Walking around the markets of London this Tuesday gone, whilst testing our newest London self guided walk “Market to Market”, was extremely nostalgic. A remembrance of adventures past and a wonderful glimpse of the future. Earlier this week I returned to two of my favourite haunts – Old Spitalfields Market and Borough Market.
It’s been 4 years since my last visit, and I returned with the curators of our London self guided walks, Ginny and Rob AKA the London Walker.
What is a London self guided Walk?
A London self guided walk from beyond the map is a curated walk that you access via your mobile phone, it includes an interactive map feature and instructions for you to follow to enable you to guide yourself around some of London’s best hidden treasures.
What makes Beyond The Map London unique is that we’re offering high quality content in our curated London self guided walks and tours, at a very affordable rate and they are perfect for groups of between 2-6.
Because they are self guided walks, it gives you, the user complete flexibility – essentially you aren’t tethered to the tour and are free to explore.
There are lots of wonderful shops, cafes, restaurants, art galleries and museums on all of our walks and tours, and being self guided, allows you the flexibility to be spontaneous and satisfy your curiosity, by giving you the freedom to stop off as frequently and for as long as you like.
Market to Market – A London Market Self Guided Walk
We started off from a little café in Spitalfields and trekked through the markets of London, testing a walk that’s in development, centred around visiting the wonderful bustling markets that exist here in London.
We decided to create this self guided walk based on London markets, as we love them and want to support these communities who’ve been hit hard over the decades, showcase what our London markets have to offer and of course, celebrate their fascinating history.
Through our clue based self-guided walks, we want to take you on an adventure through these London markets that are full of colour, exotic smells and include food not just for your belly, but for your eyes and thoughts by including questions along your journey through them, teaching you things most Londoners wouldn’t know.
En route we also encountered one of Harry Potter’s backdrops, the beautiful Leadenhall Market. Leadenhall Market’s beautifully covered pathways were featured in the first Harry Potter Film representing the famous Diagon Alley.
If you remember, Hagrid and Harry walk through the market and then enter the Leaky Cauldron Pub through a blue door!
Vinopolis – My old visitor attraction days in London Bridge!
Malcolm Ball at Vinopolis, London Bridge
We eventually ending up on the corner of Click Street and Stoney Street, which is adjacent to my old HQ – the visitor attraction Vinopolis – which sadly is no more!
I have many happy memories of this part of London, the place where I grew my original London visitor attraction business with a very different type of London self guided tour or walk, compared to what we are offering at Beyond The Map!
We were blessed with a beautiful bright sunny day on the first day of February, which made for a wonderful change from the cold winter months now passing once again behind us.
It was also a fantastic glimpse of the future, day dreaming about all the people who would enjoy this, our newest London self guided walk and all the things they will discover along the way.
So, just over 2 miles and some several thousand steps later, while answering and testing out 37 thought provoking clues in the process – I would say that it was a great day in every respect.