jack the Ripper walks London

lotties_mum

Are these walks worth going on, are they realistic to the era? We were thinking of going on the London walks tour? Thanks

Lemmy_Caution

I can't speak from personal experience, but my friend from Yorkshire (who is now a bone fide Londoner) went on one of these walks and She said it was brilliant.

jembie

Oh WOW I would love to go on one of those walks.

MT_Pockets

Hello,

From personal experience, I can WHOLEHEARTEDLY reccomend guided walks around London. If you have never, ever done one, then I would highly reccomend ! For less than the price of a cinema ticket, or a couple of pints, you'll enjoy a whole new experience that you will want to repeat.

If you have never done one you will love it ! If you are visiting London, make sure you incorporate one into your visit. There will be one for you, whatever your interests or whatever you want to see.

They are easy to do. No need to book. A great start or end to your day, or addition to your London sightseeing, especially one that gets you off the beaten track. All start outside Tube Stations at a certain time. Don't be intimidated. Just turn up at the appointed time, you'll notice a group of people just like you waiting, and just ask !

Original London Walks are the biggest firm (they have something of a monopoly, as a lot of the small firms have dissapeared) and they have something for everybody, offering walks three times a day, 7 days a week, morning, afternoon and evening. I've done nearly 20 from "Original London Walks". I highly reccomend them, and they always have something going on to help you have an enjoyable, out of the ordinary couple of hours. Overall they have all been enjoyable way to pass a few hours (apart from a few exceptions where a hopefully "spooky" walk was taken by a bright eyed bushy tailed jolly hockey sticks young lady where a dramatic older male Act-Orr type normally makes it more spooking atmospheric).

Anybody who is paying a visit to London should try one. !

The best things about them;

* They are a very "different" addition to your trip, and will give your visit another bit of variety.
* A great way to cram in sightseeing in half the time you would do it yourself, with twice the information.
* They are a relatively cheap and cheerful. About £5 per person for two hours.
* You'll explore "hidden" nooks and crannies of London you would probably never venture by yourself.
* Or you get interesting history behind famous buildings and locations you might have passed all your life, but never realised they had such an interesting history.

Whatever you do, you will have fun .... but my personal reccomendation, and most enjoyable, is to SAVE the evening walk like "Jack The Ripper", "Ghosts") in the "Old City" of London, rather than the "West End" for an Autumn/Winter, Saturday/Sunday night, , led by a theatrical booming man (rather than a bright eyed young female history graduate). Because it's dark and gloomy, and the city is deserted, and it all adds SO MUCH MORE to the atmospheric.

But whatever you do, especially if it is your first, you'll have FUN !

The Original London Walks site is here.

http://www.walks.com/

Here are some smaller companies who I have not used yet, but will be doing soon, it would be great to support !

http://www.silvercanetours.com/Coming_Up.PHP (Lovely, Helpful Chap !)
http://www.shockinglondon.com/
http://www.capitalcuriosities.com/index.htm
http://www.londonhorrortours.co.uk/
http://www.jack-the-ripper-tour.com


Hope you have fun !

(PS for Lottie ... The era cannot be recreated, because we live in the 20th century, with cars, skyscrapers, and no people dying in the streets from medieval diseases, and all your fellow walkers will be dressing in modern day clothing ... ! HOWEVER, what one of these walks does do is to try and help you use your imagination to build up a picture in your mind of being back in the era. They will show you the streets and architecture that remains, that you would have walked past without noticing the significance of, and spin a tale of the conditions, the attitudes, the customs, the people and so on of the era from which you conjure up a mental picture ... DO IT, YOU'LL LOVE IT!)

angel

I agree with everything that MT Pockets says above. I went with on the Jack the Ripper walk with a Canadian friend a couple of years ago. The guide was an actor and told the stories very dramatically which added to the fun and sinister atmosphere. The only problem that we had with the tour is that it ended at Spitalfields Market and everyone drifted off to make their way home and we were a tiny bit lost ... in Jack the Ripper territory!! It was easy to hail a black cab though back to London Bridge Station to get home.

It was the best value that I've ever had from a fiver! You have to do it!