London Walks

Thank you blithe spirits Laurie Swope and Laurie’s neighbour, my dear friend Tom. Photo by Laurie Swope © Laurie captioned it “Full strawberry moon rising over my favorite Marblehead public beach - the Cove, which is part of the Chandler Hovey property. Reach it by a public right of way marked Cove Lane (street sign) which is along Kimball Street. It looks like somebody’s yard - but it has been a public way for centuries and it is your right to pass through to the beach.” And the London Walks connection? Just this. “Just?” One of the unsung joys of being a London Walks guide is the wonderful people you get to meet. It regularly happens that some of those acquaintances ripen into much prized friendships. If they’re overseas visitors they become the 21st century equivalent of pen pals. And come their next visit, well, it’s the joy of seeing an old friend again. You get together, find time to Pip and Pocket* around London for an afternoon, break some bread, whatever. So the photo came in from London Walker turned very good friend, Tom, from Massachusetts. Tom said, “Strawberry moon over Marblehead, our hometown. Photo by my neighbour, Laurie.” I replied, “huge thanks to both of you, that’s one of the most beautiful photographs I’ve ever clapped eyes on. Would Laurie let me share it with the London Walks community?” Answer was yes. So here you are, London Walks community. And thank you - this now me speaking as a guide - thank you London Walks. Tom, Laurie, Laurie’s blissfully perfect image of that well nigh divine Strawberry moon over Marblehead, Mass., wouldn’t have swum into my ken had it not been for you, LW. *It’s a literary allusion, those best of friends Pip and Herbert Pocket in Dickens’ Great Expectations. www.walks.com

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/british-museum-evening-tour-tickets-1012607234497
And then there’s this. This is why you go on our Friday Night Late, Small Group Guaranteed British Museum Tour. Both images are British Museum shots. The first one - the hordes round the Rosetta Stone - is the BM during the day. This shot - the Parthenon Marbles - is the BM on Friday night. Case closed? www.walks.com

There’s this. (Hint: see what comes after this and put two and two together). www.walks.com

www.walks.com Just up, new London Calling podcast: Roses, Spies, Roman Goddesses, Peacocks, Poetry… https://www.walks.com/news/just-up-new-podcast-abcs-of-london-walks/

Count ‘em. An orange tail. A green tail. And a pink tail. Nothing to add except: they’re sisters. And: this is London, this is Kensington. My favourite part of Kensington. www.walks.com

This is London. Westminster Abbey, the Great Cloister, a couple of hours later. In the gloaming. Rare opportunity - and great privilege - to see it at this hour. www.walks.com

This is London. Westminster Abbey. The Great Cloister. After hours. www.walks.com

https://www.walks.com/podcast/meet-the-vicar/
Just up, new London Walks podcast: Meet the Vicar. What’s it like to be the Vicar of the most beautiful church in London? And what a career trajectory - professional singer in Ireland in her 20s to the Vicarage of St John’s. www.walks.com

This is London. Ok, Hampstead. Coat of arms of the United Kingdom. Makes a splendid send off - it’s the last thing we see on this morning’s Hampstead Walk - for our Heath and Hampstead Village walk. Though, truth be told, looking at that rib work on the lion, well, if I were the unicorn I’d be a tad nervous. www.walks.com

West Heath dreamin’. Dream a little dream of me. This is London. There we were, there they? were on the West Heath. This morning’s Hampstead Walk. www.walks.com

This is London. Pleasant surprise on yesterday’s Kensington Walk. There she was, adorning St Mary Abbot’s Royal Arcade. www.walks.com

Hampstead. Sunday morning. www.walks.com