I am a big walker, and have done several events around London. This book offered a wonderful way for me to get some training in around London, but kept it interesting and showed me some routes i might never have discovered.

Only tried a few of the routes but it is my go-to whenever I head to London for a walk, so will definitely be completing more of these in the near future!

An interesting collection of walking routes around London, which promise to take you off the beaten track. Probably best to have the paperback version if you actually want to do the walks, but they were certainly interesting to read about.

This is a great little guide to some interesting walks you can take around London with the aid of some A-Z maps. The guide begins with a small introduction and then presents you with twenty walks around the London area, each taking in a different aspect of London, and each with additional information about the walks themselves.

I’ve lived in London most of my life but I know there are many places I still haven’t seen so when I learned about this book I was curious whether there are any walks I might find interesting to take in parts of London I haven’t seen before. After a brief introduction and information about the author, you are introduced to twenty different walks around London. Each of the walks begins with a brief introduction to the walk itself, usually about the area the walk will take you to. I like these intros to the walks as there’s a lot of interesting information about the history of the area and why the walk is of interest to take. After that there are guides to the distance of the walk, how long it will take, where it begins, with a tube station usually sited near a starting point, and even some information on how you can combine a few of the walks with others in the book, if you want to see more in one go.

After the quick guide to the walk which also includes notes on how steep the walk is and if there are any steps that need to be climbed or descended (information which was very helpful as some in my family who are keen on walking aren’t so able to do steep climbs). There are some maps also showing the walk with some red arrows showing the direction of the walk on top of the standard A-Z London map of the area. Unfortunately the digital kindle version I had was difficult to read and the maps were not so easy to see clearly and were split into different images and all over the place (but this could have been due to it being a pre-publication copy). In some cases the maps where cut up into tiny sections making reading them a bit useless. I could see the route clearly though on parts of the map I could see clearly and think that if I had a physical copy of the book where I could constantly flip back to the map if needed, then this book would be much more enjoyable to look at.

After the map the walks begin and is interesting and quite easy to follow. Each stage of the walk is described, from where to turn, which road to take and even exactly what buildings and things to look at to get the most out of the walk. There are some good and interesting facts thrown in about the walks too, the sort of things you would be told to look out for and told about if you were taking a dedicated walking tour in the area. I found some of this truly fascinating as much of it I really didn’t know and I love how there’s a lot of interesting history about the areas thrown into this book as well as some interesting things to look at along the way too. Some of these interesting things are photographed in the book as well.

Unfortunately for me, I would have preferred more of this extra information rather than the few snippets we get amongst the main directions of the walk. In some cases the steps explained about the walk focused only on the walk itself, so many steps on where to go and which way to turn that I wondered if some of the places of interest might pass me by as surely there is more to know about these places than just the few mentioned. I also would have preferred more photographs of the things to see. I know you are meant to see all of these sights when you take the walk around London, but it would have been good to have more images of the things to look at, in case you missed something or were not sure what to look at.

Each of the walks is interesting though and I do like how some places are mentioned where you can stop for refreshments. The walks cover all sorts of places from the busy districts of London with towers to pass by like the Shard, Gherkin, etc, to the old London docks, the upmarket district like Mayfair and even areas like Soho and Greenwich too. I do think I will enjoy trying out some of these walks in future. I will certainly recommend a physical copy rather than a digital one as this just didn’t work well for me on the kindle and there’s no way to flip back and forth so easily to the maps as you can with your hands. I do like this guide book to these walks though and I’m certainly eager to see things I haven’t spotted in London before, and the instructions seem simple enough, it’s just a shame there isn’t even more information on the area for those of us who maybe might miss something or would like to know even more, especially if we aren’t able to take in all of the sights when trying the walks ourselves.

Loved reading about all of London hidden gems. Even being a native you always discover something you never tried/seen before,

An interesting set of walks I look forward to trying out as we travel around. Very informative. The format on kindle isn’t very good. Would definitely recommend a paperback which I think I’ll look to so I don’t get lost

This is a brilliant book with detailed maps and directions for walking around London. Each walk highlights a different area, and leads you to some different and unusual sights. I can't wait to try them all out!

As someone who loves urban walking, I am happy to see that the A-Z has published some city walking guides. I love wandering around London so this book is going to be referred to again and again. The book covers many of the central parts of London and includes areas that are tourist hot spots as well as some areas that tourists may not be aware of. The author frequently refers to the history and culture of London and includes lots of interesting facts. The instructions are clear and the author often suggests diversions if you want to see more of the city or make the walk longer. The book also contains handy maps and photos. I think this book will be particularly useful for visitors but I think residents will also find much to interest them. I know many of the routes listed but I still learned a lot from this book and I will take it with me on my next trip to London.

This is a really informative book - Ive made some notes and can't wait to explore these hidden walks.

This A-Z of hidden London walks is right up my street!

Whenever I travel to London I avoid public transport anyway, preferring to walk and absorb the City in real life so to speak, rather than hundreds of feet below ground - popping up in different places like a mole. I love the (not so) fresh air, and the true understanding of the layout of London.

The book has lots of enticing suggestions from the ghoulish and to gory to the posh, and theatre life and everything inbetween. Helpful maps, and knowledgable but brief descriptions accompany each walk. I look forward to testing it out in the flesh soon.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

These short walks are typically 2-4 miles and some can be combined, which is usefully pointed out.
Although the walls take in some familiar routes - as a Londoner I’ve walked along the river past the south bank many times, for example - they do have some nice new details.
Each has a map, compelling photo and key details.
This would be perfect for visitors to London or tourists, wanting something quick with a new twist to some well-trodden areas.

A nice little book of short walks for visitors to London. Having lived and worked in London for over 20 years a lot of these were not new to me but there were some interesting new facts.

Such wonderful hidden walks I am looking forward to exploring thanks to this book. The kindle edition has slightly dodgy formatting, therefore I would recommend the paperback. Nevertheless I cannot wait for my next weekend off to plan a walking trip. A very well written and informative guide. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love walking round cities and in London often go on escorted tours so I was very keen on the idea of self guided tours.

There was a major issue with the PDF download be it on my phone or a Kindle fire in not being able to zoom in and out of the maps.

Never one to give into a challenge we have been on several of the walks where we write out the route in advance and then follow it reading the points of interest along the way. The directions are excellent and there are lots of wonderful snippets and pieces of history.

It was worth writing out the directions! What is incredible are some of the vistas and views of London that I have not seen before. They were totally unexpected.

I'd heartily recommend this as a book. Not the digital download based upon my experience

For anyone on a budget visit to London then this book is perfect for you. A detailed description of walks you can go on. Clear descriptions and details. I personally would like to have seen clearer maps but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the book.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to see an arc

Made me wish I was there. A lot of details, clear explanations, interesting places.
I discovered some places in London I would love to visit and discover new places
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Loved this book. We usually (pandemic aside) go to London a few times a year and explore for a week or so. This has given us many new ideas of places to explore. Really easy to read and follow the instuctions. Will be travelling with us this year.

Although I haven't done any of the walks yet, this seems a really good book to plan trips into London. Interesting descriptions of things to look out for, and the history of the areas. If you're into history then this seems the perfect accompaniment to check out hidden treasures.

This is a lovely guide for those who are new to London, or enjoy a slow wander around off the beaten path.
There’s something in here for everyone, the instructions are simple and clear and give some great background knowledge and facts,
I think even those who have been born and breed in London would find this a fascinating read