Here's what we've got coming up in January 2015…
David has been working on a series of blog posts designed to let us all see behind the scenes at London Walks. His themes will range from criticism of London Walks on review websites to lifting the lid on the so-called "free" walking tours. Here's a taster…
"[Criticism of London Walks] …falls into three categories. The first of the three is the one that’s really important to us. As painful as it sometimes is we value it more than the many slaps on the back – “London Walks is the best thing since sliced bread” – the guides and the company get.
… is somebody writing in to tell us we’ve got something wrong. And they’re being spot on. They’re being right about it. We need to hear that . We want to hear it. Those critics have done us a favour. Because if we are getting something wrong we want to put it right. And we can’t put it right if we’re in the dark about what’s going on. People who take us to task for something we’ve got wrong are doing us a big big favour. An example? Well, years ago – back in the 1990s – a guide developed – I’m putting this carefully – “a drink problem.” We didn’t know about it. It was important that walkers “put us in the picture.” London Walks and that guide went their separate ways. It was criticism. It was painful. And it was good. End of story.
David will be pulling no punches this January. We look forward to your reactions.
In January we'll be posting our first
"in your own time" walk! Our Editor (and London Walks guide) Adam will present his Cartoon & Comic Book London Tour, 20 stops on a metropolis-wide search for all things illustrated.
He'll be taking in everything from Gilray and Hogarth, to Scooby Doo and on to Deadpool and beyond! In addition he'll guide you to the best in London comic book stores as well as galleries that showcase the best in the cartoonist's art.
The series will run throughout the month and you can read it in the comfort of your own home or take it out and about as a self-guided walking tour.
With the arrival of the new year we all knuckle down to our New Year's resolutions. David shared this pic on Twitter earlier in the week…
Quite so.
But if you're made of steelier stuff, then you've come to the right blog.
Last year we concentrated on fitness as a New Year resolution – catch up withthose earlier posts HERE (road-testing pedometers) and HERE (calorie counting on the Jack the Ripper Walk!) and HERE (London Walkers recommending the FitBit).
For 2015 we're turning the spotlight on another perennial January resolution: must do more culture!
To help you out with this we're going museum mad on The DC this month, with an APB issued to all London Walks guides asking them to recommend just one of London's great museums to visit. You can tick them off on your cultural New Year resolution list.
As the year progresses we'll be adding to our Best Hotels In London database. Catch up with the first post on that topic HERE.What we want to do is to compile a reliable list of hotel recommendations for London Walkers by London Walkers.
If you've stayed in a great hotel here in London and want to share it with your fellow London Walkers get in touch with the name of the place and a few words on why you recommend it. We look forward to hearing from you!
In 2015 we're also bringing back our resident Daily Constitutional astrologer!
Revered stargazer St John Featherstonehaugh (pictured above) holds the post of Life Grand Master at the Imperial & Ancient Society of Astrology, Horoscopes, Clairvoyancy & That.
He will be writing exclusively for the London Walks Blog.
You can email him at the usual address. (Just don’t be surprised if his reply arrives before you've even hit the "send" button.)
We are also looking forward to continuing with our Where In the World? series, logging the locations of our London Walkers.In the near future there will be shout-outs to Iowa, Algeria, Norfolk, Tyrone and Japan!
All this is in addition to our usual parade of pictures, facts, quizzes, recommendations and unusual angles on our great city. Our regular features will be in place from Saturday to Monday. Every Monday it's In & Around London (our weekly photoblog slot), on Saturday we have London Spy our weekly London news and review post and on Sunday we'll showcase the Walk of the Week, one choice nugget from the vast repertoire of London Walks.
If you are new to The Daily Constitutional, click here for a bit about what we do and why we do it.
And, as ever, we extend our invitation for you to take part. Email us your thoughts, your poems (!), your complaints (!!), your manifesto (!!!) or simply just a London selfie. We love to hear from you at the usual address, via Twitter, on Facebook or by leaving a comment below.
Happy New Year and thanks for reading. We look forward to seeing you "out there" in 2015!
Adam Editor The Daily Constitutional
London 1st January 2015
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.
