Story of London: Walk this Way

Elements of the month long Story of London have been criticised by some commentators, including The Guardian's Dave Hill and blogger Diamond Geezer. Hill wrote on June 2 that "the Story of London is far more about re-packaging the capital's "cultural offer" to visitors than anything else. Good may come of this: much of that "offer" is appealing and the draw of London's history, galleries and theatres, coupled with a favourable exchange rate, is a big reason why the capital is weathering the recession relatively well. But the schedule has a deeply conventional look about it..."

Today is the final day of the Story of London Walking Weekend where residents and visitors alike can enjoy a wide variety of walks through the capital. However, if you cannot make it on any of today's guided walks, do not fear there is a way to enjoy some of London's rich history at a time that suits you.

Walk Talk Tours is an official partner of the Story of London. You can experience some of the best that London has to offer via your iPod, MP3 player, cell phone or BlackBerry with a Walk Talk Tour audio downloadable tour guide, 24/7, 365 days a year. All of our London walks are available in French, German and Spanish.

Perspective: it's not just what we see it's the way that we see it. Great cities elicit different reactions from different people. London, Europe's most populous city, is great; but, it can be easy to feel overawed by the scale of the place and the speed at which its residents and commuters go about their day to day business.

I know that some of our customers have taken a day to complete a particular tour because they have used the flexibility afforded by their self guided audio tour to spend time visiting attractions, places of worship, shops, pubs and restaurants along the route of their tour. All of the London audio guides - bar the longer City & South Bank Circular tour - can be completed in two hours.

Each Walk Talk Tour London walking tour costs just £5.95. Buy two audio guides together and save twenty per cent. That's two tours for less than £10.

Listen up and see London "with fresh eyes"

Yesterday, May 31 was the 150th anniversary of the first occasion on which Big Ben, the famous bell in St Stephen's Clock Tower, was rung. Today sees the beginning of the Story of London. A range of themes will be celebrated during the month long celebration: history, music, theatre, art, architecture, film and fashion.

The Story of London will be a month long celebration of the "city's past, present and future". One of the keynote anniversaries being celebrated this summer in London is the 500th anniversary of the coronation of King Henry VIII, the monarch who is most popularly remembered for having had six wives.

London Mayor Boris Johnson says: "There are so many stories to tell, in so many different ways, and the Story of London will be a kaleidoscopic exposition of the city's past, present and future. It will bring together some superb attractions for visitors and Londoners, who will also be able to 'revisit' their city with fresh eyes."

Londoners and visitors alike can enjoy exploring the most populous city in Europe on foot with five Walk Talk Tour audio downloadable tour guides. Go walk about with a Walk Talk Tour and see the sights on your own terms. Should an attraction during - or after the month long Story of London - demand a closer look, with a Walk Talk Tour it's easy to stop your tour and then resume it when you are ready.

Hopefully, the weather will be bright and sunny in London during the Story of London. However, if the weather does take a turn for the worse, listeners can make the most of the flexibility afforded by a Walk Talk Tour to look round a world famous attraction, indulge in a spot of retail therapy or take the opportunity to have something to eat or drink.

Each Walk Talk Tour London tour guide costs just £5.95. All of our London tours are available in French, German and Spanish. All of the London tours - bar the longer City & South Bank Circular audio guide - can be completed in two hours, but, listeners are free to take as long as they wish to explore the sights on each tour's route.

For more information on the activities taking place during the month long festival check out the Story of London website.

Short break in London: travel light & travel well

Planning a short break in London? Are you taking a short haul flight to the Big Smoke? Understandably, many passengers are reluctant to pay for a suitcase or large bag to go in the hold. Having to retrieve a suitcase from the carousel at the airport can delay your departure from the airport to your eventual destination. If I'm flying with a budget airline, I tend to carry the bulk of my luggage in a holdall. I also like to include a small backpack, which I pack in my holdall for the flight, which I can carry things in during my stay.

Once you arrive at your base for your stay - be it a hostel, hotel, bed and breakfast - leave your main bag in your room and then pack a few essentials in a backpack that you can take with you when you venture out into the city.

As mentioned in a previous post, I always like to take a bottle or two of water when I'm out and about. I tend to get thirsty and you never know when it is going to come in handy. The Underground can be hot, particularly at this time of year.

Some people like taking a guidebook with them when they're visiting a major city, like London, for the first time. A well written up-to-date guidebook can provide an insight into a city. On the flip side, a guidebook adds weight to your backpack and marks you out as tourist - when you might prefer to be a little less conspicuous.

Visitors can go walk about in London with five Walk Talk Tour audio downloadable tour guides. Listeners download their chosen tour or tours from our website to their iPod, MP3 player or cell phone. Most of the tours with the exception of the longer City & South Bank Circular audio tour guide can be completed in two hours.

Each Walk Talk Tour London audio downloadable guide costs just £5.95. Purchase two tours from walktalktour.com simultaneously and receive a twenty per cent discount.

A Walk Talk Tour allows the listener the ultimate in flexibility. The listener can stop and start as they see fit. If you're out and about in the UK it's always a good idea to have a waterproof or an umbrella close at hand, so you day doesn't end up being a damp squib or, at worst, a washout. If the rain starts to fall and you're enjoying a Walk Talk Tour, your day need not be ruined. Simply pause your tour and resume it when the weather has improved.

Pictured above is the National Gallery on the north side of Trafalgar Square. The Museums, Galleries & Performing Arts London tour guide begins outside the National Gallery. Like the other four Walk Talk Tour city walking tours it is available in English, French, German and Spanish. And the tour comes complete with a downloadable tour plan (map) for listeners to print off.

London Eye set to be greener

As the row concerning MPs' rumbles on, you could be forgiven for thinking that there are no other news worthy stories in the UK at the moment. The concept of 'waste' - in this case a misuse of taxpayers' money - and the damage it does is central to the arguments surrounding the electorate's representatives who sit at the new Palace of Westminster. Everyone of us wastes precious resources without necessarily thinking about it (though we don't have the chance to claim it back on expenses).

I found it heartening to read that the London Eye is going to be doing its bit for the environment in a £12.5 million programme, which will see heating and ventilation improved in each of the attraction's 32 capsules. The BBC website reported that the upgrade is due to begin this summer and be completed in 2012. Visitors enjoying a flight on the Eye enjoy wonderful views of London.

The London Eye first opened to the public in February 2000. Each capsule is deigned to afford visitors a 25 mile view across the British capital's skyline. More than 33million visitors have enjoyed a flight on the London Eye since it first opened.

Independent minded travellers can hear about the history of some of the sights that they can see from the London Eye with a Walk Talk Tour London tour guide. There are five podcast guided tours of London. Each Walk Talk Tour guide of London is available in English, French, German and Spanish. Hear about the history behind a building popularly known as the Gherkin with the City and the Tower audio tour or the City & South Bank Circular audio guide. Hear more about the Houses of Parliament with the Palace Trail city guide.

Going walk about with a Walk Talk Tour is a healthy and stimulating way to enjoy the sights. And of course listeners are helping to reduce their carbon footprint as they enjoy exploring London on their own terms. Unlike a conventional guided tour, listeners to a Walk Talk Tour city guide have the flexibility to see the sights at their own pace. Stopping to visit a particular attraction or enjoy refreshments is easy when you are your own boss.

As long as you have a comfortable pair of shoes, an iPod, MP3 player or MP3 enabled phone/BlackBerry you are free to go walk about with a Walk Talk Tour.

Pictured above is St Stephen's Clock Tower, commonly called Big Ben (though that's the name of the bell not the tower), the equestrian statue depicts King Charles I. Listeners to the Palace Trail can hear about both and much more besides.

This House believes

MPs have endured a torrid week, after the Daily Telegraph first published details of MPs' expenses on Friday, May 8. The roll of shame is long and inglorious. 'I acted within the rules', the initial reaction of many Parliamentarians accused of spending taxpayers' money, on items and services totally unrelated to the fulfilment of their public office, no longer washes with the public.

The British public's faith in their elected Members of Parliament seems to be at an all time low. The title Right-Honourable Member rings hollow for many members of the public. Watching Question Time on BBC One last night it was plain to see the contempt in which MPs of all parties - however honourable or decent - are currently held.

Looking back at the annals of history, Parliament has been faced with crises before, but in the past the enemy has been from outside the confines of the new Palace of Westminster or from across the floor of the House Commons - not seemingly from the behaviour of many MPs from all sides of the Lower House.

Winston Churchill proved to be a great unifying force in the face of the threat posed by Nazi Germany. Independent travellers and Londoners alike can learn about the Mother of all Parliaments with the Palace Trail, audio downloadable travel guide. To hear an audio sample from the Palace Trail podcast guided tour please click here.

Reputations can take a long time to be built, but can be dashed in the blink of an eye, as any business person knows. At Walk Talk Tours we are trying to build our brand. We are proud of our recent nomination in the Lonely Planet Blog Awards in the Best Themed Blog category. Our products are designed to enable visitors to enjoy the best of some of Britain's most visited cities at an affordable price and in an environmentally friendly way.

There are five Walk Talk Tour audio city guides of London. All five mp3 guided tours are available in French, German and Spanish. Each tour represents excellent value at just £5.95 a piece. Purchase two tours in the same order and receive a twenty per cent discount.

For flexible sustainable city sightseeing: go walk about

When out sightseeing, I would always recommend that you wear footwear that is comfortable. In an ancient cities like York and Chester, one of the highlights for many visitors is enjoying a walk along a stretch of the historic walls. If you are used to wearing high heels - largely on the flat - think about how your feet (and your shoes) will cope with climbing up a set of steps or negotiating cobbles, like on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.

For any dads sightseeing with teenage children, you might to avoid wearing socks with sandals unless you don't mind a bit of an ear-bashing. As the late British Comedienne, Linda Smith, once said: "We know Jesus can't have been English. He is always wearing sandals, but never with socks."

On a more serious note, in these troubles financial times, it is easy to overlook the threat that climate changes poses to all of our lives - and the lives of our children and grandchildren. Going walk about with a Walk Talk Tour audio downloadable guide will help you reduce your carbon footprint and allow you to explore the sights on your own terms. Your tour is reusable, you are using your own equipment (iPod, MP3 player, cell phone or BlackBerry) or if you hire the tour (the equipment - MP3 player, neck phones and map are reusable) and you are not using any fossil fuels like you would do if you decided to take a sightseeing bus tour.

'Battery-hen sightseeing' that's rushing to see as much as possible in a confined space of time - can be counterproductive. You may be able to cross off various 'must-see places' on a list, but will you be able to remember them when you return home?

If you're on vacation you should be in charge of your own destiny - for as much as your stay as possible. Each Walk Talk Tour is downloadable from walktalktour.com and allows independent minded visitors to easily visit on the route - or close to - the route of the tour.

Visitors to Chester, Manchester and York can also hire the respective tours of each city from the Tourist Information Centres a preloaded MP3 player. Visitors utilising this service are asked to pay a deposit of £10 per MP3 player, which is refundable once the MP3 player(s) have been returned to the Tourist Information Centre at the end of your tour.

I took the picture of Chester Town Hall (above) on Monday morning. The Tourist Information Centre, where visitors can hire the Chester Revealed podcast guided tour, is situated at the left-hand end of the building on the ground floor.

This is the 200th post made on the Walk Talk Tours Blog. I hope that you have enjoyed reading the blog.

In February last year, we started off with eight tours in three cities: London, Edinburgh and York. We have subsequently added Manchester and, most recently, Chester to our portfolio of audio downloadable guides.

More tours are in the pipeline. We value your support and your feedback. Why not go walk about? Thanks for reading. Here's to the next 100 posts!

You can follow Walk Talk Tours on Twitter (WalkTalkTours).

Uncensored: red London bus pictures

London is famed the world over for its red double decker buses. Two Austrian visitors to London were made to delete images that they had taken, earlier today, of a double decker London bus in Walthamstow, East London. Father and son, Klaus and Loris Matzka, were ordered to delete their images by two police officers who cited anti-terrorism laws. Matzka senior was told that photographing anything to do with public transport was "strictly forbidden". What's more, the officers made a note of their hotel address, passport numbers and other personal details.

Ordinarily, taking pictures of red London buses - as long as the photographer is not endangering their own safety - does not incur the wrath of police officers.

Visitors and locals alike can still enjoy a trip on a Routemaster bus - the type of red double decker bus that springs in to my mind when I think of a stereotypical London bus - on two heritage routes in the British capital.

Enjoy a ride on a Routemaster and a walk from St Paul's Cathedral, over the Millennium Bridge along the South Bank to the Tower of London with the Ride and Stride London audio downloadable tour.

The prototype Routemaster appeared in 1954. Five years later Routemasters entered service in numbers in 1959 and a production run spanning seven years saw nearly 3000 built. The bus quickly became a favourite with Londoners and although its design life was seventeen years, it was so uniquely suited to London’s traffic that no one wanted to get rid of it. The iconic Routemaster was withdrawn from service in 2005.

There are five Walk Talk Tour London city guides. Each podcast guided tour retails at £5.95. Purchase two tours simultaneously and receive a twenty per cent discount. All of the Walk Talk Tour London travel guides are available in English, French, German and Spanish. To hear an audio sample from the Ride and Stride mp3 guided tour please click here.

Routemaster bus fans living or staying in the North West of England are in for a treat tomorrow with the annual London Bus Day being staged at Museum of Transport Manchester. For more information please click here.

Independent minded travellers can go walk about in Manchester, too, with the Manchester: Then & Now audio downloadable guide. Visitors can also hire the tour from the city's Visitor Information Centre in the Town Hall Extension, on Lloyd Street.

Ease up Mother Brown

A new campaign designed to encourage Londoners to 'ease up' will take place later this month. The ten day festival entitled Slow Down London will feature a range of events that will, in the words of organiser Tessa Watt, encourage people to "improve their lives by slowing down to do things well, rather than as fast as possible."

Critics of London might dismiss its inhabitants as unfriendly, unsmiling and preoccupied with their daily commute. As Germain Greer wrote in The Female Eunuch: "Even crushed against his brother in the Tube, the average Englishman pretends desperately that he is alone."

Taking a commuter train during rush hour in any major international city from New York to Tokyo can be a daunting and claustrophobic experience. Luckily, visitors to London often have the flexibility to avoid travelling at peak times. Sightseeing can still be unnecessarily stressful with deadlines to adhere to and wish lists to fulfil.

There is another way. Why not relax and enjoy the best that London has to offer on your own terms and at your own pace?

Independent minded travellers and visitors alike can take in some of London's rich heritage, without feeling conspicuous, with one of five Walk Talk Tour audio downloadable tours. Each London city guide is available in English, French, German and Spanish.

Listeners have the flexibiltity to go at their own speed and combine visiting attractions with going walkabout. You're the boss, you can complete all of the tours in two hours if you're in rush with the exception of L5: The City & South Bank Circular audio tour. But even that can be completed comfortably in three hours. There's slow and there's really slow...

The comedienne Jo Brand was reported in The Observer, February 25, 2005, of having said of the London Marathon that: "I've set myself a target. I'm going for less than eleven-and-a-half days." In actual fact, the slowest recorded time for a participant in a London Marathon goes to ex-professional soccer goalkeeper Lloyd Scott. In 2002, Scott completed the route in an antiquated deep sea diving suit, in a time of five days eight hours, 29 minutes and 46 seconds.

Londoners can hear more about Lloyd Scott's exploits and enjoy discovering the heritage of royal and monumental London with the Palace Trail London travel guide. To hear an audio sample from the Palace Trail mp3 guided tour please click here.

'A knees up' in Cockney terms refers to a lively party. The song Knees Up Mother Brown is believed to have been first published by the comic duo, Gert and Daisy, who appeared on BBC radio in the 1930s. The characters were the work of sisters Elsie and Doris Waters.

And Finally, I'd like to a give a huge thank you to everyone who voted for the Walk Talk Tours Blog in the recent Lonely Planet Blog Awards. Thanks to your support this blog claimed fifth spot in the Best Themed Blog category.

London set to remember King Henry VIII

King Henry VIII famously had six wives, two of whom, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, had their lives shortened prematurely on his orders. Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived describes the fate of Henry VIII's wives. The list in full: Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and last, but by no means least, Catherine Parr.

Henry VIII's demand that he be allowed to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon (so he could marry Anne Boleyn), was rejected by the Pope. The king broke from Rome on political grounds, as opposed to his religious beliefs.

Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII argued, so eventually he had her executed. Not one to hang about on the wife front, Henry VIII married Jane Seymour the day after Anne was beheaded! Jane died in childbirth.

His fourth marriage to Anne of Cleves did not last. She was not pretty enough for Henry VIII's liking. He divorced, again. Henry VIII's fifth wife, Catherine Howard, was beheaded, too.

This year marks the 500th anniversary of King Henry VIII's Coronation. King Henry VIII certainly made a mark on London and England. June will see a month long celebration in the English capital entitled The Story of London. Highlights of the month long celebrations will include a Living Weekend (June 20 - 21). For a guide to events go to the Story of London website.

Visitors and locals alike can sample London's rich cultural and heritage with Walk Talk Tours, 24/7, 365 days a year. There are five audio downloadable walking tours of London. Each audio tour costs just £5.95. Purchase two tours simultaneously and receive a twenty per cent discount. All of the Walk Talk Tour London city guides are available in English, French, German and Spanish.

Listeners to the City & South Bank Circular, London audio guide or The City & the Tower mp3 guided tour can hear where King Henry VIII's first wife, Anne Boleyn was executed in 1536 and where his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, met a similar end in 1542. To hear a short audio sample from the City & South Bank Circular London travel guide please click here.

Each of the podcast guided tours with the exception of the longer City & South Bank Circular city guide can be completed in two hours, though listeners have the freedom to go at their own pace.

So, listeners can ponder the fate that once befell traitors, as they stand on the South Bank by London Bridge. For nearly four hundred years, from 1304 – 1678, the authorities adopted the gruesome habit of adorning the south end Gatehouse (on one of the previous incarnations of London Bridge) with the severed heads of convicted traitors, presumably to remind others of the price paid for disobeying the monarch. Neither the heads of Anne Boleyn or Catherine Howard were displayed here. Wat Tyler, leader of the Peasants' Revolt; William Wallace, the Scottish freedom fighter and Guy Fawkes of Gunpowder Plot fame had their heads put 'on display'.

London at your fingertips

London is synonymous with certain things, as all great cities are. The British capital might make you think of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, the Tower of London or black taxis.

For many people, a red double decker bus is a symbol of London. If red double decker buses are typical of London, than the Routemaster is the daddy of London buses. The iconic red Routemaster buses were withdrawn - from all but two Heritage routes - in 2005. London's elected Mayor (not to be confused with the Lord Mayor of London), Boris Johnson, promised a new Routemaster that would be fit for the twenty-first century. Visitors and bus enthusiasts alike can see the winning designs and noteworthy entries at the London Transport Museum until March 29, 2009.

Independent minded sightseers can enjoy a ride on an original Routemaster bus with the Ride & Stride London audio tour. Listeners will hear about the other British icons that the design consultant employed on the project was responsible for. (Please note that the cost of the bus ride is not included in the tour price). Listeners are then instructed to disembark at St Paul's Cathedral.

The eagle eyed among you, might notice that one of the fingers on the figure pictured left (which surround the statue of Queen Anne) is missing a finger. The four female figures are said to represent England, France, Ireland and North America. The statue stands in front of the west door of St Paul's Cathedral.

Listeners to the Ride & Stride London audio guide have the freedom to enter the Cathedral if they wish. Simply pause your mp3 guided tour and then resume it, once you're done. Sir Christopher Wren was charged with designing a new St Paul's after the previous cathedral on the site was destroyed in the Great Fire of London of 1666. Queen Anne was on the throne when Wren's masterpiece was completed in 1711. To hear an audio sample from the Ride & Stride London city guide please click here.

Hear about the influence that a contemporary architect and his firm have had on London with the Ride & Stride London travel guide. Sir Norman Foster's commissions in the British capital have included the Millennium Bridge. The bridge links St Paul’s Cathedral on the North Bank of the Thames, with the Tate Modern, a huge modern art gallery housed in Bankside Power Station on the South Bank. On grey London days, such as the one pictured above left, a Walk Talk Tour makes an ideal guide, as listeners have the flexibility to stop, start and resume their tour as they wish or as the weather dictates.

Listeners to the Ride & Stride city walking tour will hear about Tate Modern's history and have the chance to go and contemplate the meaning of art.

See and hear about the new Globe Theatre which opened thanks to the tenacity of an American actor, Sam Wanamaker, who has since passed away. Learn about the origins of various terms as you stroll along the South Bank. Walk past City Hall and then cross the River Thames, using Tower Bridge. At the commentary points along the route you will hear about the stories and characters associated with well and lesser known London.

The Ride & Stride podcast guided tour concludes in front of the Tower of London. There are five Walk Talk Tour London city guides all of which are available in English, French, German and Spanish.

Each Walk Talk Tour London iPod travel guide costs just £5.95 a piece. Purchase two tours simultaneously and receive a twenty per cent discount.

Super Mum Remembered

A statue depicting the Queen Mother will be unveiled by the Queen this Tuesday. An existing statue of her husband, King George VI, has been relocated so that the pair are reunited. The 9½ft bronze memorial was sculpted by Paul Day.

The statute will be the centrepiece of a memorial to the Queen Mother who passed away in March 2002. It will stand close to the Mall in central London, a short distance from Buckingham Palace and Clarence House where the Queen Mother lived for many years.

Panels either side of the memorial depict her visiting the East End during the Blitz and her love of horse racing. The Queen Mother's visits to London's East End with her husband King George VI, during the Blitz helped earn her a special place in the hearts of Britons of a certain age. The King and Queen refused to take refuge outside of the capital. Indeed, she famously told a London Policeman in September, 1940 that: “I’m glad we’ve been bombed. It makes me feel I can look the East End in the face.”

Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon married George (who was baptized Albert Frederick Arthur George, but was known as Bertie within the Royal Family) in 1923. She became Queen thirteen years later, after George's brother, King Edward VIII, abdicated.

King George VI died in 1952. The sculptor depicts the Queen Mother aged 51, after the death of her husband.

Visitors to the British capital can hear about some of the colourful characters that have shaped royal and monumental London with The Palace Trail mp3 guided tour. To hear a short audio sample from the Palace Trail London audio guide please click here.

The Palace Trail, London audio tour is narrated by the actor and broadcaster Jonathan Keeble. The podcast guided tour is also available in French, German and Spanish like all of the Walk Talk Tour London city walking tours.

Monument back in business

The City of London's historic Monument re-opened yesterday on February 16 after 18 months and £4.5m worth of renovations. The Portland stone has been cleaned up and a stainless steel cage has been erected around the edge of the viewing platform. The observational platform was encased in 1842 after a spate of suicides.

The Monument is 202 ft (62 m) high and was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and his friend Robert Hooke. Popular belief is that the Monument stands precisely 202 ft away from Thomas Farryner’s bakery on Pudding Lane, where the Great Fire of London began in the early hours of Sunday, September 2, 1666.

The Great Fire led to the emergence of modern London. Due to ownership issues, wholesale redesign of the English capital proved impossible, but improved regulation led to a greater degree of control in the design and style of new buildings. Crucially, new buildings were constructed out of brick and stone as opposed to wood.

The flaming urn, which commemorates the inferno, is pictured above.

Sightseers in London can once again climb the Monument, which is open daily from 9.30am to 5.30pm. Interested in the history of the City of London, often referred to as the Square Mile, then why not purchase The City & The Tower London travel guide. To hear an audio sample from The City & The Tower mp3 guided tour please click here.

Each professionally produced Walk Talk Tour London audio guide consists of commentary points. Listeners will hear about the characters and events associated with a particular attraction, like the Monument. Visitors then have the flexibility to explore the attraction if they wish, or continue with their tour to the next commentary point. Each Walk Talk Tour podcast guided tour comes complete with a free downloadable map, too. For more information see our How it Works page.

Visitors to London can explore the capital on foot with five Walk Talk Tour, London audio tours. Each Walk Talk Tour London city walking tour costs £5.95 each and is available in English, French, German and Spanish. Buy two tours simultaneously and get twenty per cent off, purchase three at the same time and get thirty per cent off.

All of the Walk Talk Tour London walking tours can be completed in two hours with the exception of the longer City & South Bank Circular tour (which also has a commentary point devoted to the Monument) podcast guided tour. To make the most of your tour take a look at the Where & When pages which accompany each tour and provide information about the admission charges and opening times of attractions en route.

Alternative Valentine's Day activities in London

Valentine's Day can be a tricky proposition for loved ones. Gents, are you tired of saying it with flowers, chocolates, jewellery on February 14? Then why not take the opportunity to go walkabout in the capital?

Enjoy a ride on a London icon, an original Routemaster bus, and then take a romantic stroll along London's South Bank with The Ride & Stride city walking tour.

Each of the professionally researched, produced and recorded Walk Talk Tour of London is narrated by actor and broadcaster Jonathan Keeble. All of the Walk Talk Tour London city guides come complete with a free downloadable map, so you and your beloved won't miss a thing.

Unlike a conventional guided tour, Valentines enjoying a Walk Talk Tour audio tour have the freedom to stop, start and resume their commentary as they see fit. Couples can enjoy the panoramas from Tower Bridge on the evening of this Saturday, February 14. For more information go to www.towerbridge.org.uk. The Ride & Stride podcast guided tour concludes outside the Tower of London. To hear a short audio extract from the tour please click here.

Booked tickets for a performance at the Royal Opera House this Saturday? Then why not enjoy hearing about the history of Leicester Square, Covent Garden and much more with The Museums, Galleries & Performing Arts London travel guide en route to your performance. This tour begins outside The National Gallery. Visitors can enjoy a twilight tour of paintings on the theme of love of the National Gallery between 16:00 and 17:00 this Saturday.

To hear an audio sample from The Museums, Galleries & Performing Arts London iPod travel guide please click here. This London city sightseeing tour concludes outside the British Museum.

Like the other four Walk Talk Tour London travel guides, the Ride & Stride audio guide is downloadable from the website. All of the Walk Talk Tour London walking tours are available in English, French, German and Spanish. Each mp3 guided tour costs just £5.95. Purchase two Walk Talk Tours simultaneously and receive a twenty per cent discount. Buy three at the same time and make a thirty per cent saving.

The bronze sculpture on Bow Street (above left) is called the Young Dancer it was created by the late Enzo Plazzotta.

Chinese New Year set to rock London

Londoners and visitors alike can enjoy festivities marking the beginning of the Chinese New Year from 12:00 until 18:00, on Sunday, February 1. Celebrations will take place in Chinatown, Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square and along Shaftesbury Avenue. This year will be the Year of the Ox.

The Ox is one of twelve animals that make up the Chinese Zodiac which is, in turn, linked to the Chinese calender. Each animal is said to have certain traits and characteristics. People in the year of the Ox are said to be able to inspire confidence, but they can be overbearing.

Enjoy performances by Chinese dancers in Trafalgar Square and hear the Chinese New Year get off to a bang with fireworks in Leicester Square.

Londoners can see various ancient Chinese treasures at the British Musuem, in a temporary exhibtion entitled Treasures from Shanghai - Ancient Chinese Bronzes and Jades, which runs until March 30, 2009.

Visitors and Londoners alike can explore the British capital's rich heritage with five Walk Talk Tour London city walking tours. All of the Walk Talk Tour London audio tours are available in English, French, German and Spanish.

Take in some of the cultural highlights of London with The Museums, Galleries & Performing Arts mp3 guided tour. The tour begin outside the National Gallery and guides listeners to the British Museum via Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Bow Street and several other places of interest in between. To hear an audio sample from The Museums, Galleries & Performing Arts London audio tour please click here.

Thankfully, listeners to a Walk Talk Tour, London walking tour are free to stop, start and listen again to any part of their downloadable tour; unlike a conventional guided tour where listeners are at the mercy of their tour guide.

Each Walk Talk Tour London travel guide represents excellent value at just £5.95 a piece. Purchase two Walk Talk Tour London audio travel guides simultaneously and receive a twenty per cent discount. Buy three Walk Talk Tour city guides simultaneously and get thirty per cent off.

Make the most of your time in London by checking out our Where & When pages, which provide information about the opening hours and admission charges of key attractions along the route of each Walk Talk Tour podcast guided tour.

Pea Soup off London Menu

There was a time, when London's air was regularly thick with fog, often likened to pea soup.

Thankfully, the capital's air quality has improved as emissions of sulphur dioxide (associated with the burning of fossil fuels) has reduced. “We’ve moved away from using coal and wood in the home and our industries have become much cleaner,” said David Britton, a meteorologist at the Met Office in a telephone interview with Alex Morales, a journalist from the news agency Bloomberg.

Fog forms when tiny water droplets are suspended in the lower atmosphere, which is created when moist air cools close to the ground.

There are days when fog is more likely to occur, such as around Bonfire Night on November 5, when bonfires are lit and fireworks are set off across Britain to mark the thwarting of a plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605, which King James I was due to open that day.

The Great Smog of 1952 contributed to the death of some 4,075 people. The thick smoke filled fog first formed of London on December 5. It lingered over London for four days, as high pressure, low temperatures and very slight winds combined to keep the Smog above the capital. Most victims of the Great Smog succumbed to respiratory and cardiovascular problems. Vehicles were abandoned, businesses and schools closed. A person who ventured out would hold a handkerchief to their mouth.

London's air quality has improved beyond all recognition since then. So much so that one of the best and most cost effective ways to explore the British capital is on foot.

Going Walkabout with Walk Talk Tours is an enjoyable way to see London's sights and do your bit for the environment. A Walk Talk Tour London city walking tour also offers sightseers maximum flexibility, as listeners can stop, start and listen again to any part of their commentary.

Visitors to London can hear about how Guy Fawkes plotted to blow up the Houses of Parliament with the Walk Talk Tour, Palace Trail, London travel guide. Discover royal and monumental London at your own pace. To hear an audio sample from the Palace Trail please click here.

Each Walk Talk Tour London audio walking tour costs just £5.95.Customers buying two tours at once will receive a twenty per cent discount. Purchase three at the same time and get thirty per cent off. All of the Walk Talk Tour London city guides are available in English, French, German and Spanish.

Go walkabout in the City of London

The engine of the British economy is having a tough time of it with job losses and uncertainty sapping confidence in the City of London.

The Ernst & Young Item Club predicts that up to 3.4 million people will be out of work in the UK in 2011. In its most recent report the Item Club predicts that the UK's gross domestic product will shrink by 2.7 per cent this year.

The Guardian newspaper reported earlier this month how, nationally, across the financial services sector (which includes banks, building societies, fund managers and securities trading firms) jobs are being shed at the rate of 8,000 - 10,000 a quarter. Many of these jobs are based in the City of London.

The Square Mile, as the City is known colloquially, has experienced setbacks before and emerged wiser and stronger from them.

Independent travellers can go walkabout in the City of London with The City & The Tower, London city guide, and the longer City & South Bank Circular, London city walking tour. Both mp3 guided tours are brought to you courtesy of Walk Talk Tours.

The City & The Tower podcast guided tour begins outside St Paul's Cathedral. Sir Christopher Wren designed the masterpiece after the Great Fire of London in 1666.

The Bank of England has featured prominently during the credit crunch. See the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street's premises and hear about some of the audacious attempts to defraud the Bank with The City & The Tower, London walking tour. There's even a Bank of England Museum which is admission free.

With a Walk Talk Tour, you're free to go at your own pace, so if there's a particular attraction you wish to visit, or the weather takes a turn for the worse you can stop and resume your tour later.

The City has some striking examples of modern architectures at its best, as listeners to The City & The Tower, London iPod travel guide will discover. Marvel at the Gherkin, so called because of its similarity - in shape - to the vegetable and Richard Rogers' Lloyds of London building. To hear an audio sample from The City & The Tower, London audio guide please click here.

See and hear about the Monument, Old Billingsgate Market and Customs House. The City & The Tower, London iPod travel guide concludes outside the once infamous Tower of London.

All of the Walk Talk Tour London audio guides are available in English, French, German and Spanish. The English language versions are narrated by actor and broadcaster Jonathan Keeble. Each Walk Talk Tour London travel guide costs just £5.95. Purchase two Walk Talk Tour podcast guided tours at the same time and receive a twenty per cent discount. Buy three simultaneously and get thirty per cent off. Each Walk Talk Tour London travel guide comes complete with a free downloadable map for listeners to print off, so you won't miss a thing.

Three Cheers for the British Museum

Today, marks the 250th birthday of the British Museum.

Established by Act of Parliament in 1753, the Museum’s initial exhibits consisted of three private collections. The most significant of these had belonged to the physician and collector of antiquities, Sir Hans Sloane. Sadly, Sloane died that year. He left his vast collection of almost 80,000 items - excluding his personal library - to the nation and Montagu House, in Great Russell Street was earmarked to house it. The British Museum funded by public lottery opened 250 years ago.

The opening of the British Museum (and of Kew Gardens in the same year) are both examples of great civic collections that pride themselves on allowing access for all.

Karl Marx, Virginia Wolf and Thomas Carlyle are among the famous scholars to have studied in the Museum's magnificent Reading Room. The Reading Room was renovated in the final years of the twentieth century and Sir Norman Foster designed the magnificent Great Court (pictured above), which now encases it. The Great Court opened in 2000.

Independent minded travellers can hear about the rich history of the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery, Leicester Square, Covent Garden, the British Museum and much more with London Tour 4: The Museums, Galleries & Performing Arts, Walk Talk Tour, London travel guide.

Hear about some of the movies which have been partly filmed in the British Museum, hear about Covent Garden's chequered past, find out who the Blind Beak was and much, much more. To hear an audio sample from the Museums, Galleries & Performing Arts mp3 guided tour please click here.

Entry to the British Museum is free - though visitors may have to pay and book in advance for some temporary exhibitions. For more information about the admission charges and opening times of key attractions along the route of the tour please click here.

Each of the five Walk Talk Tour, London audio downloadable guides costs just £5.95. Purchase two mp3 guided tours simultaneously and receive a twenty per cent discount. Buy three at the same time and get thirty per cent off.

Don't let a tour guide spoil your break. Listeners with a Walk Talk Tour can go at their own pace, stopping, starting and listening again to their commentary as they wish - not as someone else dictates.

Square Mile buckles up for bumpy 2009

The City of London for so long the engine of the UK economy is braced for a difficult year.

The Square Mile is a colloquial term for the City of London. Broadly speaking the Square Mile could be said to refer to the area on the North Bank of the Thames between Waterloo Bridge and Tower Bridge where many financial intuitions are based. Since the Big Bang of October 27, 1986 - when deregulation of various trading practices were made to the way in which the London Stock Exchange operated - many financial institutions relocated their offices to Docklands.

The Big Bang saw London overtake New York as the world's leading financial centre. Financial services have long been big contributors to the City's feel good factor. However, after a tough year and a bit confidence is thin on the ground in the Square Mile.

Some respected sources have estimated that 17% of the financial workforce in the capital will lose their jobs - that's some 85,000 people.

The government's Minister for the City, Paul Myners, was quoted in The Guardian as saying: "I think we are in an environment now where people will seek evidence of strong and effective regulation as a precondition to wanting to do business. There's going to be more evidence of capital. We are in a mindset where safety and probity are highly valued."

The Square Mile is faced with increasing competition from alternative financial centres such as Dubai and Singapore.

Visitors to London can explore the Square Mile with The City & The Tower, Walk Talk Tour London travel guide. The podcast guided tour begins outside St Paul's Cathedral. Listeners will see and hear about much of the City's most prominent architecture, which can be found in the Square Mile, including the Bank of England, the Mansion House 30 St Mary Axe (more commonly called the Gherkin), Lloyd's of London and Leadenhall Market.

The City has endured and emerged stronger from crises in the past. Listeners to The City & The Tower, London audio walking tour, will hear about the Great Fire of London which devastated the City in 1666. Discover the length smugglers went to in the past to avoid paying custom duties. The City & The Tower, London travel guide, concludes at the once notorious Tower of London. To hear an audio sample from The City & The Tower, London audio guide please click here.

There are five Walk Talk Tour London city guides. Each Walk Talk Tour London audio guide costs just £5.95. All of the mp3 guided tours - with the exception of the longer City & South Bank Circular podcast guided tour - can be completed in two hours.

All of the Walk Talk Tours of London are available in English, French, German and Spanish. Each of the English language tours is narrated by broadcaster and actor Jonathan Keeble.

Big Ben celebrates 150 years

The world's most famous timepiece, Big Ben, celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. Big Ben is the name given to the bell which is housed in St Stephen's Tower. The bell weighs a whopping 13.5 tonnes (30,000lbs). Big Ben first chimed the hour in July 1859.

St Stephen's Tower was part of the new Palace of Westminster designed by Charles Barry, after the majority of the Houses of Parliament's earlier buildings were destroyed by a fire in 1834.

An amateur horologist, Edmund Beckett Denison, devised a way of separating the pendulum from the movement of the clock's hands, thus preventing it from being adversely affected by the weather.

Life has not always been plain sailing for the celebrated timepiece. When the original bell, which is called Big Ben, was cast it cracked - and had to be replaced.

Independent travellers can hear about the history of the Houses of Parliament and some of the great politicians who have graced its two chambers, the Lower House (the House of Commons) and the Upper House (House of Lords) with the Palace Trail, London travel guide.

The familiar sound of Big Ben striking the hour was first aired on the BBC on December 31, 1923.

The clock is still wound by hand three times a week.

Legend has it that Big Ben was named after Sir Benjamin Hall (later Lord Llanover), who was the commissioner for works when the clock was installed in the nineteenth century. Another theory, is that the bell was named Big Ben after a popular heavyweight boxer called Benjamin Caunt, who died in 1861.

To hear a short audio sample from the Palace Trail mp3 guided tour please click here. The Palace Trail London audio guide is available - like the other Walk Talk Tour London travel guides - in English, French, German and Spanish.

There are five Walk Talk Tour London city walking tours in all. Each Walk Talk Tour London audio guide costs just £5.95 each. Customers purchasing two tours simultaneously will receive a twenty per cent discount. Buy three at the same time and get thirty per cent off. You can now purchase any of our Walk Talk Tour travel guides on CD (in MP3 format) or on a preloaded MP3 player. For more information please click here.

The Palace Trail, London audio guide follows the Coronation Procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, in reverse. Hear how Downing Street got its name, see Mounting the Guard at Horse Guards (if you get your timing right), discover where the 'true' centre of London is located, see where London's former smallest police station is situated and more...

All of the Walk Talk Tour London iPod travel guides - with the exception of the longer City & South Bank Circular podcast guided tour - can be completed in two hours. With a Walk Talk Tour London walking tour, you're in charge. No need to struggle to hear the tour guide with the umbrella or feel conspicuous with a guidebook in your hands.

Listeners to a Walk Talk Tour audio guide can stop, start and listen again to any part of their commentary as they wish - or as their interest or the weather dictates. Each professionally researched and produced Walk Talk Tour London travel guide is narrated by Jonathan Keeble and comes complete with a downloadable map - for listeners to print off.

For a great selection of places to stay with discount prices visit London Hotels for more information.

Trafalgar Square Lion set to roar

Independent travellers and Londoners alike will be in for a surprise on Friday, when one of the lions guarding the base of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square will 'come alive'. A team of digital experts have created a combined audio visual feed which will be projected onto the head of one of the lion's at the base of the Column.

Nelson's Column was built to commemorate the Royal Navy's victory over a combined French and Spanish Fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The British Fleet was led by Admiral Horatio Nelson.

Trafalgar Square is one of the world's great gathering places. It has been scene of mass protest (think, for example, of Poll Tax demonstrations that turned ugly) and of great celebrations, such as when London was awarded the Olympic Games in 2012.

Visitors to London can hear about Trafalgar Square's rich history with the Palace Trail, London travel guide.

The Talking Lion will be 'talking' between 16:00 - 21:00 on Friday December 5. The event is being sponsored by Visit London, as part of an effort to attract visitors to the capital over the festive period.

The Palace Trail podcast guided tour allows independent travellers to explore royal and monumental London at their own pace. Unlike with a conventional guided tour, listeners to a Walk Talk Tour can stop, start and listen again to any part of the commentary - as you wish or as the weather dictates.

The Palace Trail follows the Coronation Procession in reverse from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace. To hear an audio sample from the Palace Trail, London city guide please click here. Hear about great statesmen of the past and present to be commemorated in Parliament Square, hear how Downing Street got its name, find out where the true centre of London is located and more.

There are five Walk Talk Tour London audio guides. All of the Walk Talk Tour London city walking tours are available in English, French, German and Spanish.

All of the Walk Talk Tour London iPod travel guides can be completed in two hours with the exception of the longer City & South Bank Circular mp3 guided tour.

Buckingham Palace Footman wrestles for fun

David Hintz, a 23 year old Footman at Buckingham Palace, wrestles on the Capital British Wrestling circuit. He is known on the circuit as David Deville.

This Saturday his bout against Danny Garnell is being shown on Sky Sports. David can earn up to £200 a fight. He manages to juggle his wrestling commitments with his £15,000 a year post at the Palace. David told The Sun that: “Most fights are at the weekend, and I’m also able to use my holiday quite flexibly.”

During Royal mealtimes, David is on hand to offer the Queen assistance should she require it.

Independent travellers can hear about the history of the Queen's official bodyguard with the Walk Talk Tour, Palace Trail, London travel guide. The Palace Trail mp3 guided tour explores royal and monumental London.

The Palace Trail London audio guide follows the Coronation Procession (from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey), in reverse.

Hear about Westminster Abbey's royal connections, find out about the history of the new Palace of Westminster (including Big Ben) and hear about famous statesmen (past and present) commemorated in Parliament Square. To hear a short audio sample from the Palace Trail London iPod travel guide please click here.

Walk on, at your leisure, to the Cenotaph - the national focus for remembrance on the Sunday nearest to the Armistice at the end of World War One, which came into effect on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. Walk on to Downing Street, home of Britain's most famous front door.

Admire the Queen’s Life Guard which is responsible for protecting the monarch when she is in London at Horse Guards. Then walk onto Trafalgar Square via Charing Cross.

The Palace Trail podcast guided tour concludes with a walk along the Mall - the ceremonial entrance to Buckingham Palace - and into St James's Park, before finishing in front of Buckingham Palace.

There are five Walk Talk Tour London audio walking tours. All of the Walk Talk Tour London city walking tours are available in English, French, German and Spanish.

Each Walk Talk Tour London city guide costs just £5.95. Customers who purchase two tours at the same time will receive a twenty per cent discount. Buy three at the same time and get thirty per cent off.

With a Walk Talk Tour London travel guide you're in charge. No need to struggle to hear the tour guide with the umbrella. With a Walk Talk Tour you can simply stop, start and replay your commentary as you see fit - or as your interest, the weather or the other half dictates!

A Walk Talk Tour audio guide makes a great Christmas present. Customers can now purchase their chosen tour(s) in download format, on CD (in MP3 format) or on a preloaded MP3 player. For more information about our great gift ideas please click here.

Mousetrap still drawing 'em in

The world's longest continuous theatre production celebrates fifty-six years since its first showing today. The Mousetrap was first performed on Tuesday, November 25, 1952, at the Ambassadors Theatre in London. The Ambassadors Theatre was the venue for The Mousetrap for the final time on 23rd March, 1974. The following day, Agatha Christie's Whodunit transferred next door to St Martin's Theatre, where it has been performed ever since.

The Mousetrap has passed numerous milestones, including its 25th anniversary in 1977 and its 20,000th performance in 2000.

Winston Churchill was Prime Minister when The Mousetrap was first shown. Gordon Brown is the twelfth occupant of Ten Downing Street during the production's record breaking run. The production has not even reached retirement age yet (60 for women and 65 years of age for men in Britain) and there is no sign that the record breaking is set to stop.

Independent travellers can hear more about St Martin's Theatre with the Museums, Galleries & Performing Arts, London travel guide.

The Museums, Galleries & Performing Arts mp3 guided tour starts outside the National Gallery. Listeners are then guided via the National Portrait Gallery to Leicester Square. See a statue of the bard and an Englishman who made it big on the other side of the pond. To hear a short audio extract from the podcast guided tour please click here.

Listeners then walk onto St Martin's Theatre. Other highlights on the tour include London's centre of street theatre, Covent Garden, the Royal Opera House and Bow Street. The Museums, Galleries & Performing Arts London city guide concludes in front of the British Museum.

There are five Walk Talk Tour London audio walking tours, which are all available in English, French, German and Spanish.

Each Walk Talk Tour London mp3 guided tour - with the exception of the longer City & South Bank Circular, London podcast guided tour - can be completed in two hours. With a Walk Talk Tour London city walking tour you're in charge. No need to struggle to keep up with - let alone hear - the tour guide with the umbrella.

Each Walk Talk Tour London travel guide represents excellent value at just £5.95 a piece. Customers who buy two tours simultaneously will get a twenty per cent discount. Buy three at the same time and get thirty per cent off.

Each tour comes with a free downloadable map - for listeners to print off - and easy to follow instructions so you won't miss a thing!

Globe Theatre serves up Tales for Winter

Some of Europe's top storytellers will be demonstrating their craft at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre over the next four Saturday evenings, beginning November 22.

A young Irish storyteller, Clare Muireann Murphy, will be treading the boards on Saturday, November 22. All of the performances are scheduled to begin at 20:00 and end at 22:30.

Some of the content discussed in the Tales for Winter is not suitable for young children. The material is suitable for youngsters aged twelve years plus and adults.

Today’s new Globe Theatre is a replica of the original Globe built by Cuthbert and Richard Burbage in 1599, and stands a short distance away from the original Globe Theatre in Southwark.

Independent travellers can hear why the Burbage brothers' Globe Theatre ended up in Southwark with the Ride & Stride, Walk Talk Tour London audio guide.

William Shakespeare was a shareholder in the venue. Compared with today, theatre going was a very different experience in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, as listeners to the Ride & Stride mp3 guided tour or the City & South Bank Circular, London travel guide will discover. To hear a short audio sample from the Ride & Stride London city walking tour please click here.

Today's Globe Theatre owes much to the determination, vision and tenacity of one man, Sam Wanamaker. The American actor was visiting London when he discovered that the only memorial to Shakespeare's Globe was a plaque on a now closed brewery. He resolved to act. In 1970 he established the Shakespeare Globe Trust. The new Globe Theatre was constructed using Elizabethan building techniques. Sadly, Wanamaker died in December 1993. The new Globe Theatre opened in 1997.

There are five Walk Talk Tour London travel guides all of which are available in English, French, German and Spanish. All of the Walk Talk Tour London audio guides - with the exception of the longer City & South Bank Circular mp3 guided tour - can be completed in two hours. Listeners to a Walk Talk Tour London audio walking tour can stop, start and listen again to any part of the commentary - as the mood takes them or the weather dictates.

Each Walk Talk Tour London iPod travel guide costs just £5.95. Customers purchasing two tours simultaneously will receive a twenty per cent discount. Buy three simultaneously and get thirty per cent off.

Explore London's past en route to the British Museum

The British Museum in Russell Square has just opened a new exhibition entitled Babylon: Reality & Myth, which invites visitors to explore perceptions about ancient Iraq.

The Tower of Babel, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world) are just two of the legends associated with King Nebuchadnezza's rule from 605 to 562BC. In 586BC Nebuchadnezza conquered and then destroyed Jerusalem. He deported many Jews to Babylon. The Tower of Babel, the huge city walls that circled Babylon and a great temple were all constructed during his rule.

Much that was subsequently written and said about Babylon - and its fall - was coloured by the negative experiences of writers and their descendants at the hands of Nebuchadnezza.

Independent explorers can hear about the heritage and personalities behind Leicester Square, Covent Garden, the British Museum and more with the Museums, Galleries & Performing Arts, London audio guide.

The podcast guided tour begins by the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. Listeners then follow in the footsteps of the stars as they are guided to Leicester Square. See the theatre where the world's longest continuous production is staged. Find out about Covent Garden's rich history. Hear about some of the difficulties the Fielding brothers overcame, as you walk along Bow Street. To hear an audio sample from the Museums, Galleries & Performing Arts London iPod travel guide please click here.

There are five Walk Talk Tour London travel guides. Each London city walking tour is downloadable and costs just £5.95. Customers purchasing two tours at the same time will make a saving of twenty per cent.

All of the Walk Talk Tour mp3 guided tours of London are available in English, French, German and Spanish. Each Walk Talk Tour London audio guide comes with a downloadable map - for listeners to print off - and easy to follow instructions, so you won't miss a thing.

Unlike a conventional guided tour, with a Walk Talk Tour London travel guide, you're in charge. No need to struggle to follow the man with the umbrella. With a Walk Talk Tour London audio guide you can stop, start and listen again to any part of the commentary as you wish - or as the weather dictates.

The Exhibition will end on March 15, 2009. Visitors can purchase tickets from the Museum Box Office, online from the British Museum website or by ringing: (0)20 7323 8181.

Covent Garden set for Christmas Delight

Shoppers, sightseers and passers by will be in for a treat when Covent Garden's Christmas lights are switched on, on November 17. The display promises to be no ordinary Christmas light up with almost 600, 2m tubes (each packed with 80 LEDs) suspended four metres above ground level.

Each tube will be linked into a computer, which will create vivid, complex patterns that will filter across the grid.

The installation has been created by London company called United Visual Artists. UVA made its reputation by providing eye catching visuals for Massive Attacks world tour five years ago. UVA's co-founder Matt Clark told The Daily Telegraph that: "We wanted to avoid all the cliches and iconography that come with Christmas and create something more contemporary..."

Covent Garden is London's mecca of street theatre. Shoppers can immerse themselves in a wide selection of stalls and emporiums. Tire easily of shopping, then why not explore Covent Garden and the surrounding area?

Independent minded visitors to London can hear about Covent Garden's rich and varied history with The Museums, Galleries & Performing Arts, Walk Talk Tour, London audio guide.

After the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the early fifth century it was thought that their city of Londinium had been abandoned. Recent excavations under the London Transport Museum suggest that the area now called Covent Garden was the hub of a thriving Saxon settlement called Lundenwic, with its own port on the nearby Thames.

Listeners to the Museums, Galleries & Performing Arts mp3 guided tour can hear where the name 'Covent Garden' comes from. Covent Garden began to take on its present day appearance in the seventeenth century when Indigo Jones, one of the finest architects of his day, was commissioned to design a great Piazza. To hear an audio sample from the Museums, Galleries & Performing Arts, London iPod travel guide please click here.

There are five Walk Talk Tour London travel guides. Each Walk Talk Tour London audio guide costs just £5.95. Customers purchasing two tours simultaneously will receive a twenty per cent discount. All of the Walk Talk Tour London city walking tours are available in English, French, German and Spanish.

Customers are free to stop, start and listen again to any part of their Walk Talk Tour mp3 guided tour - as they see fit or as the other half or the weather dictates. No need to struggle to hear the guide with the umbrella. With a Walk Talk Tour London city guide you're in charge. In addition, to easy to follow instructions each Walk Talk Tour London travel guide comes complete with a free downloadable map - for you to print off - so you won't miss a thing.

Flying ace set for fourth plinth

A design for a statue of Sir Keith Park, the Air Vice Marshal, who commanded the defence of London and South East England during the Battle of Britain, was unveiled at City Hall earlier today. Sir Keith, a flying ace from World War One credited with numerous kills, led 11 Group RAF during the crucial fight for air supremacy in 1940.

Supporters of the sculpture want to see it installed on the fourth plinth for sixth months next year. The London Evening Standard reported that the sculpture will be six metres tall.

Park was born in New Zealand, the ninth of ten children. He initially served in the New Zealand expeditionary force in the First World War. He was wounded in 1916 and shipped to Britain. He managed to gain a transfer to the Royal Flying Corps.

Park's first assignment as Air Vice Marshal was to facilitate with the Royal Navy the evacuation of troops from Dunkirk. To this end some 340,000 troops were evacuated.

Park advocated a policy of disruption, whereby RAF pilots would seek to break up formations of German bombers and thus the intensity of bombing over London and the South East.

In February 1947, the Chief of Air Staff, Lord Tedder praised Park's crucial contribution to Britain's war effort at the New Zealand Society's annual dinner. "If ever any one man won the Battle of Britain, he did. I don't believe it is realized how much that one man, with his leadership, his calm judgment and his skill, did to save not only this country, but the world."

Sir Keith Park died in 1975.

The fourth plinth was built way back in 1841. Originally, an equestrian statue of King William IV was going to occupy the plinth but there were insufficient funds to carry out the proposal.

The fourth plinth now hosts a rotating programme of modern art. Exhibits on the fourth plinth have included a statue of England's World Cup winning rugby union fly half, Jonny Wilkinson.

Trafalgar Square was named after Admiral Horatio Nelson's naval victory, against a combined French and Spanish fleet, at the battle of Trafalgar, in 1805. The column was designed by William Railton. It is topped by an 18ft granite statue of Nelson. The four lions around the base of the column were added in 1867.

Visitors to London can hear about the history of royal and monumental of the English capital with the Palace Trail, Walk Talk Tour London travel guide.

Hear why the Houses of Parliament is properly called the new Palace of Westminster. Find out where the true centre and London's one time smallest police station are located. Hear and see - if you get your timing right - Changing the Guard at Horseguards and Mounting the Guard outside Buckingham Palace. To find out more at the dates and opening times of key attractions and events along the tour's route please take a look at our Where & When page.

There are five Walk Talk Tour London audio guides, which are available in English, French, German and Spanish. Each of the Walk Talk Tour mp3 guided tours costs £5.95. Customers purchasing two tours simultaneously receive a twenty per cent discount. Buy three at the same time and get thirty per cent off.

Unlike with a traditional guided tour, listeners to a Walk Talk Tour London city walking tour are free to stop, start and listen again to any part of the commentary as they see fit - or as the weather dictates. To hear an audio sample from the Palace Trail podcast guided tour please click here.

All of the Walk Talk Tour London travel guides with the exception of the longer City & South Bank Circular mp3 guided tour can be completed in two hours.

Covent Garden: A great half term day out

October half term provides a great chance for school children to take a well earned break. Parents, grandparents and carers can be stuck with ideas as to how to best occupy their charges.

Luckily, there are many interesting, inexpensive - and whisper it quietly educational - activities with which hard pressed parents can seek to occupy their children.

Covent Garden provides a wealth of entertainment for people of all ages. Kids and adults alike can be captivated by the street entertainers in London's Mecca of street theatre. St Paul’s Covent Garden, the first Anglican Church to be built in London after the Reformation is often called the actors’ church. The Church is set in the heart of London's theatreland. Designed by Indigo Jones, it faces away from the Piazza and the entrance to the rear, overlooks a pleasant garden square.

Youngsters with an interest in planes, trains and automobiles will love visiting the London Transport Museum. Exhibits illustrate how both public transport and the capital itself have evolved from 1800 to the present day. Visitors can have a go at being a bus driver by sitting at the wheel of a London bus or drive a Tube train in a special simulator.

Secondary school aged children and their parents can find out more about the history of the Museums, Galleries & Performing Arts, London audio guide. The London travel guide begins outside the National Gallery. Listeners then walk to Covent Garden via Leicester Square. This London mp3 guided tour concludes in front of the British Museum. To hear an audio sample from the Museum, Galleries & Performing Arts audio walking tour please click here.

The Museum, Galleries & Performing Arts London iPod travel guide is one of five Walk Talk Tour city walking tours of the English capital. Each of the Walk Talk Tour London audio guides is available in English, French, German and Spanish.

A Walk Talk Tour London audio walking tour represents excellent value at just £5.95. Purchase two tours simultaneously and you will receive a twenty per cent discount. Buy three at the same time and get thirty per cent off.

To find out about the opening times and admission charges of the key attractions along each tour's route check out our Where & When pages.