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 Spring Programme (March – April 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

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 7 March

NEW GARDENS AND ANCIENT ALLEY WAYS OF THE CITY
Including a visit to the City’s latest rooftop garden at 120 Fenchurch Street

A New walk through the City of London, designed to be a cross between 21st century London, with new gardens (including the latest city rooftop garden)  – and the pre-fire alleyways of the medieval and 17c City.  We will start by visiting gardens by St. Paul’s including the new ‘Reflection Garden’ (great photo opp.!) and Distaff Garden.  The route in-between will be 90% through the narrow ancient streets and alleyways of the City. Many of these have featured on my previous City walks, but this time I will be able to point out features I have had to ignore on previous walks. As these are pre-fire thoroughfares the emphasis of the walk will be on the medieval and immediate post-fire City. I also intend to challenge those who think they know the City inside out, to find routes you have never walked before!!  We will end back in the 21st century by visiting the new roof garden at 120 Fenchurch Street, with its peaceful landscaping and planting and great 360deg views, including some of the latest city skyscrapers. NB This walk will cover more distance than my normal City walks, as it criss-crosses the City, so it is not suitable for those who have mobility issues.

STARTS 2.00pm – St.Paul’s Tube (Exit 2 opp. Café Nero)

Ends at 120 Fenchurch Street  (5 mins walk from either Monument or Bank Tube)

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Sunday 10 March

NEW GARDENS AND ANCIENT ALLEY WAYS OF THE CITY
Including a visit to the City’s latest rooftop garden at 120 Fenchurch Street

A New walk through the City of London, designed to be a cross between 21st century London, with new gardens (including the latest city rooftop garden)  – and the pre-fire alleyways of the medieval and 17c City.  We will start by visiting gardens by St. Paul’s including the new ‘Reflection Garden’ (great photo opp.!) and Distaff Garden.  The route in-between will be 90% through the narrow ancient streets and alleyways of the City. Many of these have featured on my previous City walks, but this time I will be able to point out features I have had to ignore on previous walks. As these are pre-fire thoroughfares the emphasis of the walk will be on the medieval and immediate post-fire City. I also intend to challenge those who think they know the City inside out, to find routes you have never walked before!!  We will end back in the 21st century by visiting the new roof garden at 120 Fenchurch Street, with its peaceful landscaping and planting and great 360deg views, including some of the latest city skyscrapers. NB This walk will cover more distance than my normal City walks, as it criss-crosses the City, so it is not suitable for those who have mobility issues.

STARTS 1.30pm – St.Paul’s Tube (Exit 2 opp. Café Nero)

Ends at 120 Fenchurch Street  (5 mins walk from either Monument or Bank Tube)

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Thursday 14 March

EXPLORING HIDDEN KENSINGTON

This walk eschews the more familiar sights such as Kensington Palace and Gardens and Ken.High St. in favour of the less frequented streets and squares of a series of ‘urban villages’. The first part of the walk will be around the site of the original manor of ‘Chenistone’, listed in the Domesday book – a hamlet surrounded by rich farmland with the little church of St. Mary Abbotts at its heart.  We will then cross to the south side of Kensington High Street to walk through quiet streets, squares and little ‘villages’. We pass through Kensington’s two historic squares,- one of which over 300 years old -, one of London’s prettiest mews and Kensington ‘New Town’ with its imposing villas built in the 1840’s.  The ‘New Town’ comprises 3 separate small ‘estates’ developed by 3 early Victorian entrepreneurs who made their money in surprising ways.  The unusual street pattern imposed by the estate boundaries and the contrasting architectural styles makes this a very varied walk.  The walk ends in Edwardes Square, about ½ m. along Kensington High St.  N.B. To do this area justice this 2 ½ hr.walk covers 2 ½m  – a longer distance than my normal walks and at slightly faster pace.

STARTS 2.00pm -  Kensington High St. Tube (Meet at Tube exit inside the arcade

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Sunday 17 March

EXPLORING HIDDEN KENSINGTON

This walk eschews the more familiar sights such as Kensington Palace and Gardens and Ken.High St. in favour of the less frequented streets and squares of a series of ‘urban villages’. The first part of the walk will be around the site of the original manor of ‘Chenistone’, listed in the Domesday book – a hamlet surrounded by rich farmland with the little church of St. Mary Abbotts at its heart.  We will then cross to the south side of Kensington High Street to walk through quiet streets, squares and little ‘villages’. We pass through Kensington’s two historic squares,- one of which over 300 years old -, one of London’s prettiest mews and Kensington ‘New Town’ with its imposing villas built in the 1840’s.  The ‘New Town’ comprises 3 separate small ‘estates’ developed by 3 early Victorian entrepreneurs who made their money in surprising ways.  The unusual street pattern imposed by the estate boundaries and the contrasting architectural styles makes this a very varied walk.  The walk ends in Edwardes Square, about ½ m. along Kensington High St.  N.B. To do this area justice this 2 ½ hr.walk covers 2 ½m  – a longer distance than my normal walks and at slightly faster pace.

STARTS 2.00pm – Kensington High St. Tube (Meet at Tube exit inside the arcade)

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Sunday 24 March

BATTERSEA POWER STATION DEVELOPMENT

See the remarkable and imaginative redevelopment of Battersea Power Station.  The industrial wharves and riverfront have been transformed into impressive gardens.  The centre-piece of the residential development is by Frank Gehry – his first housing project in the UK. Only being up close to, and inside the power station can one fully appreciate the monumental scale of the building and the well-preserved Art Deco and 50’s interiors of the two turbine halls – now a shopping mall. 

STARTS 2.00pm – Exit of Battersea Power Station (Northern Line) Tube

Ends nr. south side of Chelsea Bridge.  Bus to Sloane Square or short walk back to Tube

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Wednesday 27 March

BATTERSEA POWER STATION DEVELOPMENT
Optional afternoon extension to Nine Elms development incl. new American Embassy (1 ½ hrs £10 extra – decide on day)

See the remarkable and imaginative redevelopment of Battersea Power Station.  The industrial wharves and riverfront have been transformed into impressive gardens.  The centre-piece of the residential development is by Frank Gehry – his first housing project in the UK. Only being up close to, and inside the power station can one fully appreciate the monumental scale of the building and the well-preserved Art Deco and 50’s interiors of the two turbine halls – now a shopping mall. (optional lunch – yet to be decided…new places opening all the time)

STARTS 10.15am – Exit of Battersea Power Station (Northern Line) Tube

Morning ends  nr. south side of Chelsea Bridge.  Bus to Sloane Square or short walk back to Tube

Afternoon – The Nine Elms Development is a complete (rather depressing) but nevertheless interesting contrast to Battersea, ½ mile up river near Vauxhall.  The first 15+ minutes of the walk are rather unattractive and noisy passing through the construction site and involves walking along a busy road to reach the American Embassy and the Nine Elms development.   The walk ends with a pleasant 10min riverside walk up to Vauxhall Bridge.

Ends 3.00-3.30pm Vauxhall Tube/Mainline

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Friday 29 March (Good Friday)

THE ‘LOST RIVER’ WESTBOURNE. Hampstead, Hyde Park (optional  gastro pub lunch) – 5m

Mark Easter and the end of ‘British Winter Time’ by a long ½  day walk across London from Hampstead to Bayswater/Hyde Park, following the course of one of London’s lost rivers.   Rising in Hampstead the Westbourne flows (underground, although we may hear it at one site) down through Kilburn, Bayswater, Knightsbridge and Chelsea. It is a truly varied walk from elegant Hampstead through  West Hampstead with its Edwardian mansion blocks, (coffee stop) through multi-cultural Kilburn, past council estates and  through mews and alleyways behind the stucco of Bayswater,  to end for lunch (optional) in  a gastro pub just off the Bayswater Road. (www.mitrelancastergate.com)   (Cost £25 – lunch extra)(After lunch an optional afternoon extra, continue to follow the river across Hyde Park to end at Knightsbridge Tube.  Decide on the day – £5 extra).

STARTS 9.30am – Hampstead Tube

Ends  approx 1.30 for lunch – nearest Tube Lancaster Gate

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Sunday 7 April

EXPLORING CAMDEN, FROM PRIMROSE HILL TO  MORNINGTON CRESCENT

Camden is a varied and fascinating area. Once open fields – now only Primrose Hill remains – then home to the piano-making industry after the opening of the Regents Canal, it is now is a very mixed residential area with housing from vast regency villas to down-at-heel terraces – a couple of which have Dickens’ connections. The walk will start by exploring the streets around Primrose Hill, walking down streets you may recognise from the film Paddington 2 and Alan Bennett’s the Lady in the Van. Camden Town itself is a complete contrast, busy, noisy and an assault on the senses, but full of life.  We end by walking to Mornington Crescent, (15mins from Camden Town), made infamous in the Radio 4 panel game I’m Sorry I haven’t a Clue, home to the Camden Town group of artists and to arguably London’s most bizarre and dramatic Art Deco building – the erstwhile Carreras Cigarette factory.  This walk covers a greater distance than normal…3+ miles 2 ½ hrs + . NB For lovers of architecture it is worth walking the extra ½ mile to Mornington Crescent, but others may chose to end the walk at Camden Town Tube.

STARTS 1.30pm - Chalk Farm Tube

Ends  Mornington Crescent Tube (with option to peel off at Camden Town Tube)

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Sunday 28 April

VISIT EMERY WALKER HOUSE (17 Hammersmith Terrace)  AND WILLIAM MORRIS SOCIETY MUSEUM ***New***
+ Pub lunch and riverside walk – 8 PLACES ONLY book early!

I have managed to book 8 places on a special Sunday tour of the Emery Walker House on Hammersmith Mall www.emerywalker.org.uk . It is one of the best preserved Arts and Crafts interiors in Britain and is full of William Morris wallpapers, textiles and furniture.  The tour through the house (their guide) will include a stop in the Thames-side garden (weather permitting) and a viewing of their one-off Mudlarking Exhibition (closes end Apr.). We will walk from the tube to the river, with a couple of stops on the way. We should have time to grab a take-away coffee by the river before the house tour at 12.30.  We will then have a pub lunch on the river before walking along Hammersmith Mall to visit the William Morris Society’s  small museum, williammorrissociety.org/our-museum/ which doesn’t open til 2.00pm (hence the pub lunch!).  It is housed in the coach house and basement rooms of William Morris’s home for the last 18 years of his life. It houses changing displays from the Society’s collection as well as Morris’s original Albion printing press.
Cost £35 including entry ticket – lunch extraNB. Cancellation charge £10 entry fee if I cannot resell your place. full amount if within 48hrs of visit.

STARTS 11.30am - Stamford Brook Tube

Ends  approx 3.30/4.00pm.  Nearest Tubes either Ravenscourt Park (10mins) or pleasant riverside walk to Hammersmith (20mins)

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Wednesday 1 May

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 (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. Cost £25 – lunch extra.

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)

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WALKS PROGRAMME WILL START AGAIN IN JUNE
BUT I AM AVAILABLE FOR PRIVATE OR D.I.Y WALKS MAY 13,15,16 and 27-31