I was delighted to see this review for my colleague Liam on TripAdvisor this morning (and thanks to Shageldon from Boston Mass for writing it!)…
Red bearded: yup, that's Liam alright. But Scottish? Not quite, although it's an easy mistake to make…
This is one of my favorite conversations when leading London Walks. It goes something like this:
London Walker: So which part of Ireland are you from?
Me: Scotland. Or sometimes it goes like this:
London Walker: Is that an Irish accent?
Me: No. It's the other one.
London Walker: Oh! You're SCOTTISH! It seems that my fine Irish colleague Liam gets the same conversation from the other end!
I certainly take no offense in being mistaken for an Irishman: poets and great storytellers every one of them. Reminds me of that wonderful Kenneth Tynan line (he was writing about Brendan Behan): The English hoard words like misers: the Irish spend them like sailors on leave.
Not wishing to speak on Liam's behalf but perhaps he feels the same way about being mistaken for a Scot? Maybe that's why he's cultivating the red beard, like Scotland's finest ambassador, Groundskeeper Willie…
(Catch up with an earlier post featuring Groundskeeper Willie HERE.)
Okay, here's a better likeness…
And if you'd like to compare and contrast our accents, here's a couple of videos of us in full London Walks spate. The first is me leading the Somewhere Else London tour, the second is Liam leading The Old Palace Quarter…Thanks again Shageldon for the brilliant review!
Adam leads Rock'n'Roll London on Fridays meet Tottenham Court Road tube 2pm. For a walk description click HERE.
Liam leads the Westminster By Gaslight walk on Mondays at 7pm meeting at Westminster tube (exit 4). For a walk description click HERE.
A London Walk costs £10 – £8 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.
