Hi there
Can anyone tell me how much walking there is with this tour. I have some hip/back issues and dont know if i can keep up with a group. Are there available seating areas at the sites?
Did you stay in 1 hotel for the entire trip. Which airport did you fly into/out of. If you don't feel like going on the prescribed tour for that day, is that OK?
Did anyone do some before/after touring in other parts of the UK and what do you recommend.
Day 1: Welcome to London
Light walking: 2–4 miles throughout the day on mostly level terrain.
Day 2: Westminster and Whitehall
Strenuous walking: 2–8 miles throughout the day with lots of hills, stairs, and uneven terrain.
Day 3: The Tower, The City, and St. Paul
Strenuous walking: 2–8 miles throughout the day with lots of hills, stairs, and uneven terrain.
Day 4: East London and the Churchill War Rooms
Strenuous walking: 2–8 miles throughout the day with lots of hills, stairs, and uneven terrain.
Day 5: Historic Windsor Castle
Moderate walking: 2–6 miles throughout the day with some hills and stairs. Train: 2 hours.
Day 6: Borough Market and the South Bank
Moderate walking: 2–6 miles throughout the day with some hills and stairs.
( above from the "Itinerary" https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/england-scotland/london)
You can opt out of any activity if you wish, just be sure to tell the guide and your 'buddy' that you are skipping out
The airline you choose will determine which airport you will use.
Westminster, The City and East London are predominately flat. I can’t think of any hills in central London other than gentle slopes such as Haymarket. There maybe steps and some pavements can be uneven.
My wife 72 and I 71 are signed up for this tour. I have two artificial hips and two major back surgery's. My plan, 1) don't believe the distance estimates, 2) take time off and get out of the way. Don't be a burden! 3) Yes there will be places to sit down, but maybe not everywhere. 4) don't complain, I want to be a good sport not a pain in the a$$. Don't be a burden! 5) we are going 10 days early to "train". 6) During "no plans" time take a break, don't try and cram in more. 7) nothing is mandatory, no grades. I have something that is "no interest" so I might checkout. 8) I will know the tube before the tour. 9) no one wants to watch "us" grit our teeth and suffer. Get out of sight! Good luck don!
In 2019, we took this tour. Here is my fitness tracker data:
Day, Number of Steps
1 13,348 (nearly all before we met the group)
2 16,782
3 18,712
4 17,897
5 20,722
6 22,301
I’m 5’ 4” & some walking was during free time but maybe this data will be helpful. I don’t recall any big hills but there were some stairs.
Most of the walking tours had limited stops/places to sit. Our guide kept things moving. But, the time at some venues (e.g., Windsor Castle, Tower of London, Churchill War Rooms) was self-paced with some places to sit. And, some tour members opted out of activities. They asked that you let your buddy/guide know if you were skipping something.
We stayed at one hotel the whole tour and flew in/out of Heathrow. We enjoyed the tour & felt like we did a lot in a short time. Hope you have a great time!
Did this tour about 10 yrs ago. There was dad with some mobility issues traveling with his young adult daughter. They would taxi ahead of time to whichever first site the rest of group was walking/tubing to that day and meet us there. He may have skipped some of the later in the day included activities (taxi back to hotel to rest or own pace activity?)
I had bout of sciatica during BOEngland tour more recently and bought hiking pole while there for assistance. Discussed with our tour leader at welcome meeting and he considerately checked in with me on whether I was tolerating daily pace which I fortunately was able to do. No entry staff gave me hard time about pole even at indoor sites like churches and museums. I accidentally left pole in taxi at end of trip but it wouldn't have fit in my luggage anyway. I subsequently bought travel cane at Walmart and travel hiking poles on Amazon (both fold up to fit in carry on luggage). Hiking poles ( with "sharp" tips even if covered with rubber ends) must still be checked in luggage but cane (considered mobility aid) can be carried on.
Thanks everyone for your replies. I will be traveling solo. I bought a collapsible cane and also this weird chair that is collapsible. So we'll see how that goes. The idea of taking a taxi to the site sounds like a winner.
