A group of walkers stops to take a photograph outside Buckingham Palace in London. The grand façade of the official London residence of the Queen is behind them. The walkers check their maps. There is a silver disc in the pavement. The crown symbol points in the direction they have to go. There is also a glass pavement slab with another crown symbol. It’s all part of a new walking experience in London.
“The best way to experience London is on foot,” says Jim Walker, CEO of Walk England and director of the Walk London project, which has designed a network of walks around the capital.
the magnificent seven
The first of the seven London walking routes, the Jubilee Walkway, was opened in 1977 as part of the celebrations for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. Improved for the Golden Jubilee in 2002, today the 24-kilometre walking route goes around the heart of the capital and its many historic sites and attractions. It’s easy to follow, and the route can be divided into shorter sections, all near tube stations and bus stops. The Jubilee Walkway crosses the Thames at the Millennium Bridge, and includes Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and much more. There is also the possibility of walking by night to avoid the crowds and to see the main sights illuminated spectacularly.
a special year
2012 was a special year for the British capital because it celebrated both the Olympic Games and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. To commemorate these events, Walk London designed a new walking route: the Jubilee Greenway. The route starts at Buckingham Palace and is 60 symbolic kilometres long: one for every year of the Queen’s reign. It connects all of the Central London Olympic venues on a largely traffic-free route; it includes the O2 Arena, Greenwich Park, Whitehall and Horse Guards Parade, the Serpentine at Hyde Park and Regent’s Park.
the LEGACY OF THE games
This year’s Olympic Games and Paralympic Games have helped boost tourism in London. Many visitors find that walking is often easier, quicker and cheaper than taking public transport - and more scenic. Walker explains: “The most popular routes are green, attractive, give people places to sit and enjoy the views, but are also where they’re going to meet other people.” As the group of walkers at Buckingham Palace finishes taking photographs, they join the stream of people. Londoners, tourists, commuters together: all of them walking.
The Magnificent Seven
Walk London has designed seven major walking routes around the capital. Known as the ‘Magnificent Seven’, the routes vary from the monster 245-kilometre London Orbital Outer Path – or LOOP for short – to the Green Chain route which links up parks and woodlands, and from the iconic Thames Path, with its bridges and boats, to the industrial heritage of the Lea Valley route. Full details, including maps and leaflets, are available online and from Walk England.
www.walkengland.org.uk
www.walklondon.org.uk