Hello, and welcome to my personal web page!
My name is Chris and I have had a home in London since 1989.

I offer guiding services primarily for:

* OUT-OF-LONDON  EXCURSIONS : FULL-DAY and HALF-DAY, plus multiple-day EXTENDED TOURS to:

- Bath:  my favourite English city: Roman Baths, beautiful, harmonious 18th century architecture. I offer a walking tour featuring, potentially, some of the city’s lesser-known, non-touristy but uniquely beautiful crescents and shopping streets…

- The Cotswolds:  my favourite ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’: quaint stone houses, gardens. I offer a comprehensive, balanced itinerary consisting potentially of seven picturesque towns and villages (large and small), each with their own unique characteristics, plus a quirky upland viewpoint…

- Oxford:  the oldest English university city, great architecture and atmosphere, boating on river. I offer  a comprehensive walking tour featuring many of the iconic colleges and university buildings.
PLUS, new to 2024, my Inspector Morse/Sergeant Lewis tour.

- Stratford-upon-Avon:  Shakespeare’s town of birth, half-timbered buildings, lovely river views

- Salisbury:  beautiful medieval cathedral with very tall spire, fine market square, old pubs

- Canterbury:  famous large, historic cathedral with square towers, ancient city walls and castle

- Greenwich:  much maritime history, superb views, lovely park, very near to London

- Brighton:  iconic South Coast seaside resort, flamboyant  Indian-style ‘Royal Pavilion’, famous pier

- Warwick Castle:  huge, impressive castle, with plenty of activities, near to Stratford-upon-Avon

- Windsor:  world-famous ancient royal castle/palace complex, fine river views, near to London

- Stonehenge:  world-famous prehistoric stone circle with huge, finely-shaped stones, near to Salisbury

- Hampton Court Palace:  grandiose 16th century royal palace, superb gardens, near to London

- Leeds Castle:  ancient royal residence in quiet, rural location, beautiful gardens

- Dover:  famous white sea cliffs, ancient castle, with a view of  France, if good visibility

- Blenheim Palace:  spectacular baroque palace in the Cotswolds, fine gardens, near to Oxford

- Avebury stone circle:  largest prehistoric stone circle in the world, not far from Stonehenge

- Lacock and/or Castle Combe:  idyllic Cotswolds villages and popular TV/film locations, near to the city of Bath

- Longleat:  impressive aristocratic house, fine gardens, plus a famous animal safari park

and more…

I have led tours to all the above places.

PLEASE NOTE: I am NOT  a “driver-guide”. I don’t have a private vehicle or driving licence.

* PUBLIC TRANSPORT(-ATION) TOURS  (Climate-friendly) to places inside and outside of Greater London, using, for example, an overground electric train, a London Underground train, a boat on the River Thames, a short-distance public bus, and/or a medium or long distance public coach; as well as walking.

*  LONDON INTERIOR SIGHTS, for example: Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, Churchill War Rooms, Tower Bridge, St Paul’s Cathedral, British Museum, National Gallery…

* LONDON PANORAMIC TOURS

* My “LONDON’S BEST PHOTO SPOTS” WALKING TOUR(S), with flexible, tailor-made itineraries. (I have lots of stamina!): DETAILS BELOW, at the bottom, after testimonials ***

* Other WALKING TOURS:

- covering different districts of London, for example: Westminster, Notting Hill, St James, Mayfair, Soho, Holborn, Bloomsbury, City of London, Kensington, Chelsea, Southwark, Lambeth… with possible stops at some of the interior sights listed above

*  Tours in a chauffeured car, private-hire minibus or coach

MINI-BIOGRAPHY:

I have:

-  TRAVELLED WIDELY : Europe, Asia, America (North, Central and South), the Caribbean West Indies, the Middle East, and North Africa.

- been a COACH TOUR MANAGER in the UK and Europe.

- a BA Honours degree from Bristol University in Modern Foreign Languages.

I am flexible, enthusiastic, well-organized and patient, and have a clear speaking voice. I’m good with people - including children - of all ages and nationalities.

TESTIMONIALS:

- “Noel and I want to thank you for giving us such great tours of London. And, also so much history of the city and England. I know I'll have to do some reading to refresh my memory of everything you briefed us on.  But it was very enlightening and fun.
We just had a great time with you.
Also enjoyed our lunches at the pubs, just getting to know each other, and discussing our travels around the world. You made it a wonderful trip for us.
Thanks again Chris.  It was outstanding!!
Best regards,
Gene & Noel”

- “Our tour guide Chris was excellent. He worked with our schedule and managed to take us to all the sights we wanted to see. He was very accommodating and made our trip very memorable. He showed us not only the sights, but provided a lot of historical background and was very knowledgeable. We had our own private bus, as promised. We definitely recommend to anyone interested in seeing London.”
Daisy

***LONDON’S BEST PHOTO SPOTS  WALKING TOUR***:

Nowadays in London, tourists in motor vehicles often have to endure painfully slow journeys on congested roads.That is why it is often best to get your bearings and discover central London ON FOOT, perhaps on this private, bespoke WALKING TOUR of which there are several versions, some longer or shorter than others.

The tour might appeal most to people who haven’t been to London before, or who want to see and photograph as much as possible in a relatively short space of time, without having to spend valuable time trying to follow a map or read a guide book or tourist information.

The tour focuses on VISUALS, on EXTERIOR SIGHTS (not paid interiors, unless specifically requested) and PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES covering some, if not most, of central London’s most iconic sights, including, for example, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, 10 Downing Street, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Trafalgar Square, and the Houses of Parliament / Big Ben, to name just a few…

Central London covers quite a large area, so -  depending on your level of stamina and physical fitness -  you may wish to have the tour divided into two (or more) sections, and walk each section on different days. The tour can be adapted to fit your own needs or criteria, and walking speed.