Ten years after its original publication, there is a new edition of Bradt’s guidebook to walks around central and Greater London.
With 26 walks all accessible by public transport, Freedom Pass London will be of interest not only to over 1 million London residents who can use free public transport with a Freedom Pass, but to walkers of all ages looking for a sustainable way to enjoy the capital and its surrounding counties.
The new edition, now with full colour photos and maps, updates the walks from the first edition, taking readers around picturesque locations across Surrey, Kent, Essex, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and central London. It adds a new walk straddling the border between Buckinghamshire and Berkshire, from Maidenhead to Taplow, easily accessible from central London via the new Elizabeth Line.
Each walk includes detailed route directions, places to stop for refreshments and points of interest. These include new London features of recent years such as the Shard; a new bronze artwork in Dartford celebrating Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, who grew up in the town and first met at its railway station; and public recognition of inspiring women, from Tracey Emin’s new artwork for the bronze doors of the National Portrait Gallery to a commemorative bust of Noor Inayat Khan, the first woman to serve as an undercover wireless operator in occupied France during the Second World War.
The Freedom Pass, which was introduced in 1973, is available to London residents aged 66 or over, or with a statutory disability such as total or partial loss of sight, or profound or severe hearing loss. Freedom Pass Holders can travel free across London on bus, tram, Tube, Docklands Light Railway (DLR), London Overground and the Elizabeth Line; and with National Rail, travelling in Standard Class on most local rail services within the Freedom Pass boundaries (in all cases, from 9a.m. Monday to Friday and any time at weekends and on bank holidays).
Updaters for this edition Neil and Helen Matthews said: “In and around London, town meets countryside in so many places: in Green Belt terrain, in suburbs which resemble villages, along urban rivers and in commons, parks, woodlands and nature reserves. The walks will appeal to city dwellers who want to explore the countryside around the capital, to residents of London’s suburbs who’d like to discover more of central London and anyone – whether a Freedom Pass London holder or not – who enjoys a good walk and quirky tales of the famous and not so famous.
“You’ll find out why Charles Darwin ate caterpillars, what happened when William Penn wouldn’t take his hat off in court and what Lady Ottoline Morrell told Bertrand Russell to do with his moustache. And you’ll encounter great eccentrics, such as the Dorking man buried head downwards at his own request and the politician who became friends with a man who had shot him in a duel.”
​​Freedom Pass London: 26 special days out in & around the capital by Mike Pentelow & Peter Arkell is published on September 6 by Bradt Guides, and retails for £16.99.
