Hidden London Walks
Hidden London Walks
What: This group will undertake walks in London of between 3 and 5 miles which will include places of interest away from the usual tourist hot spots. We will normally travel by train so a Senior Railcard is an advantage.
When: Every 3rd Wednesday of the month. All Day (Starting February 2023) Meet at Bearsted Station for 9.00am train.
Where: London
How to Join: Use the blue pigeon Send a Message button on the top right hand side of this page to contact Richard the Hidden London Walks co-ordinator or Linda the Interest Groups Co-ordinator for more details.
Annual Report 2023
Hidden London Walks (New for 2023) - Patricia & Richard
April 2023 - 14 walkers
Richard (husband) and I are members of the West Malling U3A London Walkers group, and having been members of the Bearsted & District since just before Covid struck, we decided to try our hand at co-ordinating a similar group for our Bearsted & District Group.
Naming the group ‘HIDDEN LONDON WALKS’ we sent out invitations to those whose replies we had received, as a result of having a table at the open day, in 2022. We met for our initial chat at Mote Park, on a bright sunny, cold January morning, and had a lovely stroll around the park.
The guidance for the walks was simple: each month, a host team of 2 as a minimum, would lead a London walk. The whole of London was at their disposal, so long as the walk was about 3 hrs long – 3-5 miles, with lots of interesting nooks and crannies, and was nowhere near the usual tourist routes. We would aim to take the first train out of Bearsted that fell within the ‘cheap day return’ times, factor in toilet stops, and actually leave for the walk from the rendezvous at 11am sharp. Obviously this entailed detailed research on behalf of the host team.
We explained that a recce was needed by each team of their chosen area, in the month preceding their chosen month. Detailed directions of the route should be noted, plus copious notes of all the interesting buildings, statues, murals, parks, churches, etc etc. A risk assessment was also needed, as there were bollards aplenty, wobbly paving slabs, and cyclists galore. Not to mention the taxis. All this information Richard and I needed, to be able to circulate to the members, in good time for them to reply to us, yes/no they were joining in. We would then have a definite list of those walking, and so could tick them off at the rendezvous site before leaving.
As start-up walks, Richard and I led the walks for February and March. Our first walk was Hidden Wren Amongst Others. The second was Herne Hill and Brixton Village. A good mix of culture and architecture which we hoped would give the group lots of ideas for themselves. These two walks also showed that walking in the park was as interesting as walking amongst the likes of Wren.
April was the first walk lead by a team completely new to the experience - Paddington to Kings Cross.
May - Legal London: The Temple & Inns of Court. July – Mayfair, September – Greek Revival Architecture in Bloomsbury and St Pancras, October – Kensington – Holland Park and area. November we are exploring Pimlico.
June proved too hot for many members, and August was deemed ‘holiday’ time.
As convenors of the group, to say we are delighted with the enthusiasm would be an understatement. Setting up a new group is not easy, but all our walks have been fun, well attended and very well received by all.