A Bristol-based former travel agency boss is helping people in London find interesting places to take their exercise walk in lockdown.

The self-guided walks are downloadable from a website www.mylondonwalks.com which Kevin Abbey set up after so many friends asked him for copies of walks he had devised for his own use.

Now with most people working from home and few overseas visitors due to Covid-19, London is quieter than it’s been for many years which has made exploring it by foot easier than ever.

The free self-guided walks are easy and fun to follow with fascinating pieces of history thrown in.  Besides visiting some of the more well-known sights, they include places which few tourists – or even people living in London – would ever get around to visit.   

With traffic-free streets and a drop in pollution many people are taking the opportunity to use their exercise time to explore London and discover its history, its many secrets and the hidden squares and passages.

Having stepped down as head of a chain of travel agencies, Kevin Abbey found he had more time to spend on exploring London. He began making notes on places of interest and the website idea grew from there.   

“I’ve included a range of very different areas of London with two walks exploring the ‘Square Mile’, as the original City is known, whilst others include the popular tourist destinations of Westminster and St James, whilst others visit the not so well-known districts of Farringdon and Clerkenwell” said Kevin.  

“A more recent and very popular walk takes in the East End, visiting the five major East End Markets” he added.  

“However, for those who’d prefer to stay away from London’s streets there are three waterside walks. One is along the Regent’s Canal from Paddington to Camden, and two explore the River Thames from the Tower of London down to Canary Wharf.” 

Even with the cafes, pubs and interesting shops closed the twelve walks, which are completely free to either download or ‘read as you walk’ on a tablet or phone, are proving popular.