jturner

Is there info anywhere on how long (distance, not time) each of the London Walks is? Many of them sound great, but I am unable to walk long distances.

Thanks in advance for any information.

Judy

m_kingdom2

London Walks? I note the capitals so assume they are offered by a company.

How far can you walk - I'd imagine they'd be a couple of miles.

djkbooks

http://london.walks.com/

According to the brochure, walks last about two hours. Some cover more distance than others. And, some involved more standing than walking (which I find more tiring).

Any of the pub walks would be great fun and involve a lot of sitting (generally, you visit three pubs, not far from each other, and spend 20-25 minutes in each, where there is seating). Though, both the pub walks we took lasted about 2-1/2 hours. You don't have to complete the entire walk, but you'd want to know where the nearest Tube/bus stop was located either at the end of the walk or where you depart.

The guides are very friendly and will help you.

taggie

Judy -
Why don't you send them an email and ask which ones would be most suitable for you? They are very prompt and very helpful in their replies, and they have TONS of selection.
The address is [email protected]

Kayb95

We've found that the daytime walks cover more distance than do the evening pub walks. As djkbooks mentioned, on the pub walks, they stop at a couple pubs so you can sit and rest for a bit before carrying on. The one exception to this is the Jack the Ripper Walk. That is basically two hours of walking and standing. Even though it's an evening walk, it's not a pub walk.

astein12

We did the night Jack the Ripper walk a couple of years ago. I'm guessing that we walked 2-3 miles over the course of 2-3. It was very leisurely paced and if you can spend a couple of hours walking around the local mall, this won't be too taxing.

The walk was a really a good time. We met at one of the underground stops and the guide had written several books on Jack the Ripper. After visiting the sites of several of the murders, you end up at the Ten Bells Pub (where he allegedly frequented).

Rumseydog

My son and I took the "Along the Thames Pub Walk" at 8:00 p.m. on a Friday evening in June. The walk was great fun and quite interesting. However, because of a large turnout, the group was split in two, and our group (the second group) was still walking after 3 hours with the end still not in site. We had to leave early to meet back up with our family at 11 pm!

wojazz3

I did the Haunted London walk and it requires keeping up and a pretty good amount of walking. The guide moves quickly and through traffic sometimes and my thoughts are that those with issues with walking speed might not want to try this tour.

Bill

cheapalice

I second Taggie, contact London Walks. The Jack the Ripper tour was longish, but I really didn't care for the crowds. (This was Feb. 2003;we were split up into two groups.) If you go on a tour of one place (National Galler), you can always check and see if you can take a taxi and meet them there, rather than walk from the tube stop.

SydneySteve

I enjoy walking along the Thames. So far I have only walked near Kingston but will extend my journeys between Richmond and Hampton Court in late September. There are a number of web sites on the subject and maps available from bookshops. It seems that there is now a well developed pedestrian and bicycle path system for most of the journey from sea to source.

taggie

SydneySteve!!! Did you even read what the OP was asking? She's not looking for nice walks - she's concerned about physically being capable of an organized London Walk. Your answers are usually brilliant and thoughful. I'm very disappointed in you!

WillTravel

I took three of the London walks just over a week ago. On the last walk we did have to walk at rather a fast pace so we would get to the Changing of the Guard on time. I would guesstimate that in a typical 2-hour walk you will typically be standing half the time and walking at a moderate pace (3 miles per hour) the rest of the time. I think it's more strenuous than walking around a mall. Try a regime similar to the one I mentioned and see if it's a problem outside at home.

SydneySteve

Oh you must be joking taggie. What does a walk on a river imply to you. Well for me, it implies flat traveling and no hills unless you are in the rapids ! Who said I recommend 10 mile walks - just because I like doing them. There are boats that go along the Thames to Kew and Richmond and places like that from Westminister. Apparantly you can walk from the source to the sea so I am sure that there are many options. When we get to London we will obtain a good map of the Thames walks - I understand there are a few available. I have found the Thames to be a peaceful place. SydneySue and I are looking forward to staying at the Petersham Hotel in Richmond after a few nights in Piccadilly. By the pics I have seen I would be happyt to walk a few hundred yards along that part of the Thames. Sorry if my behavour is challenging !

FromAtlanta

Sydney-Steve,

What Taggie meant was that jturner was SPECIFICALLY asking about "the original london walks" (a walking tour company) ... your post, although very helpful for someone who is looking for a nice flat walk in London, didn't answer her question at all.

I felt I had to write this (even though it is none of my business) because by your post of retaliation, you still didn't understand what Taggie was talking about.

SydneySteve

No retaliation by me - I'm sorry but I post on Fodors by seeking to be constructive with good humoured intent. I am sorry some people get so stressed out about responses to other peoples questions. Anyway to make it simple for you Atlanta, there is a Pub Walk Along the Thames and the walks take about two hours. Maybe jturner can tell us how far and under what conditions she wishes to walk because I have the 12 segment brochure on my desk and I will seek to provide a helpful answer.

taggie

Oh,no... now I have to jump in again.
I did NOT mean to start an argument!
Sydeny Steve:
I'm very sorry that I posted that note to you in the first place. I thought it was a gentle, good humoured chiding, because I thought you didn't know the OP was asking specifically about London Walks.
I agree with FromAtlanta, that in your reply to me it kind of seems like you still didn't quite know that the OP was referring to. BUT... let's just drop it please!! It's no big deal. Just another case of a post being unable to convey the nuances of conversation.

But I hope you didn't aren't referring to me getting stressed out - it'd take a lot more than this board to do that!

SydneySteve

I find third party comments to be quite amusing. They provide more insight into the character(s) of the poster(s) than anything else IMHO. The only sensible third party comment has been a question raised by m_kingdom2 that remains unanswered.I am glad everyone has formed a view in their own mind about the age, physical characteristics, distance sought etc of the original poster who has yet to re-appear. Judy's original post did not provide any of us with sufficient detail to comment to the satisfaction of taggie and Atlanta. Judy, please let us know how far you may wish to walk and I will consult the brochure with some knowledge of the area. I am sure m_kingdom2 will have some good advice straight from the streets of London. Good luck.

rj007

Most of the walks generally are 2 miles or less. Most walks are 2 hours, but I have been on walks that lasted over 3 hours. They are done at a normal walking pace. As mentioned, the pub walks have nice 20 min breaks to sit and have a drink.

I hsve done nearly 4 dozen of these walks and they are a nice introduction to the neighborhoods of London. The Explorer day trips are also worthwhile.

cheryllj

I've done a couple of the London Walks, and they seem to vary quite a bit in the actual distance covered. One walk covered a good deal of ground, but another involved more standing and talking than actual walking. There are usually a variety of ages and fitness levels in the group, and the pace isn't all that brisk. I'm not all that fit but didn't find it hard to keep up, although some older folks would catch up while the guide was stopped and talking.