Below we give a few examples of the tours that we offer. We are also pleased to design bespoke walks to meet your specific needs, for example a team-building/social activity for your organisation, or a special family occasion. Please contact us to discuss your needs.
mail to andy@cattowalks.co.uk
Secrets of Spitalfields
Join us on an exploration of this fascinating part of London that has seen more than its fair share of change and hardship. We’ll see evidence of the legacy of the waves of immigration that have shaped the environment and hear stories of the people making their lives here. There will be entrancing house, haunting echoes of the past, and opportunities for shopping and eating in the vibrant ‘banglatown’.
Regal London
The history of London is intertwined with the history of the monarchy. This tour takes in the main sights including Buckingham Palace (including possible entry in the summer), the ceremony of Changing of the Guard, lovely royal parks and ancient remains, Along the way we’ll hear the stories of the sometimes shocking events of the past.
Fire and Water
The Great Fire of London was a cataclysmic event in the history of this great City. Join us as we walk from St Pauls Cathedral down to the Thames and along the river bank to the Monument. Along the way we will hear about how the fire started & spread; the efforts to control it; the impact on one of the most important cities in the world at that time. Equally important will be the human stories as people coped with the dramatic events: heroic deeds and indeed failures, great tragedies and successes and, of course, Pepys’ cheese. At the end of the walk there will be an opportunity for those feeling fit enough to go up the Monument itself.
ty walks team-building explore London entertaining
mail to andy@cattowalks.co.uk
Secrets of the City
Have you ever pondered the question: ‘what did the Romans ever do for us?’ or wondered why a ‘hallmark’ is so called, then this is the walk for you. During our stroll through the marvellous City we will answer these and other pressing questions including: why do we keep things ‘under our hat’; be at sixes & sevens with someone; call someone a good ‘chap’? And how come there is a church designed by Sir Christopher Wren in Fulton Missouri?
The City of London has a long and fascinating history which is still played out in the many marvellous ceremonials and pageantry of today’s world-leading financial centre. So do join us when we’ll see sites ancient and modern & one very pampered tree!
Meet at St Paul’s tube station exit by Caffe Nero at 11am. Finish Bank tube station at 12.45pm
Read All About It
Join us for a tour exploring some of the fascinating history around one of the most famous streets in the world: Fleet Street, which has been associated with printing, especially of newspapers, for over 300 years.
We will dodge in and out of small alleyways to learn about the long-term associations of the area with the spread of news, including the infamous ‘St Paul’s walk’ and the influential ‘Broadsides’. We’ll see where the man with possibly the most suitable name ever started printing (clue: it’s not Caxton) and trace it’s development over time – why is UPPER CASE so-called for example. We’ll hear stories about the press barons who made this area one of the busiest in London & visit the church that inspired the wedding cake. Oh, and we’ll also see a very fine cat indeed
One Street, One Thousand Years
Join us for a journey through time and space with a walk down one of the oldest streets in London. We will explore what clues from the past have been left in the environment around us in the roads, buildings, street names and the like. On the way we will meet the first media superstar, find out the connection between the penguin pool at London Zoo and a block of flats, learn how beer & gin brewed up trouble and what breed of dog was used by cattle drovers.
The walk starts by Angel tube station and finishes 1.5 hours later by Smithfield market, about 5 minutes away from Farringdon station. Cost £5
Revolutions & Rebellions
Over the years London has seen maybe more than its fair share of bloody events on its streets. Join us on this exploration of some key places from this past. We start at Smithfield with its long history of murder and mayhem, we will visit the sites of the infamous Newgate and Clink prisons as well as hearing about the impact of the Great Fire. Revolutionary thinking can also produce great change, as illustrated by the magnificent St Paul’s Cathedral and, even, the ‘Wobbly Bridge’.
We start from Farringdon Station and finish about 2 hours later near London Bridge Station. Cost £10
Know Your City
The City of London has been at the heart of our Capital for two thousand years, and is a major power in the country and indeed the world. Join us as we explore some of the key locations in the fascinating history and amazing present of the Square Mile. We’ll walk down hidden alleys, see some stunning buildings and hear some quirky stories along the way.
So if you’ve ever wondered why underwriters are so-called, why coffee was so crucial in trade and the connection between Harry Potter and the Romans, well now’s your chance to find out!
We will end our walk close to a historic pub that was the home of the Lord Mayor in days gone by.
The walk starts by the Monument & finishes not far from Bank station. Duration 1.5 hours. Cost £10
Angel Georgian Delights
It has been said that the Georgians created the modern world & that we merely live in it. Join us for exploration of how the area around the Angel developed and how it now reflects this heritage. On our tour we will, of course, see some lovely houses, and also learn about developments in transport and entertainment , including where to see performing monkeys, and what the forerunners of our modern police did when bored.
This circular walk starts outside the Angel tube station and will last about 75 minutes. Cost £7
Living & Dying in Clerkenwell
We start at ‘Battlebridge’ (the name of Kings Cross until 1836) and walking mostly downhill will follow the course of the old River Fleet to Farringdon station. On the way we will pass some grand squares, built for the wealthy upper middle class, social housing, including a rare example of ‘5% philanthropy’ and a bold statement of ‘constructivist’ architecture, and the only C20th G1 listed building in Islington. We will also find out how the area got its name and what the ‘burial ground abomination’ was all about.
Walk length: 2hours. Cost £10
Garden of Delight
Join us on a pleasant stroll through a fascinating part of London. We will start at Charing Cross with its sad and romantic connections, past a hidden gem of a gate, up a haunted alley and into the buzz of the Covent Garden piazza. On the way we will see the finest barn in England, a pub that comes in two parts, and where an understudy went a bit far in his efforts to get on stage.
Start: Charing Cross Station Finish: Covent Garden Piazza Walk length: 1.5 hours. Cost £7
Rebels & Rivers in Islington
Islington has many fascinating associations with dissent – in religion, politics and the arts. Come with us on a tour down less explored streets and paths to see where music hall was born, George Orwell wrote 1984, Thomas Crowell lived and Greenpeace have their HQ. Learn about an elopement in a bread basket, a 400 year old triumph of engineering and how an author turned a local estate agent into a (dead) rock star.
The walk starts by Highbury & Islington station and finishes about 2 hours later near Angel tube. Cost £10
LUNCHTIME WALKS – designed to fit into a lunchtime, with a prompt start & finish: information, entertainment and some exercise all for less than the cost of a sandwich!
To book or make any enquiries please email: andy@cattowalks.co.uk
Up & Down the City Road
Why not take this opportunity to take a well-earned break & explore this fascinating area? We will peel away layers of history and hear some of the stories of people who lived, and died, here. You will get a little exercise, gain some new information and, hopefully, be entertained!
Our route will take in the atmospheric Bunhill (or Bonehill) Fields, the home of non-conformist religion, a lively street market and the site of the first balloon ascent in the UK. We will hear about a philanthropic American, a rival of Shakespeare and the man who established the brewery that has been entertaining Londoners since 1750.
Circular walk starting on north side of Finsbury Square just inside park
Timing: Start at 1pm, duration about 50 minutes
Cost: £4
Echoes of the Past
It is sadly often the case that our busy lives leave us very little time to ‘stand and stare’. Why not take this opportunity to do just that during the lunch-break with a gentle circular walk? It will be relaxing, healthy and, hopefully, entertaining – what’s not to like! We will start & finish outside Farringdon station and delve into some maybe lesser known corners of the area, including where Oliver met Fagin, the virgin queen danced and there’s gold in the very dust on the floor.
The walk will last about 45 minutes. Cost £3 per person.
Further Echoes of the Past
Another opportunity to take a well-earned break in your lunch break. On this circular walk starting and finishing at West Smithfield, we will see where Sherlock met his end (or did he?), ‘Bloody’ Mary watched martyrs burn and Hugh Grant was early for a wedding. We will also be visiting the ‘Bells of Old Bailey’ and a golden boy.
The walk will last 45 minutes and cost £3 per person
Curiosities of Clerkenwell
Forget eating ‘al desko’ for once and take this further chance to improve your lunch time. We will start on Clerkenwell Green, exploring its revolutionary past, visit the scene of the ‘Clerkenwell Outrage’, see the very well that gives the area its name and even meet a musical coalman.
The walk will last 45 minutes and cost £3 per person
Curiosities of Clerkenwell Continued
Clerkenwell has many wonderful corners to explore, and this walk takes in some key sights. We will visit the pub where Dickens drank, Gotham City’s police HQ, and the house that started the gentrification of the area – all in the course of your lunch break!
The walk start & finish at Farringdon station will last 45 minutes and cost £3 per person
Best walks in London Recommended walks in London Best walks in Lojndon Secret London