About 2

The Footprints Difference

Footprints of London is unique in the London guided tours market.

It all started in 2011 when a group of friends from one of the London guiding courses had the bright idea to pool their efforts to promote their walks. Fast forward to today and, whilst that cohort has grown to over 50 guides, the principle remains the same: A company co-operatively owned and run by the guides existing solely for the purposes of promoting the walks of our members and the best standards in guiding.

And that’s the first thing that makes us different: Being a co-operative business means our guides care  about the quality of our walks and the quality of your experience on those walks. Which also extends to the numbers we accept on each walk; we operate a pre-bookings policy and set maximum limit of 20 guests on each walk, so no more craning your neck at the back of a huge group of people struggling to hear what the guide is saying.

We come from as diverse a range of backgrounds as the walks we present, but there is one thing that binds us; a passion for the city we all live in and love and a desire to share that with all who come on our walks. And as we all research and write our own walks based on our own expertise and interests, they are delivered with an unrivalled combination of knowledge and enthusiasm. But knowledge and enthusiasm is nothing without training and technique, so we are all accredited by at least one of the London guiding associations (Clerkenwell and Islington, Greenwich, City of London, City of Westminster and Blue Badge).

Which is another thing that makes us different: We insist that  all our guides have qualified from at least one of the accredited London guiding courses (many of us have done more than one).

But what does that mean to you? It takes at least a year of rigorous study and examination in both the practice and principle of guiding to earn each badge. It means we are trained to do the simple things right that make a huge difference to your enjoyment of a walk: presenting our knowledge in an engaging and entertaining way; making sure you can all hear when we are talking and see what we are talking about; taking you safely around London’s busy streets; and, last but not least, making sure we get our facts right.

So why should you come on a Footprints walk?

A common response of people who experience our walks for the first time is “And I thought I knew London…” Think you know London? Think again…

We’ll show you places in London you haven’t seen before and shed new light on those you have; we’ll tell you the intriguing stories behind the places you walk past every day, even the most ordinary looking street; we’ll entertain and inspire you with stories from London’s rich and diverse past and how they have influenced London’s present; and we’ll remind you what a beautiful, amazing, and wondrous city London is.

And maybe, just maybe we’ll help you love it a little more.

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Our Directors

MarkRowland-300x297

Mark Rowland

Chairman

Jiff Bayliss

Secretary

Daniella King

David Charnick

Jen Pedler

Directors

Rob Smith

Stephen Benton

Directors

 

 

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