Customer Reviews

City Walks: London: 50 Adventures on Foot

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought these because I live in London and sometimes I just want to go for a walk. But you do get in a rut: same places, same views.

These short walks take you into some of the most lovely areas of London, places outside the tourist attractions. One of our favorites was Holland Park, such a lovely surprise with the gorgeous Kyoto Garden koi pond and the treed lanes. We were often in Notting Hill, but hadn't ever stumbled into this area. This park is SO different from Hyde Park, so much more intimate.

If you are coming to London for the first or, especially, for the third or fourth time, pick these up and see parts of London you never dreamed of.

Taylor uses the tube lines as launching points for these journeys--very smart--and the cards are small enough to so you won't stick out too much as a tourist as you stare at them trying to find your destination. The maps are very specific and though my wife and I didn't try all of the walks, we found the West End walks insightful.

I brought this set of walks to London and really enjoyed using them. They maps were clear and well-designed and the walks were fun, realistic, and retained a sense of adventure. Also it was a big plus to be able to bring a few cards along for the day, and leave the bulk behind. I hope that someday I can return and do more of the walks. I plan to buy other sets for other cities when I'm lucky enough to do more traveling. They're best put to use if you're going to spend a few days or a week in one region.

I purchased this for my recent trip to London, and was able to follow around 10 of the 50 walks. The pocket sized maps were easy to follow and helpful in helping you navigate the streets. However, each route, which was on a 4x5 card, was lacking in detail, so I think it would be best used in conjunction with a city guidebook. Afterall, how much detail can you really put into a 4x5 card. In terms of the prescribed routes, some were really great in finding interesting points of the city, while others (like the Sherlock Holmes route) could never have lived up to what I imagined.

My family and I did a house trade with a London family (a practice I recommend highly, as it gives one the equivalent of a thousand pound a night hotel suite accommodation). This item has separate cards that can be extracted and carried on a walk. I found the art work to be very clear and easily read and followed, carrying a card or two whilst walking is much less of a burden than the usual travel guide, and the cards introduced me to walks in areas I might not otherwise have discovered or tried. Of course, this is not a complete travel guide; it is quite specialized. But it is very good at what it does and is a lot easier to follow than a general map.
I left my copy of this item in the house in London, for our exchangers to keep on hand when next they exchange their home. In preparation for my next trip to London (I was born there, and feel attached to the place) I shall buy another copy of this item. I most highly recommend it.

If you are trying to get a condensed view of London, these cards are great. They start and end at Underground stations which makes it easy to get going. They also don't look like tourist maps, so it's not entirely obvious you are a yank.

But I would definitely recommend carrying a good tourist map with you. If you want to deviate from the assigned route on the card, you quickly find yourself "off the map". It would have been nice to have cues on the card as to how the cards relate (like "See card 54" on the SW corner of a card).

What would also be great is a card or two of tourist tips. For instance: get an Oyster card instead of shelling out for each Underground trip. Take the bus if you can - you'll see a lot more than the dirty tubes of London.

A brilliant guide to London - some off the beaten track walks to discover different aspects of a wonderful city.

These are the best cards. I first bought them for a friend and then got some for myself, they are really wonderful. The walks are well laid out and the cards also has a short history note of sights along the route...Also recommend the Paris Walks... Great gift...

These cards are very helpful in helping to plot out your visit to London and do things on your own - which is very easy to do in London and makes it a much more affordable visit. Have fun.

I was only in London for a few days last September, but I'm so glad I took this with me. We wanted to see more of London's neighborhoods. Thanks to these walks, we had a much better idea of where we wanted to go. Even if you don't follow them exactly, reading the cards can give you a much better idea of what you'll see in certain neighborhoods, especially places that might not be obvious. I'll be taking them back to London next time I go!