There would be no problem with your son to do the pub walk. There is no obligation for anyone to actually go into the pub or buy a drink, if the don't wish to or are underage.

Generally, at each pub, on arrival outside, the guide will talk about the pub, any interesting history, anything worth noting inside, recommended real ales and you'll then have about 15 minutes.

Consider the Sunday night Chelsea pub walk, the pubs are small neighbourhood ones, and not crowded on Sunday. I also liked the Knightsbridge one, for the really interesting pubs.

I am a Londoner and I have been on quite a few London Walks in the past 6 months. I would say that the walks really are very good. The guides are so knowledgable and, more often than not, they are entertaining as well. However, their pub walks tend to be a bit thin on pubs (only one pub visited on their Literary Pub Walk) and they tend not to know much about the history of the actual pubs visited. Last week I tried a London Tavern Trails pub walk (http://www.londontaverntrails.com) called In the footsteps of Dickens. We visited four amazing pubs in the Holborn / St Paul's area and the guide's knowledge of the history of the pubs and the local area was outstanding. I would recommend trying it.

London Walks sound good, but if you don't want to be with the herd or are half deaf like I am, doing your own thing can work well too.

For example, recently I did a Hampstead Heath walk with a diversion to Highgate cemetery - took the Northern Line (Edgeware branch) to Hampstead tube station (the deepest - gives Abbesses in Paris a run) and on the edge of Zones 2 and 3 so only 1.90 pounds each way off the Oyster, followed the London City Walks card along Flask Walk to Keat's House, then over to Parliament Hill for the view of the city, then detoured out and up Swain's Lane to Highgate east cemetery - now a three pound entrance fee and one pound for the brochure (Karl wouldn't be impressed) - and back to the Heath (after being given a bit of a bum steer and covering some of the previous territory, but not to mind, it was a beautiful day) and then via the ponds up to Kenwood House where I had a very pleasant lunch before setting off via the denser north west section and Lime Avenue (without the leaves), exiting the Heath at Well Walk which took me back to the high street and tube.

On another day traversed the parks, St James's, Hyde (including Speakers Corner) and Kensington Gardens and the Orangery (a lot of landscaping work going on outside Kensington Palace), visited the V&A, then down to the King's Road at Chelsea where I visited the Saatchi Gallery and then walked along Cheyne Row and Walk and the Thames back around to Whitehall.

Didn't have the scintillating company or local knowledge of a walks tour, but had read up and managed to cover a lot of interesting territory and came home tired but happy as they say.

TeddE, not sure when I'll have the pleasure of getting back to London. But I'll certainly file away your recommendation. Sounds like something I'd really enjoy. Thanks for posting that link!

Farrermog - your walk sounds brilliant. It's exactly the sort of thing we would have done when we lived in London, walk and walk and walk, get back exhausted but having had a great time. You see so much out walking, blue plaques, a sideways glance up a quiet mews, a cat sunning itself in a window, small things that add up to a good day.

Kay

Agree with all of the above. I often jump on a Barclays Cycle (the Transport for London scheme introduced last year) and head for an area i don't know much about, with just a simple guide book in hand, which i refer to from time to time. In fact, farrermog mentioned he spent time walking in Chelsea - i did the same a few weeks ago. Its really "undiscovered" and not on the radar of most Londoners, let alone tourists ! The church where Charles Dickens got married, the church where Henry VIII secretly married Jane Seymour, the Royal Hospital (where you can pop into the 17th C Dining Hall and Chapel) + loads more. Some lovely quiet quintessentially English pubs in Chelsea too. The guy from London Tavern Trails said they had it on their radar for a guided pub walk next year. Great idea, me thinks.

Beatle London tour is the best. If you take the services of the guide, you will learn a lot about the world's famous band. Train journey is also best and participants needs Zone 1 travel card. Trains services are underground. It is also wonderful experience for your kids.

elisagrace, we didn't do the Beatles tour but your post game me a nice memory -- our flat was just up the road from Abbey Road Studios and we were by there (and that famous crosswalk) all the time!

Wow, what a surprise to see this thread come up again after 6 years. That's OK, it's a good thread. :-)