ElanWalks Currently Available
The Stages of Shakespeare - celebrating 400 years of the 1st Folio
November 2023 marks the 400th anniversary of the publication of the 1st Folio and Helen has created this walk to celebrate the event and the life and legacy of the Bard in London.
We will walk through the areas Shakespeare and his friends lived and worked reflecting on what has changed and what has remained constant in over 400 years. As we journey through the stages of Shakespeare's London life, we will share our favourite plays, quotes and characters plus there's a fun Elan Walks quiz.
William Shakespeare has inspired everyone from presidents, prisoners and princes to Harry Potter, so whether you are a bardolator or just curious about the world's best known author you are bound to find something of interest on this fascinating walk.
So, 'friends, Romans and countrymen, lend me your ears,' enter a 'brave new world' you will remember 'forever and a day,' be 'as merry as the day is long' and find 'parting is such sweet sorrow' when I say, 'our revels now are ended.'
This walking tour is around 2 hours 30 mins.
The walk starts at the Barbican.
We finish the walk near London Bridge station.
Feedback
'This walk is even better than the Globe Theatre's tour, I learnt so many new fascinating facts that I now want to do all of Helen's walks.'
Burgunde Lukasser
Next Walk Dates
Sunday 1st October 14:00 to 16:30
Sunday 8th October 14:00 to 16:30
Saturday 4th November 10:30 to 13:00
If you would like to be the first to hear about future Stages of Shakespeare walk please email me via info@elanwalks.com
Prices from £18 per person
Private tours available on request for both weekends and weekdays.
Chocolate Unwrapped
An indulgent treat delving into the sensational world of chocolate, 'the food of the gods'. This tour is absolute heaven for anyone who adores chocolate, which includes Helen your guide. This ever popular tour now includes 2 new stores for your delectation.
Treat yourself or someone special to a divine time discovering more about the magic of chocolate.
We will visit the stores of 4 award winning British and continental chocolatiers who produce some of the finest hand-made and bar to bean chocolate in the world which you will be able to sample on the tour.
On the walk Helen unwraps the history of chocolate and shares some fascinating facts and some very silly jokes about the world's first choice for all celebrations and special occasions.
As well as sampling chocolate on the tour you will be given a discount on your purchases in store on the day.
This is the perfect tour for treating yourself and for finding delicious and delightful gifts for friends and family.
This walking tour is around 2 hrs 30 minutes.
The starting point of the walk is near Marble Arch.
We finish the walk in Soho, in time for lunch unless you are too full of chocolate!
Next Walk Dates
Saturday 7th October 10:30 to 13:00
Saturday 28th October 10:30 to 13:00
If you would like to be the first to hear about future Chocolate Unwrapped walks please email me via info@elanwalks.com
Prices from £20 per person
Elan Walks are small group walking tours to give you a personal experience, numbers on the Chocolate Unwrapped Tour are especially limited due to the size of the boutique stores we visit on the tour, so please book early to avoid disappointment.
Private tours available on request for both weekdays and weekends.
The Tipple Tour
Join Helen for this fun tour taking a lighthearted look at the history of drinks and drinking as we take a salubrious saunter around some of London's most iconic, historic and delightful pubs.
On the walk you will hear about beer, gin, rum and porter and how they are entwined with British culture.
Expect hand-pumps, monks, sailors, dead parrots, firkins, rum tales and Romans. You will learn some fascinating facts and be able to test your knowledge in a pub quiz on alcohol.
Come along for a fun-filled afternoon with a few tipples and a chance to make new friends. The dream tour for every zythophile.
This tour is 3 hours.
The starting point is Blackfriars Station.
Next Walk Date
If you would like to be the first to hear about future Tipple Tours please email me via info@elanwalks.com
Prices from £20 per person
Private tours available on request.
London by Gaslight
This tour literally shows London in a different light. Discover the magical gas-lamps of Westminster and marvel at their fascinating history and world changing legacy. Hidden in plain sight they will captivate you with their warm, soft, shimmering light.
London was the first city in the world to be lit by gas-lamps and gaslight has illuminated our streets for over 200 years since the reign of George IV. Their invention revolutionised night life in London and all major towns and cities around the world.
On this tour you will hear about the history of the lamps, see where they were first demonstrated and learn how they evolved becoming bigger and brighter over the years.
This tour also takes you past some of the most historic buildings in London including Westminster Abbey, Spencer House, St James's Palace, the National Gallery and the Savoy Hotel.
Our heritage gas-lamps are under threat from Westminster Council who want to replace them with LED mock replicas. However, thanks to the efforts of the London Gasketeers 174 have been saved for now, and they have worked over the last year to get these plus 94 others threatened with replacement listed with English Heritage. Three Cheers for these dedicated Gasketeers.
I challenge anyone not to be enchanted by our beautiful gas-lamps some of which are over 100 years old.
If you're not in love with gaslight by the end of the tour I will happily give you your money back.
This walking tour is 2 hrs 30 minutes.
The starting point of the walk is near the front entrance to Westminster Abbey.
We finish the walk on the Strand, where those who wish can share a drink in a lovely old Edwardian pub that still has a gas-lamp outside.
Next Walk Dates
Sunday 22nd October 18:00 to 20:30
Sunday 29th October 17:00 to 19:30
Sunday 12th November 16:00 to 18:30
Prices from £18 per person.
Private tours are available on request for both weekday and weekend tours.
5 Centuries in 4 Royal Parks
Journey through 4 Royal Parks and 5 centuries of history on this delightful walk. Helen will share fascinating facts about these glorious parks, the palaces they surround and the lives of those who created them as she expertly guides you through each park.
You never know what you will see on this walk; a naked bike-ride and a minor royal out for a stroll have been seen previously. This walk brings new surprises every time.
As the seasons change the flowers and the tree colours do too, through the beautiful scented blossoms and blooms of Spring, the wild flowers and roses of Summer, the rich colours of Autumn to the snowdrops in Winter. Whatever time of year you visit the Royal parks they are always a joy to see.
There's wildlife too including the pelicans in St James's Park and up to 30 other species of wildfowl.
We also meet Peter Pan, get up close to the stunning Albert Memorial and visit several other statues and monuments on this stroll through the lungs of London.
For those who wish we will end the walk in a lovely old Victorian pub for refreshments.
This walk is 3 hours.
The starting point of this walk is near Westminster tube station.
We finish this walk at Lancaster Gate tube station.
Next Walk Dates
Prices from £18 per person.
If you would like to be the first to hear about future walks in the Royal Parks please email me via info@elanwalks.com
Private tours available on request.
Women of Stature
Come and join Helen on this walk celebrating remarkable women who against the odds stood their ground, achieved their aim, rose to fame and thus became some of the few women to have a statue erected to them in London.
This tour includes nurses, writers, political campaigners, business women and queens.
You will hear about the loves, loses, struggles and successes of these amazing and talented women.
We visit 10 statues and 1 lion on this fascinating and informative tour around central London.
This walking tour is 2 hour 30 mins.
This walk starts on the south side of Westminster Bridge and finishes near Leicester Square tube station.
Next Walk Dates
If you would like to be the first to hear about future Women of Stature walks please email me via info@elanwalks.com
Prices from £18 per person.
Private tours available on request.
The Lambeth Walk
Palaces, potters, pleasure gardens, bishops, Blake, Bedlam and Bligh, plus art galleries and alpacas; you'll find them all doing the Lambeth Walk!
You might even find yourself singing a chorus of the song made famous by the musical 'Me and My Girl.'
Originally recorded in 1062 as Lambehitha, Lambeth's long and rich history is written in its streets. This tour is a great way to get to know more about an area of London you thought you already knew or to discover a new one and you get to see very cute alpacas.
We finish this walk near a nice old pub where walkers can join Helen for a drink or have something to eat if they wish at the end of our time together.
This walk is 2hrs 30 mins.
The starting point is Lambeth North tube station.
Next Walk Date
If you would like to be the first to hear about future Lambeth Walks email me via info@elanwalks.com or via the contact page here on the website.
Prices from £18 per person.
Private tours available on request.
Gothic Architecture To Die For!
Can money, talent or stone make anyone immortal? Find out on this tour around one of London's 'Magnificent 7' Victorian cemeteries.
Known as the millionaires cemetery with 69 grade II listed structures West Norwood cemetery has some of the finest sepulchres in London, comparable with those in St Paul's and Westminster Abbey.
Photographers, nature lovers and anyone interested in history will find wandering around its imposing monuments, both crumbling and perfectly preserved, totally fascinating.
Helen will guide you around some of the most famous and impressive gravestones and monumental mausoleums in the cemetery.
West Norwood's tombs read like a Who's Who to wealthy Victorian society; you definitely wanted to be seen dead here!
Sugar tycoon Henry Tate, the original celebrity chef Mrs Beeton, Baron Reuter founder of Reuters news agency, the inventor Sir Henry Bessemer, Sir Henry Doulton of Royal Doulton pottery, James William Gilbert the first manager of the Natwest Bank, plus many other artists, architects and celebrities are now resting here in Norwood.
The 40 acre site is also a haven for wild life, so a fox may saunter by during our visit if we are lucky. The many trees provide food and shelter for birds and bats, and several oaks survive from the ancient Great North Wood which the cemetery was built on.
This walk is around 2 hours
This walk starts at the entrance to West Norwood Cemetery which is a 5 minute walk from West Norwood Station.
Next Walk Date
Price £15 per person.
If you would like to be the first to hear about future walks please email me via info@elanwalks.com
Private tours available on request.
Walks for all Occasions
Looking for something special or different?
A personal walk to celebrate a birthday, anniversary or another important occasion?
Simply book your own private Elan Walk.
An Elan Walk is also perfect for a social group activity and corporate team building.