On Wednesday, we joined London Walks for a day-trip walking tour of Oxford and The Cotswolds. An excellent day, it was. Which leads me to ruminate on . . .
A good guide is essential to a good walking tour.
5 Reasons to Enroll in an Organized, Guide-led Walking Tour
- A huge amount of information is imparted, from statistics and history to arcana and entertaining stories. For example: we learned the history of Cecil Rhodes and the Rhodes Scholarships; and, the difference between a grotesque and a griffin.
- You’re exploring a place up-close and personal. In how many situations can you stand outside a private house and stare at the thatch roof for 10 minutes without becoming ominously conspicuous?
- Walkers tend to be hearty people with good curiosity who make good company.
- You don’t have to think. The guide intelligently directs you where to go and why.
- It’s efficient. No time is wasted trying to determine where to go or what you’re looking at.
But . . .
3 Elements to Keep in Mind about Organized, Guide-led Walking Tours
- The guide must be good. Over this you have no control, but a dull, poorly informed guide who injects no humor yields a dull tour.
- The topic must be relevant. Don’t join a tour just because it’s a tour. Go because you’re interested in the tour’s topic.
- You must keep up. Avoid a tour that requires more walking than you’re comfortable with or capable of. Only you know your own limits.
Walk on.
