I do wear hats - in the winter they keep me warm and in the summer they cool me down and much more "guide friendly" than umbrellas as they don't block out what you are trying to show people and you can keep eye contact with your walkers and work out when they need to move on.
However, for hats in London, you have to try Locks. The "oldest hat shop in the world" and still in the original building in St James' Street which opened in 1676.
They measure your head and the shop includes a number of tracings of famous heads from Charlie Chaplin to the Duke of Windsor. They have made hats for THE most famous people - think Admiral Lord Nelson and the Duke of Wellington. And they are the original makers of the Bowler hat - although they don't call it that.
If you want to find out what it is called and see the shop and marvel at the prices then join me on the Old Palace Quarter on Friday afternoons at 2.30pm from Green Park station.
Kim Kim, who has worked in the House of Commons and the European Parliament, is another 24-carat Blue Badge Guide: she won the London Tourist Board's Guide of the Year award in 2001.
Kim features in the Political London episode of our London Walks Podcast…
A London Walk costs £9 – £7 concession. To join a London Walk, simply meet your guide at the designated tube station at the appointed time. Details of all London Walks can be found at www.walks.com.
