fire-proof furniture repository - hence the old name for a furniture removal van. The so-called fireproof warehouse burnt down in 1874, despite the fact it stands immediately over the course of the Westbourne River.

One gem remains until last - the 'cathedral of the Arts & Crafts Movement' - Holy Trinity Church, Sloane Street (pictured above). It's not a cathedral but a magnificent church, although by a quirk of clergy it does have its own bishop. The church is well worth a visit in its own right, and the building is open throughout the day.

One surprise remains - the final view of the Westbourne River - in Sloane Square Underground Station.

A walk from Chalk Farm Underground over Primrose Hill through regents Park to Great Portland St. or Regents Park Underground stations.

For this walk, take a sandwich and a drink, and enjoy a picnic at the top of Primrose Hill sitting on a bench overlooking a panorama of London below, as I describe the character of the area and the sights from this point, which is only rivaled by Greenwich Royal Observatory as a classic view of the capital.

From Primrose Hill we walk down to Prince Albert Road and cross the Outer Circle into Regents Park near the London Zoo.

Regents Park is full of history, and is one of London's premier and best maintained open spaces. The development was originally sponsored by the Prince Regent (later George IV) who owned the land. It was intended this royal park should extend to St James's.

John Nash planned the construction of 56 grand houses, but only 8 were built within the park itself around 1827. All round the perimeter are Nash terraces however - and the photo shows Chester Terrace to the South-East with enormous arches at either end of the street.

Within the park itself, we admire a Gothic drinking fountain, a large lake populated by birds and used for boating during the warmer months, the London Mosque, a bandstand where 7 soldiers were killed by terrorist action in 1982, an open-air theatre, Queen Mary's formal gardens, and many other fascinating sights.

This is a longer walk - it may take up to 2 hours in all, depending on the number of stops. It is well worth it, both for the exercise as well as for the history, the wonderful Nash architecture, and the sheer variety of things to see and do. There are excellent facilities such as cafes and toilets throughout the park, and a short cut down Broad Walk which varies the length of the walk if you are short of time.

Chalk Farm Underground is in Zone 2. Take the Northern Line from Tottenham Court Road on the Edgware or Colindale branch. The walk ends at Great Portland Street (Zone 1) on the District & Circle Lines or Regents Park (Zone 1) on the Bakerloo Line.

Covent Garden fits snugly between the City of London on the east and the West End north of the Strand.

It is on the one hand a fashionable and vibrant quarter of London and on the other hand a busy tourist area centred on the piazza - a converted fruit and vegetable market dating back to the early part of the 19th Century and beyond.

The walk starts in Trafalgar Square beside Nelson's Column, an icon of London and a place of demonstrations and celebration. Trafagar Square can be reached from Charing Cross Underground (zone 1 - Bakerloo and Northern Line). There are many exits from this station, so follow any sign to Trafalgar Square and head for Nelson's Column.

From there, we pass beside the world famous church of St Martin in the Fields, known as much nowadays for its work with the dispossessed, addicted and homeless as for its music. We pass Charing Cross mainline station before descending towards the embankment where there is the only surviving Watergate.

After the Royal Society of Arts, we walk behind the old Shell-Mex building to the rear of the Savoy Hotel. Opposite the main entrance can be found some charming gardens full of interesting monuments, including Richard D'Oyly Carte and Sir Arthur Sullivan who, with librettist W S Gilbert collaborated on the Savoy operettas which were first performed in the Savoy Theatre beside the hotel.

After visiting the Savoy Chapel we cross the Strand and walk past theatres up Wellington Street to the Royal Opera House. Here I highly recommend visiting the superb Floral Hall - either for lunch, or even better buy an affordable ticket for the opera or ballet.

Sadly a few days after the recording was made, it was decided to close the Theatre Museum which belonged to the V&A, but the London Transport Museum has been completely refurbished and modernised. It is due to re-open shortly. This is in the Covent Garden piazza where you can also have a snack, look at craft shops, participate in street performance and arts, visit the church of St Paul, and walk around the wonderful variety of shops.

The walk ends at Covent Garden Underground (Piccadilly Line zone 1)

Kensington is my home, and so it is surprising I have not done a Kensington walk before now.

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea stretches from the River Thames in the South to Notting Hill and North Kensington in the North. It is a large area.

The part we are walking through is the wealthiest. Even the smallest houses, of which there are very few, now cost in excess of £1million (currently US $1.93 million).

The walk starts at High Street Kensington Underground station, which is on the Circle and District lines (zone 1). There are also many buses which serve this premier shopping area.

We start by walking east, and turning down Derry Street, named after one of the partners in the Derry & Toms department store that once occupied the site. Its successor Barkers of Kensington has just closed down. The building is partly occupied by one of London's evening newspapers, and the store will become an organic food shop. There is a wonderful roof garden which you can visit. It belongs to Sir Richard Branson's Virgin. For opening hours and contact details, visit the Roof Gardens web site. There are three themed gardens covering 1.5 acres 100 ft above street level.

During the walk we wander through two of Kensington's oldest squares dating from the mid 17th century and beyond.

There is a wealth of interest in this walk, which takes less than an hour. At the end, you have the option of shopping in High Street Kensington, visiting Holland Park, or eating at one of Kensington's restaurants or cafes.

A short walk of less than 50 minutes from Big Ben through St James's to Buckingham Palace.

Start at Westminster Underground (Circle, District and Jubilee Lines Zone 1). From Parliament Square, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey we walk up Whitehall past the Cenotaph, Downing Street and the Ministry of Defence. The route then crosses Horse Guards Parade to The Mall with views either side towards Admiralty Arch and Trafalgar Square in one direction and Buckingham Palace in the other.

After walking up Duke of York steps we enter the fascinating area of St James's. Jermyn Street with its hand made shoes, bespoke tailoring, and other delightful shops is a street in which you are bound to linger. If you have not visited the church of St James Piccadilly on another of my walks, you can do so here.

We then walk down St James's Street to St James's Palace where we hear a guardsman pacing up and down, standing to attention, presenting arms and standing easy. Finally we pass Stable Yard and enter Green Park beside the quaintly named Milkmaid's Passage. Buckingham Palace then comes into view.

The walks ends at this point, but there are instructions to reach either Hyde Park Corner or Victoria Underground stations, both convenient points to catch the Tube.

This walk is a little gem. There is so much to see and do in such a short space of time. There are no points in the sound file where I pause the recording, so the actual length on your iPod is all the time you will need to complete the walk.

Welcome to all the new listeners who have joined us during the past month, when the podcast has been promoted on the Podcast home page of iTunes. I would especially like to welcome undergraduate and in-service teachers in Hangzhou China who are listening to these walks as a way of getting to know London, its sights and sounds, and the spoken language.

Help me celebrate 100,000 downloads which we passed this month!

Help by sending us a contribution to our costs! This is a free service which many commercial companies charge to provide, and it costs money both in bandwidth and travel costs. A small donation using the PayPal button would be appreciated. On request, those giving $25 or more will receive a disk containing all the walks so far, including any that are unpublished at the time. Please ensure you provide your correct mailing address. I will send the disk post free to any part of the world. My thanks to those who have made donations.

 

The Thames riverside is London's undervalued playground, and walks alongside the river do not get much better than this. We start at Barnes Bridge, and before you say that it is hard to get to this part of London, think again. There is a railway station right beside the bridge, and you can reach it in only 23 minutes from London Waterloo. There are 7 trains per hour. The station is in Zone 3, so if you travel after 9.30am a Zones 1 - 4 One Day Travelcard is a very affordable choice indeed, and you have the freedom of travel by bus, train, Tube and Tram in these zones for the rest of the day.

Even better, why not take a Tube to Hammersmith. From there frequent buses 209 or 419 will take you to Barnes Bridge in 10 - 20 minutes. Just wait until you see the river after the last stop in Barnes, and press the bell to alight at Barnes Bridge. Buses run every 3 minutes, and the bus station is above the Underground up the escalators. The buses depart from bus stop C and you can wait in the warm and dry, or visit the shopping mall and have a coffee before you leave. Simple.

The walk from Barnes is easy and flat. You can download my instructions and photographs with GPS tracking from our sponsor Walking World (small charge payable) or just follow along using the audio on your iPod or MP3 player as usual.

The Boat Race course is actually 4.5 miles, so we do not follow the entire loop of the river, but walk up Barnes High Street past the pond to St Mary's Church. From there we pass the famed Wetland Centre and return to the river bank via Queen Elizabeth Walk. If you have time, why not include a visit to the Wetland Centre? Here are the details from their web site:

Opening times
Open 7 days a week, except 25 December 9.30am to 6.00pm (last admission 5pm) Summer.
9.30am to 5.00pm (last admission 4pm) Winter.

Late night opening every Thursday from 25 May until 21 September. Half price admission from 6pm, last entry 8pm. WWT members can bring two guests for free.

Christmas opening times
Early Closing on 24th December (last admissions 2pm). Closed 25th Dec only, otherwise centre open as normal throughout the Christmas and New Year period including 1st January.

Admission Prices from April 1st 2006
Adult £7.25
Concessions (Senior Citizens, students, unemployed, people with disabilities) £6.00, Child £4.50,
Family Ticket £18.50.
Group Admission Prices available upon request.

Facilities The London Wetland Centre is a beautiful wildlife reserve visitor attraction just minutes from central London. More than 43hectares of wetland habitats have been created attracting thousands of wild birds from around the globe.
In addition to the diverse and beautiful wildlife there are many other interesting areas to explore, including World Wetlands with wetland habitats and wildfowl from around the world. You can also discover why wetlands are essential for life in our thatched Wetland Living, Lodge and Pond Zone exhibits.
The London Wetland Centre features accessible paths throughout the visitor centre and reserve (see Accessibility below), a wonderful lakeside café and restaurant, a heated glass viewing observatory (for those who don't fancy sitting in our more traditional bird hides), a children's interactive discovery centre, gift shop and specialist in focus binocular shop.
 

Wildlife The London Wetland Centre is the best urban location in Europe to watch wildlife - designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its diverse range of breeding wetland birds and winter flocks of Shoveler and Gadwall duck. In addition to attracting more than 180 wild bird species each year (including regular rarities such as Bittern, Cetti's Warbler, Peregrine Falcon and a breeding colony of Sand Martins), the reserve is a safe haven for 8 species of bat, 7 species of reptile and amphibian (including Slow-worm and Common Lizard) and more than half of all the UK's dragonfly and damselfly species.

After returning to the river, we pass Fulham Football Ground on the opposite bank, then pass a number of school and college boat houses before reaching St Mary's Church by Putney Bridge. Here is 1647 the Putney Debates were held by the New Model Army. The radical concept of 'one man one vote' was discussed, but the fledgling democratic proposal was crushed two years later by Oliver Cromwell.

The final portion of this walk takes us through the newly refurbished Fulham Palace. For hundreds of years, these palatial grounds were the summer residence of the bishops of London, until in the 1970's the land was leased to the local authority by the Church Commissioners. There is a botanic garden and a museum in the Palace.

Finally, we pass through the old pottery making district (there is still an old 'bottle kiln' belonging to Fulham Pottery beside the road) before we finish the walk at Putney Bridge Underground. Putney Bridge (Zone 2) is on the District Line from where there are frequent trains to Earls Court and the City of London, or via Kensington and Paddington to Edgware Road.

A walk around London's Inns of Court, starting at Chancery Lane (Central Line Zone 1)

As you exit the Underground, you are immediately entranced by the ancient timbered building in High Holborn. This wonderful half timbered building stands on the south side of High Holborn, and is on your right as you leave the Underground from exit 3.

We leave the traffic noise behind us and hundreds of years of history by walking through Staples Inn towards the Patent Office and London Silver Vaults.

The walk passes through London's four Inns of Court. This is where Barristers have their chambers. Although the strict division between Barristers and Solicitors is not as clear cut as it once was, Barristers (or Counsel) appear oin the higher courts and are briefed by Solicitors (who appear in the lower courts or brief Barristers). Barristers do not themselves generally see members of the public, but deal with clients through their solicitors.

It is advisable to take this walk during the midweek when the Inns are accessible. Lincoln's Inn comes first, then we pass down alongside the Royal Courts of Justice before crossing Fleet Street into the Middle Temple. Here we visit the Temple Church which has become associated with Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code novel.

Next comes the Inner Temple before we turn north again and pass the church of St Clement Danes.

The Old Curiosity Shop is in Portsmouth Street and was made famous by Charles Dickens. The death of Little Nell is one of the most poignant episodes in Victorian literature. After passing this site, we walk round Lincoln's Inn Fields.

Gray's Inn comes last, and we return to the starting point in Chancery Lane.

This is a lovely walk, full of history, mostly free of traffic, with lots to see and hear. It is one of my favourites, and I hope you enjoy walking with me.

This episode of the podcast is dedicated to my father, Joseph Wright OBE Barrister of the Middle Temple (1917 - 2002)

Mayfair, London's most expensive area.

This is a walk from Piccadilly Circus (Bakerloo and Piccadilly Lines, Zone 1). We start by walking along Piccadilly to Burlington House, home of the Royal Academy of Arts famous for its Summer Exhibition, exhibitions, events and library. Two beautiful Georgian arcades of shops follow, including Royal Arcade, so named because Queen Victoria bought her riding skirts from an outlet there.

 Shepherd Market is a lovely neighbourhood full of small restaurants, wine bars and pubs.

In Berkeley Square, the noise of the traffic drowns out any thought of hearing the celebrated nightingales, but the sight of 200 year old plane trees, and people sitting outside enjoying the Autumn sunshine are consolations.

Farm Street church is the UK HQ of the Jesuits, and we walk through its church yard. Thence to Grosvenor Square, dominated nowadays by the American Embassy. Just North of the Square is the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, where we turn and pass down South Molton Street where we can see the Arms of the Corporation of London dating from the 1620's.

Savile Row is the place to buy bespoke tailoring for men, but nearby in the Royal Institution Michael Faraday conducted his early experiments with electricity.

The walk then returns to Piccadilly where we enter the church of St James's, with it's large decorated interior and weekday antiques market.

Help us by sending us a contribution to our costs! This is a free service which many commercial companies charge to provide, and it costs money both in bandwidth and travel costs. A small donation using the PayPal button would be appreciated. On request, those giving $25 or more will receive a disk containing all the walks so far, including any that are unpublished at the time. Please ensure you provide your correct mailing address. I will send the disk post free to any part of the world. My thanks to those who have made donations.

 

A walk along the Regents Canal from Warwick Avenue Underground (Zone 2).

Most of this walk is along the towpath beside the Regents Canal. We start in the neighbourhood known as Little Venice. Here the Grand Union Canal which enters the River Thames at Brentford joins the Regents Canal, built in the 18th Century to link London with the manufacturing town of Birmingham. A later extension was built around 1812 from Paddington to the London Docks through Regents Park and around North London.

Little Venice forms the junction of these canals, and almost the entire walk uses the towpath alongside the water. We start by walking over the Maida Hill tunnel before descending to the canalside.

All along Blomfield Road, there are narrow boats moored, some available for hire for functions, others converted into restaurants. Later on, most of the boats are residential. All are painted in bright colours, and many have attractive gardens on board.

After passing Lord's Cricket Ground and the London Mosque, the canal starts to skirt the northern side of fashionable Regents Park. The most stunning and imposing houses can be seen beside the canal.

At Macclesfield Bridge we pause to see the deeply grooved iron columns which were rotated when 'Blow Up Bridge' as it became known was rebuilt after a barge laden with dynamite exploded under it one night in 1874.

The walk then takes us through London Zoo, where we can see African Hunting Dogs and Warthogs in their enclosure by the canal. Exotic birds are also to be seen in the Snowden Aviary.

After Cumberland Basin with its Chinese restaurant moored by the bank, the canal diverts north. A gate leads into the famous Camden Market - a busy, noisy eclectic part of the capital full of craft shops, food stalls, punk clothing and much much more.

The walk ends at Camden Town Underground station, just down Camden High Street. The station is on the Northern Line in Zone 2. There are also buses into Central London at this point.

It's a matter of life and death - an unusual and privileged walk through Kensal Green cemetery.

It may seem strange to us today that Victorian families enjoyed nothing more than a Sunday afternoon stroll through one of London's great cemeteries. Take this walk with me and you will find out why.

I am accompanied by one of my nephews, Andrew Lewis. Together we have the benefit of a knowledgeable guide and expert Henry Vivian Neale. Henry is chief guide for the Friends of Kensal Green. For more information about the Friends, check out their web site which is kept up to date, and gives details of the history, opening times, and events at the Cemetery.

Kensal Green is an awesome and sometimes spooky place. There are huge mausoleums, fantastic statuary, amazing decorations, and space below for dozens of bodies. Some of the stories Henry tells are legendary. How about the cross-dressing surgeon, who throughout her life posed as a man in order to be accepted in a profession denied to woman of her time? or maybe you'd like to hear about a man who made a considerable fortune from being able to act a scene whilst simultaneously riding sic horses bareback? or possibly you'd like to see the memorial to someone who pushed a wheelbarrow across the Grand Canyon on a tightrope?

Mix with the remains of the aristocracy and royalty, cheek by jowl with upstarts and crooks who thought highly enough of themselves to have fantastically decorative and expensive mausoleums constructed for them during their lifetimes.

During our visit, we see inside the Grade 1 listed Anglican Chapel, and descend to the extensive catacombs below.

This walk is a real treat. Part stroll, part documentary, part history lesson, part comedy - this episode is a one-off.

The nearest London Underground station is Kensal Green on the Bakerloo Line (Zone 2). The cemetery is also served by buses 18, 23, 52, 70, 295 and 316; please use the Journey Planner to plan your journey with Transport for London. There is limited parking in front of the Main Gate on Harrow Road.

We start at Top Gate - from the Underground turn left then right onto Harrow Road. Top Gate is a few paces on your left hand side. Check the Opening Hours before your visit, and the Friends web site if you want to visit the Anglican Chapel and catacombs as we did.

Opening hours

Summer (1 April to 30 September)
Monday to Saturday: 9.00 to 18.00 (Top Gate*)
Sunday: 10.00 to 18.00 (Top Gate*)
Bank Holidays (UK National Holidays): 10.00 to 13.00 (Top Gate*)

Winter (1 October to 31 March)
Monday to Saturday: 9.00 to 17.00 (Top Gate*)
Sunday: 10.00 to 17.00 (Top Gate*)
Bank Holidays (UK National Holidays): 10.00 to 13.00 (Top Gate*)

My grateful thanks to Henry Vivian Neale for taking the time to show us round. It may be the first and last occasions when he has given several thousand people the benefit of his great knowledge in one 90 minute period.

Help us by sending us a contribution to our costs! This is a free service which many commercial companies charge to provide, and it costs money both in bandwidth and travel costs. A small donation using the PayPal button would be appreciated. On request, those giving $25 or more will receive a disk containing all the walks so far, including any that are unpublished at the time. Please ensure you provide your correct mailing address. I will send the disk post free to any part of the world. My thanks to those who have made donations.

 

A walk through Soho from Goodge Street to Trafalgar Square.

Goodge Street is on the Northern Line (zone 1) and is one stop north of Tottenham Court Road (Central Line) on the Edgware branch.

Today's walk starts in Tottenham Court Road near the famous Heal's department store, on the borders of Fitzrovia and Soho. The name 'Soho' comes from a hunting cry. It harks back to the days when this area consisted of open fields over which the king would ride to hounds.

First occupied by the aristocracy and then by immigrants from Europe and later from the far East, the district retains its ethnic charm with food and drink available from all around the world.

Chinatown is a particular favourite of mine - in Gerard Street we pass literally dozens of restaurants and supermarkets specialising in Chinese food. The Loon Fung supermarket is one I use on a regular basis.

Soho has two famous squares - Soho Square and Golden Square (a corruption of the word 'gelding' rather than the colour gold.)

During our walk, we pass some gems like the Pollock's Toy Museum and Shop. We see a traditional Fruit 'n Veg market. We discover how a local physician Sir John Snow discovered the source of a cholera outbreak that killed 10,000 people, until he traced the infection to one water pump and removed its handle. We pass through Theatreland and Leicester Square, plus Wardour Street and Dean Street, home of cinema production companies big and small.

After spending time in Chinatown, we see the wonderful Royal Opera Arcade, an early shopping mall designed by Nash and finally Trafalgar Square.

The walk ends at Charing Cross Underground (Northern and Bakerloo Lines zone 1).

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A walk round Chelsea starting and ending at Sloane Square.
We start by walking along the King's Road past the John Lewis department store known as Peter Jones. This shop is the favourite shopping venue for young Chesea women (once known as Sloane Rangers) the aristocracy and member of the Royal Family.
From the King's Road we walk through the Royal Hospital, founded in 1862 by Charles II and still the home for the red and blue coated Chelsea Pensioners. You won't find many tourists in its grounds because there is a large guarded security gate, but I show you how to walk in as you have the right of entry. In fact, you will hear me visit the chapel and even pass through the dining room where the men are having lunch.
From here, we walk through the Chelsea Flower Show grounds onto the Embankment where there are views across the River Thames to Battersea and the Buddhist Peace Pagoda built in 1985.
The walk then takes us through the historic district of Old Chelsea. Here we can visit Thomas Carlyle's house, and see the site of the palace owned by Sir Thomas More and Chelsea Manor House built by Henry VIII in 1536. We also pass by Chelsea Old Church and hear how this area was famous for making porcelain until 1784.
The walk then continues along the King's Road, well-known in the 1960's with Carnaby Street as the source of all those wacky military-style fashions and mini-skirts before finishing at Sloane Square, home of the Royal Court Theatre which staged the first production of Osborne's Look Back in Anger in 1956.
Sloane Square Underground is on the District and Circle Lines, Zone 1.
Books referred to in this podcast:
London: A Pilgrimage by Blanchard Jerrold and Gustave Dore with introduction by Peter Ackroyd (Anthem Press ISBN: 1 84331 193 3)
London's Underworld by Thomas Holmes with an introduction by Iain Sinclair (Anthem Press: ISBN 1 84331 219 0)