Lift the Gloom: Go Walk About

Rising food and fuel prices are hitting consumers hard. More and more Britons are set to abandon plans for the traditional summer getaway, in favour of holidaying at home. Many Americans call this stay-at-home approach to holidaying a 'stayvacation.'

In these days of reduced consumer confidence, consumers are looking for ways to save money.

Visitors to London, Edinburgh, York and Manchester can enjoy the sights without having to break the bank - and do their bit to save the planet into the bargain. Walk Talk Tours offer independent travellers the chance to become undercover tourists in each of the aforementioned cities. So why not go walk about with Walk Talk Tours?

Some of the most enjoyable spectacles in London can be viewed for free. All you need to do is get your timing right and hope the heavens don't open. Listeners to the Palace Trail audio downloadable walking tour can walk the coronation procession in reverse from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace. See Mounting the Guard at Horseguards or Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace. Check out the Palace Trail's Where & When page to see when the ceremonies should to take place. Each Walk Talk Tour city guide has an accompanying Where & When page which details the opening times and admission charges of key attractions on each tour's route.

Each Walk Talk Tour comes complete with a downloadable map - for you to print off - so you won't miss a thing.

Hear the origins of the term robbing Peter to pay Paul, hear about gunpowder, treason and plot at the Houses of Parliament, see statues of great statesmen past and present, find the true centre of London, see what was once London's smallest police station and more. To hear an audio sample from the Palace Trail please click here.

Each of the Walk Talk Tours of London is available in English, French, German and Spanish. Each Walk Talk Tour of London costs just £5.95.

Heading to Edinburgh? There are two Walk Talk Tours of Edinburgh. The Royal Mile & More, Edinburgh travel guide, is centred in the Old Town. Begin your tour outside the Castle. Hear how the Castle changed hands down the years between the English and Scottish. Hear the One o'clock and discover why it was first fired. Enjoy panoramas of Edinburgh's New Town. Moving down the Royal Mile hear about Edinburgh's long association with witchcraft.

Hear about Edinburgh's most famous dog Greyfriars Bobby, who is commemorated with a statue on George IV bridge. Find out why he is commemorated with the Royal Mile & More podcast guided tour. Listeners to the Edinburgh tour guide are then guided to St Giles Cathedral. Hear about the new Scottish Parliament's history. The Royal Mile & More, Edinburgh iPod travel guide concludes outside the gates of the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Hear about murder and intrigue at the Palace and more. To hear an audio sample from the Royal Mile & More, Edinburgh visitor guide please click here. The two Walk Talk Tours of Edinburgh cost just £5.95 each.

The city of York is steeped in history. Listeners to the Best of York iPod travel guide can unearth some gems from the city's past. See the King's Manor, which is said to be haunted by the ghost of King Henry VIII's fifth wife, Catherine Howard. Hear about the 'pub that floods', visit Clifford's Tower site of a dark chapter from York's past, hear where highwayman Dirk Turpin spent his final days. Walk along Europe's best preserved Medieval street, the Shambles. The Best of York podcast guided tour concludes outside York Minster. The Best of York city guide costs just £4.50.

British weather is gloriously unpredictable, but with a Walk Talk Tour, you day need not be a wash out. Manchester has a reputation as one of Britain's wettest cities. Listeners to the Manchester: Then & Now, mp3 guided tour can hear how the city helped shape the modern world. Find out about the origins of 'Manchester' and the city's Roman past. Find out what 'kissing the shuttle was' and a 'Manchester Department' is. To hear an audio sample from the Manchester: Then & Now mp3 guided tour please click here. The Manchester: Then & Now podcast guided tour costs just £5.

Customers purchasing two Walk Talk Tours simultaneously will receive a twenty per cent discount. Buy three at the same time and get thirty per cent off.