Fodors doesn't allow external clickable links for whatever reason, but this is the url for Original London Walks that I've always used: <b>http://www.walks.com/</b>

smacknmo, the link I gave you was http://london.walks.com without the www, and so by adding that you made it not work. However, my link leads to the same link as Kay gave you: http://www.walks.com .

PalQ is as wrong as he is rude and uninformative. Can he recommend a single comparable alternative to the Original London Walks company? No, he can't, he just wants to stir the pot and be snarky about something that others have enjoyed. Googling tells you nothing about the range of choices. Stepping Out used to be London Walks's main competitor, and it has been moribund for years -- as you can see from the site PalQ lists from his Google search, a site inactive since 2001. Ron is perfectly right.

Cuttle

Even if there are other walks, they are not as convenient or cheap or good. This is perfect. just show up at the tube stop and go. or don't go if that is your mood for the day. no deciding ahead. To find their si6te, just do a search on Google for London walks. i have never had trouble accessing them.
Jean

Secret London Walks aka Diane Burstein, does 1 public walks a month that has to be booked in advance. Other than that she does group coach/walking tours, where you have to provide the group and the coach.

Lonwalk.ndirect aka Brian Cookson has a programme of public walks for August to December 2004 that had a grand total of 6 walks during the period, which required pre-booking. Otherwise he does group tours.

The Stepping Out website states, “Stepping Out is taking a short programme break at present...” and refers people to the websites of the two above organizations. The copyright date on the page is 2001, which may give a hint to what “short break” means.

Golden Tours is a major coach tour company whose only walking tour is a daily Jack the Ripper walk.

Mystery Walks does 3 Ripper and 1 Haunted London walks per walk and asks for pre-booking and indicates that walks may be cancelled for insufficient numbers.

I can’t open the London Ghost Walk site. There is another ghost walk site, “Thomas Bodie presents the London Ghost Walk” indicates that he does 6 ghost walks per week. The schedule was last updated on the website through March 1999, so one may want to call ahead before showing up.

As mentioned earlier, John Muffty shut down his Historical Walks of London. Also gone is the wonderful “Pub Walk with the Londoner” and Sue Gane’s informative Dicken’s walk, although she will sell you the crib sheet so you can do the walks on your own. Peter Powell’s Angel Weekend Walks is temporarily shut down according to his website.

Except if you want a Ripper walk, the claim that Original London Walks has no real competition passes the smell test very well.

Ron: Your knowledge is obviously much more than mine on this subject - though it turns out there are other offerings, though limited, i grant your point and with your great research i know feel it does pass the smell test.

City Sidewalks appears to be a major walking tour company - their 2005 program says you just need show up and they have many walks each week: www.citysidewalks.co.uk - they would appear to be a competitor to Original Walks that is in business.
LondonTown.com also has lots of walks
Looks like Original Walks is not the only walking tour in town. CitySidewalks at least as an extensive program where you just show up. Enough, i regret coming across as rude and should have made my point more diplomatically with just the above info that speaks for itself.

I had a disastrous time on the OLW Jack the Ripper walk - too large of a group, guide who all but whispered - I have to say one thing in support of OLW staff, my money was refunded the next day. I have heard their other walks are very good - to each his/her own. Caveat Emptor.

Thanks, PalQ, for finding City Sidewalks. Those look like interesting walks, and I hope they do well. I will try to try one of their walks next time in London.

But did you actually open the links to the 11 walks they listed? Two of them are offered once a week, five are offered two to five times over the winter season, the American one is offered twice a month while three are only offered if enough people call in and ask for them. Still quite away from OLW's schedule. Maybe their offerings increase in the summer. And I hope they do grow to be major competition to OLW.

When I went Londontown.com, their walking tour link led me to Original London Walks, Mystery Walks and a phone number if I wanted someone to lead me through Islington.

Thanks again for finding City Sidewalks. It is finds like these that I use to justify wasting my time on this forum.

Ron: Thanks for setting me straight when i thought there were many such walks; it turns out there are maybe 2 or 3 that offer extensive programs and none like Original, which i will take next time i'm in London as most comments on them are very positive. Again i apologize for my use of words i really am sorry. Sincerely.

Palq, apology not really necessary, but accepted. The sad thing here is that, a dozen years ago, there was real competition amongst three or four walking tour companies. You would find their little trifolded A4 pamphlets in all the tourist info racks, and OLW's wasn't much more extensive than the others. I think that David Tucker, ex-pat from Wisconsin, by recognizing and treating this as a business opportunity, brought OLW to its prominent position. And I suppose having the best Jack the Ripper leader.

Thank you Everybody!!! Success! Finally found the site.

London Walks dominates because nothing suceeds like sucess. if you have the best you win.

Further to the discussion of the disappearance of competition to Original London Walks, I was doing some house cleaning yesterday of junk brought back from European trips, and came across 1999-2000 brochures from &quot;Historical Walks of London&quot; and &quot;Guided Walks of London with Stepping Out&quot;. In the summer of '99, Historical Walks did 22 walks a week. In the winter 1999-00, Stepping Out did 17 regular walks a week and had 12 special walks which they gave on an irregular basis, which added an average of 4 more walks a week. As noted above, both companies are no longer offering walks.