Skip navigation |
Home
[Readability]

London: Books of town and heritage walks

The following books contain short walks mainly within built-up areas, usually focussing on urban heritage, history and sometimes wildlife and conservation. Though many of the walks described will include parks, open spaces and urban footpaths, much of the walking is inevitably street-based. More heritage trails are listed under Paths and routes: see especially Central London and North London.

  • 50 Walks in London: recommended in country walks section.
  • American Walks in London by Richard Tames, ISBN 0 900075 69 4. 10 routes aimed at visitors from North America. Windrush Press £10.45.
  • Bromley Heritage Walk Guides, series of free leaflets: see Bromley Walks
  • Discover London: Classic Pub Walks. Four free leaflets supported by a brewery. Contact Carol Harthill, tel 0121 420 6034.
  • Discovering Off-beat Walks in London by John Wittich, ISBN 0 7478 0263 7. Shire £4.99.
  • Footnotes audio walks by Richard Andrews. Footnotes, £5 each.
    15 short (2-3km) walks in central London presented as audiobooks on cassette or CD for use in personal hifi. The walks cover both celebrated and obscure areas with much historical, literary and anecdotal detail.
  • Frommer's Memorable Walks in London (4th Ed) by Richard Jones, ISBN 0 764563 31 9. Covers all the major attractions, with times and refreshment suggestions. Wiley £9.
  • London by Pub: Pub walks around historic London by Ted Bruning, ISBN 1 85375 431 5. Short circuits linking historic pubs, with public transport notes. Prion £10
  • London Illustrated Geological Walks Book 1, ISBN 0 70730 350 8, and Book 2: The West End, ISBN 0 70730 416 4 by Eric Robinson, Scottish Academic Press, £4.95 each.
  • London: In the Footsteps of the Famous by Nicholas Best, ISBN 1 84162 043 2. 10 short walks (2km/1 mile to 3km/2 miles) around the major sights of central London, with plentiful historical and architectural notes and anecdote. Bradt Travel Guides, £10.95.
  • London Walks by Celia Woolfrey, ISBN 1 872576 97 4. Duncan Petersen £8.99.
  • Louis' London Walks, series of small, themed guides. Topics include The Beatles (ISBN 1 902678 03 6), Charles Dickens (1 902678 07 9), Historical Riverside Pubs (1 902678 05 2), Jack the Ripper (1 902678 00 1), Princess Diana (1 902678 01 X), Sherlock Holmes (1 902678 04 4), William Shakespeare (1 902678 02 8). Louis London Walks, £2.99 each.
  • New Holland London walks series. Substantial books, generally with interesting selections of walks, plentiful historical detail and anecdote, and basic but clear maps.
    Secret London by Andrew Duncan, ISBN 1 85974 675 6. £9.99.
    Walking Haunted London by Richard Jones, ISBN 1 85974 046 X. £9.99
    Walking Literary London by Roger Tagholm, ISBN 1 85974 555 5. £9.99.
    Walking London by Andrew Duncan, ISBN 1 85974 008 1. £9.99.
    Walking London's Parks and Gardens by Geoffrey Young, ISBN 1 85974 469 4. £9.99.
    Walking Notorious London by Andrew Duncan, ISBN 1 85974 464 8. £9.99.
    Walking Village London: Original walks through 25 London villages by Andrew Duncan, ISBN 1 85974 271 8. £9.99.
    London Walks Map by Andrew Duncan, ISBN 1 85368 991 2. Fold-out chart with 30 walks. £5.99.
  • On Foot in the East End by Robert Philpotts, Vol 1, ISBN 0 946623 04 X and Vol 2, ISBN 0 946623 14 7. Blackwater Press, £4.95 each.
  • See London Walk London by Nick Channer, ISBN 1 902017 00 5. Grey Stone £8.95. 20 heritage walks visiting all the obvious sites but imaginatively presented and some more unusual walks in convenient pocket size. Mainly under 8km/5 miles.
  • Time Out Book of London Walks Volume 1: 30 walks by London writers, edited by Sarah Guy, ISBN 1 90978 86 X. Time Out £12.99
    Short walks 2.5km/1.5 miles to 46km/29 miles, but mainly less than 8km/5 miles, urban and on parks and commons, devised and described by contributors as diverse as Darcus Howe, Graham Norton, Margaret Drabble and Janet Street-Porter. Many have gone for the less obvious and the quirky, and John Vidal's epic 46km walk includes all of the Thames Path from Hampton Court to the Barrier! Clear maps, transport details, plus information on eating, drinking, shopping, attractions and entertainment venues along the routes. [07/05]
  • Walks in Oscar Wilde's London, ISBN 0 879054 45 X. Gibbs M Smith, £9.95.

See also