THE WALKS PROGRAMME
Welcome to my walks!  The new format – capping the group size to 8 and, to allow for more people to do the walks, running each walk both on a Sunday and on a weekday – was voted a success and is now the regular format.

Pre-booking essential as groups limited to 8 maximum – contact Diana to book or join the email list for regular updates.
  • Walks last approx. 2hrs – 2 ½hrs.
  • Small groups – Maximum size 8 (Walks cancelled if fewer than 5).
  • Price £20, of which £1 goes to a nominated charity* (Cash on arrival preferred or BACS transfer can be arranged).
  • Walks go-ahead in all weather.
  • Pre-booking essential. Free cancellation up to 48 hrs before.
  • All walks led by Diana Kelsey.
  • See the Summer Programme (June – July 2024) 
  • 2024 Donations of £1 per person to SolarAid, who provide solar power to some of the remotest regions of the world. Charity No. 1115960.


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D.I.Y. WALKS (fancy the walk, but cannot make the date)

  • Choose the walk from  this programme or any walk on my website (90+Walks I Do).
  • Check first for dates I am available in the next couple of months (I can hold a couple of dates).
  • Guarantee a group of 4 @ £20 per head (or £80).
  • I will then promote it to top up numbers to maximum of 8.
  • The walk will go ahead, even if it is just your group of 4 (and whatever the weather!).
  • £1.00 per head donation  to SolarAid (or a charity of your choice, which must be Charity Commission registered  and for humans!).

Do not hesitate to contact me to discuss – DiaKelsey3@aol.com or 07973 316 102

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PRIVATE GROUPS

Flexibility of route/refreshment stops/timing and no added strangers!

I would be delighted to do private groups – with my following provisos:

  • £200 minimum charge for up to 10 participants, £20 per additional person.  (Full days minimum £300 for up to 10 and £30 per additional person.
  • Payment – bank transfer 48 hrs before the event, or cash/cheque on day possible by prior arrangement.
  • Suggested maximum 15 (including group leader).

Do not hesitate to contact me to discuss – DiaKelsey3@aol.com or 07973 316 102

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Thursday 13 June

WALK THE ANCIENT DROVE ROAD – HACKNEY TO SHOREDITCH  ***New***
Ends with optional late lunch in Hoxton Square

From the 1100s until the mid 1800s livestock were driven from all points of the compass into Smithfield Market.  Those of you who have been on my Islington walk may recall that Upper St. was the northern drove road, and Cowcross St. in Farringdon reminds us of the western route.  One of these ancient drove roads still exists – from Essex and East Anglia.  Following an even older path it crossed the River Lea, the Walthamstow Marshes then down to Hackney and Shoreditch to join the Northern drove road at Old Street.  This walk follows the last 3 ½ m of the route (I may offer the full route in the future).  Look at the street map of Hackney, Haggerston and Shoreditch and you can see a diagonal route running across the grid of the modern street plan, passing along London Fields, through *Broadway Market and *Columbia Road, past St. Leonards Church Shoreditch, along Rivington St. to Old. Street.  It makes a fascinating and varied walk. We start at the 13c St. Augustine’s tower in the medieval village of Hackney, walk along Broadway market and Columbia Road, visit a City Farm pass a famous Victorian Children’s hospital and the remains of Angela Burdett Coutts’ original Columbia Market to reach Shoreditch/Old St.  The chequered history of social housing is also a theme. (* markets not operating – far too crowded for a guided walk!)
NB – Walk will be approximately 3 ½ m/ 3hrs+ , (not yet timed it) and will finish with an optional late lunch in Cocotte Hoxton Square. www.mycocotte.uk.

STARTS 10.15am – Hackney Central (Exit of Overground Station at bottom of ramp. NB Costa Coffee just left of exit in Amhurst Road)

Ends Hoxton Square – nearest Tube Old Street or bus/walk down  Shoreditch High Street to Liverpool Street

Cost £25 Lunch extra

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Wednesday 19 June

FITZROVIA – THE FAMOUS AND INFAMOUS + Visit the Fitzrovia Chapel  ***New***

Between Oxford Street and the Euston Road  lies an area dubbed ‘Noho’ (= North Soho) by the property developers, but more commonly known as Fitzrovia. At the heart of the Fitzroy Place redevelopment is a hidden gem….the restored former Middlesex Hospital chapel (which we will visit). Even more scandalous than its southern neighbour Soho it has a strange and varied history.  For the artist and writers it has been a creative hub centred mostly on its pubs, for revolutionaries and reactionaries it has been a meeting and a drinking place. Spivs and spies, princes and prostitutes have peopled its streets.  It is a walk with some interesting buildings both elegant and shabby but above all good stories of both the famous and the infamous. – e.g. of Dylan Thomas, Quentin Crisp, Eric Gill, of the seeds of the Russian Revolution, and of the heir to the throne and a rent boy!

STARTS 1.30pm – Warren Street Tube (Warren Street Exit)

Ends approx 4.00pm

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Sunday 23 June

LONDON CITY ISLAND + TRINITY BUOY WHARF  ***New***
+  Special exhibition – Andrew Baldwin – Figurative Forms sculptures

A visit to an unusual cultural centre based at the mouth of the River Lea in Docklands and home to an interesting mix of outdoor sculpture, art installations and historical maritime exhibits. The original buildings, owned by Trinity House to maintain their navigational equipment still exist as does Faraday’s experimental lighthouse.  With the demise of the docks the site became derelict until in 1998 it was redeveloped – partly using shipping containers – to offer homes and workspace to a creative community and small businesses.  On our way to Trinity Buoy Wharf we will walk through London City Island, a new development on the peninsula at the mouth of the river Lea. At its heart is the new home of English National Ballet where we will have a brief tea/loo stop in the cafe.  Continuing to Trinity Buoy Wharf we will pass the traces of the Victorian docklands, catch a view back over East India Dock and over the river to the Greenwich Peninsula.  At Trinity Buoy Wharf I will take you on a brief tour of the historic buildings, artworks and historic ships (a Trinity House lightship, a Thames tug and the only surviving coastal steam ship).  I will then leave you at the Wharf** to explore the sculptures and other exhibits – it stays open until 7.00pm.  (There is a special exihibition ‘Figurative Forms’ by the blacksmith and welder cum sculptor Andrew Baldwin). (www.trinitybuoywharf.com)  NB. There is a small café at the wharf, but it will be crowded, so bring a snack..  **For those not wanting to stay on longer. I will give you around 20+ mins to explore on your own and then walk you back to the Tube.

STARTS 1.00pm -  Canning Town Tube – meet just outside ticket barriers in front of coffee stall

Ends at Trinity Buoy Wharf approx 4.00pm

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Thursday 27 June

LONDON CITY ISLAND + TRINITY BUOY WHARF  ***New***
+  Special exhibition – Andrew Baldwin – Figurative Forms sculptures

A visit to an unusual cultural centre based at the mouth of the River Lea in Docklands and home to an interesting mix of outdoor sculpture, art installations and historical maritime exhibits. The original buildings, owned by Trinity House to maintain their navigational equipment still exist as does Faraday’s experimental lighthouse.  With the demise of the docks the site became derelict until in 1998 it was redeveloped – partly using shipping containers – to offer homes and workspace to a creative community and small businesses.  On our way to Trinity Buoy Wharf we will walk through London City Island, a new development on the peninsula at the mouth of the river Lea. At its heart is the new home of English National Ballet where we will have a brief coffee/loo stop in the cafe.  Continuing to Trinity Buoy Wharf we will pass the traces of the Victorian docklands, catch a view back over East India Dock and over the river to the Greenwich Peninsula.  At Trinity Buoy Wharf I will take you on a brief tour of the historic buildings, artworks and historic ships (a Trinity House lightship, a Thames tug and the only surviving coastal steam ship).  I will then leave you at the Wharf** to explore the sculptures and other exhibits.  (There is a special exihibition ‘Figurative Forms’ by the blacksmith and welder cum sculptor Andrew Baldwin). (www.trinitybuoywharf.com)  NB. There is a small café at the wharf, but it will be crowded, so bring a sandwich/snack for lunch.  **For those not wanting to find their own way back. I will give you around 20+ mins to explore on your own and then walk you back to the Tube.

STARTS 11.30am – Canning Town Tube – meet just outside ticket barriers in front of coffee stall

Ends at Trinity Buoy Wharf approx 2.30 – 3.00pm

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Wednesday 10 July

EXPLORING STEPNEY AND LIMEHOUSE  + Lunch in Grapes Riverside Pub

Once there were small villages stretching  East from the Tower (viz Tower Hamlets).  Stepney was the original parish, hence its imposing medieval parish church, and Limehouse was the heart of the docklands during 18 + 19c. and until 1960s London’s original Chinatown.  Despite heavy bombing in the 2nd World War a surprising  amount of the historic areas remain – Georgian homes for rich merchants, now valued in £m.s. Victorian terraces of small houses – once slums and now desirable properties -  imposing Victorian social housing, remnants of the Jewish East End, 1960s housing estates are all juxtaposed.  Like so much of the East End it is rapidly changing.  We will end @ approx 12.30 with lunch (optional) at the Grapes riverside pub, part owned by Ian McKellen who has kept it as a traditional pub….no TV, no music, original décor. 

STARTS 10.15am – Stepney Green Tube

Ends 10 min walk to Limehouse DLR

Cost £25 Lunch extra

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Thursday 25 July

WALK THE ANCIENT DROVE ROAD – HACKNEY TO SHOREDITCH   ***New***

From the 1100s until the mid 1800s livestock were driven from all points of the compass into Smithfield Market.  Those of you who have been on my Islington walk may recall that Upper St. was the northern drove road, and Cowcross St. in Farringdon reminds us of the western route.  One of these ancient drove roads still exists – from Essex and East Anglia.  Following an even older path it crossed the River Lea, the Walthamstow Marshes then down to Hackney and Shoreditch to join the Northern drove road at Old Street.  This walk follows the last 3 ½ m of the route.  Look at the street map of Hackney, Haggerston and Shoreditch and you can see a diagonal route running across the grid of the modern street plan, passing along London Fields, through *Broadway Market and *Columbia Road, past St. Leonards Church Shoreditch, along Rivington St. to Old. Street.  It makes a fascinating and varied walk. We start at the 13c St. Augustine’s tower in the medieval village of Hackney and spend a little time exploring Hackney village before we starting our drove road route. We walk along Broadway market and Columbia Road, visit a City Farm pass a famous Victorian Children’s hospital and the remains of Angela Burdett Coutts’ original Columbia Market to reach Shoreditch/Old St.  The chequered history of social housing is also a theme. (* markets not operating – far too crowded for a guided walk!)
NB – Walk will be approximately 3 ½ m/ 3hrs+

STARTS 1.30pm – Hackney Central (Exit of Overground Station at bottom of ramp. NB Costa Coffee just left of exit in Amhurst Road)

Ends  in Shoreditch either bus/walk to Old Street Tube or bus/walk down  Shoreditch High Street to Liverpool Street)

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Sunday 28 July

EXPLORING STEPNEY AND LIMEHOUSE
Ends with drink/early Sunday supper in Grapes Riverside Pub

Once there were small villages stretching East from the Tower (viz Tower Hamlets).  Stepney was the original parish, hence its imposing medieval parish church, and Limehouse was the heart of the docklands during 18 + 19c. and until 1960s London’s original Chinatown.  Despite heavy bombing in the 2nd World War a surprising  amount of the historic areas remain – Georgian homes for rich merchants, now valued in £m.s. Victorian terraces of small houses – once slums and now desirable properties -  imposing Victorian social housing, remnants of the Jewish East End, 1960s housing estates are all juxtaposed.  Like so much of the East End it is rapidly changing.  We will end @ approx 5.30 for a drink or early supper (optional) at the Grapes riverside pub, part owned by Ian McKellen who has kept it as a traditional pub….no TV, no music, original décor.

STARTS 3.00pm – Stepney Green Tube

Ends  10 min walk to Limehouse DLR

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Tuesday 30 July

FITZROVIA – THE FAMOUS AND INFAMOUS  + Visit the Fitzrovia Chapel  ***New***

Between Oxford Street and the Euston Road  lies an area dubbed ‘Noho’ (= North Soho) by the property developers, but more commonly known as Fitzrovia. At the heart of the Fitzroy Place redevelopment is a hidden gem….the restored former Middlesex Hospital chapel (which we will visit). Even more scandalous than its southern neighbour Soho it has a strange and varied history.  For the artist and writers it has been a creative hub centred mostly on its pubs, for revolutionaries and reactionaries it has been a meeting and a drinking place. Spivs and spies, princes and prostitutes have peopled its streets.  It is a walk with some interesting buildings both elegant and shabby but above all good stories of both the famous and the infamous. – e.g of Dylan Thomas, Quentin Crisp, Eric Gill, of the seeds of the Russian Revolution, and of the heir to the throne and a rent boy!

STARTS 10.30am – Warren Street Tube (Warren Street Exit)

Ends  approx 1.15pm

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Thursday 1 August

LONDON CITY ISLAND + TRINITY BUOY WHARF  ***New***

A visit to an unusual cultural centre based at the mouth of the River Lea in Docklands and home to an interesting mix of outdoor sculpture, art installations and historical maritime exhibits. The original buildings, owned by Trinity House to maintain their navigational equipment still exist as does Faraday’s experimental lighthouse.  With the demise of the docks the site became derelict until in 1998 it was redeveloped – partly using shipping containers – to offer homes and workspace to a creative community and small businesses.  On our way to Trinity Buoy Wharf we will walk through London City Island, a new development on the peninsula at the mouth of the river Lea. At its heart is the new home of English National Ballet where we will have a brief coffee/loo stop in the cafe.  Continuing to Trinity Buoy Wharf we will pass the traces of the Victorian docklands, catch a view back over East India Dock and over the river to the Greenwich Peninsula..  At Trinity Buoy Wharf I will take you on a brief tour of the historic buildings, artworks and historic ships (a Trinity House lightship, a Thames tug and the only surviving coastal steam ship).  I will then leave you at the Wharf** to explore the sculptures and other exhibits.  (There is a special exihibition ‘Figurative Forms’ by the blacksmith and welder cum sculptor Andrew Baldwin). (www.trinitybuoywharf.com)  NB. There is a small café at the wharf, but it will be crowded, so bring a sandwich/snack for lunch.  **For those not wanting to find their own way back. I will give you around 20+ mins to explore on your own and then walk you back to the Tube.

STARTS 11.30am – Canning Town Tube – meet just outside ticket barriers in front of coffee stall

Ends  at Trinity Buoy Wharf approx 2.30 – 3.00pm

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Sunday 4 August

LONDON CITY ISLAND + TRINITY BUOY WHARF  ***New***

A visit to an unusual cultural centre based at the mouth of the River Lea in Docklands and home to an interesting mix of outdoor sculpture, art installations and historical maritime exhibits. The original buildings, owned by Trinity House to maintain their navigational equipment still exist as does Faraday’s experimental lighthouse.  With the demise of the docks the site became derelict until in 1998 it was redeveloped – partly using shipping containers – to offer homes and workspace to a creative community and small businesses.  On our way to Trinity Buoy Wharf we will walk through London City Island, a new development on the peninsula at the mouth of the river Lea. At its heart is the new home of English National Ballet where we will have a brief tea/loo stop in the cafe.  Continuing to Trinity Buoy Wharf we will pass the traces of the Victorian docklands, catch a view back over East India Dock and over the river to the Greenwich Peninsula..  At Trinity Buoy Wharf I will take you on a brief tour of the historic buildings, artworks and historic ships (a Trinity House lightship, a Thames tug and the only surviving coastal steam ship).  I will then leave you at the Wharf** to explore the sculptures and other exhibits – it stays open until 7.00pm.  (www.trinitybuoywharf.com) 

STARTS 1.00pm – Canning Town Tube – meet just outside ticket barriers in front of coffee stall

Ends  at Trinity Buoy Wharf approx 4.00pm

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NO WALKS UNTIL EARLY SEPTEMBER
BUT I WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR D.I.Y./PRIVATE COMMISSIONS