Freedom Pass London: 25 Special Days Out In and Around the Capital

The new, thoroughly updated second edition of Bradt’s Freedom Pass London brings to life the UK capital through 26 carefully selected walks that reveal historical landmarks, wildlife hotspots and quiet corners with fascinating pasts.

As the title suggests, this travel guidebook is designed for the 1.1 million people who can enjoy free travel in central and Greater London thanks to the Freedom Pass, but its focus on walking destinations accessible by public transport makes it a must for anyone living in or visiting London.

One of London’s unexpected glories is the way that the city meets countryside, not just in the surprisingly rural Green Belt, but also in the ‘villagey’ corners of suburbs, along urban rivers and amid the city’s commons, parks and woodlands. The area featured extends from Amersham, northwest of London, to Epping in the northeast, Orpington in the southeast and Epsom in the southwest. Whether you are a city-dweller keen to explore parts of Essex, Kent, Surrey, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire, or you live in suburbs and fancy visiting central London, Freedom Pass London proposes itineraries for you.

Discover – by train, tube, bus and then on foot – where Charles Darwin lived and the local area where he studied flora and fauna. Meet Keats, Shakespeare, Pepys, Dr Johnson, Dorothy L. Sayers and Vera Brittain on a literary tour. Walk through ancient woodland covered with trees since Neolithic times. Venture into murder and mayhem as you find locations from the TV series Midsomer Murders in the deceptively peaceful-looking Chilterns. Wander along the Wandle for a throwback to the days of country estates, watermills and legendary textile designer William Morris. Or even stroll through Soho, Fitzrovia and Bloomsbury to discover how Karl Marx wrote, lectured – and fenced with a murderer.

For each walk, there are tips about the best options for using public transport, along with a detailed route description, maps, options for flexibility and suggestions for pubs, cafés and museums en route. So lace up your walking shoes and let Bradt’s Freedom Pass London bring the capital to life.

Author of the 1st edition, Mike Pentelow was editor of Landworker (the newspaper of rural workers) for ten years and was the editor of Fitzrovia News (London’s oldest community newspaper, to which he contributed for 40 years), which gave him a feel for both town and country. An author and journalist for 50 years, his previous books are Characters of Fitzrovia, Norfolk Red and A Pub Crawl Through History. He was a keen rambler having walked the entire length of the River Thames and many other waterways. A real ale enthusiast, Mike also enjoyed a game of darts and pool. Mike was a member of The Ramblers, the Woodland Trust, the Campaign for Real Ale, the Inn Sign Society, Camden History Society, Socialist History Society, St Marylebone Society, Society of Authors, National Union of Journalists and the Mecca Bingo Club. Mike lived in London for over 50 years and died in April 2020, an early victim of Covid-19.

Co-author of the 1st edition Peter Arkell has been a photographer since 1970, covering news, social issues, the environment and sport. He co-wrote Unfinished Business, The Miners’ Strike for Jobs, 1984–5 and took the photographs for A Pub Crawl Through History, about commoners who have had pubs named after them. A keen rambler (with Mike Pentelow and others) he has walked the Thames Path, the South West Coastal Path, the Isle of Wight Coastal Path and Peddars Way/Norfolk Coast Path. He has lived in London for more than 50 years and currently contributes photo features and writes reviews for Real Democracy Movement.

The updaters of this edition, Neil and Helen Matthews are also the authors of Bradt’s Slow Travel: The Chilterns & The Thames Valley and Heritage Weekends: 52 breaks exploring Britain’s past. Their travel writing has also appeared in Wanderlust and various other publications. They live in the Chilterns, on Greater London’s northwestern edge. Helen spent 25 years as an administrator and manager for a London university; she is the Chair of a local conservation charity and a member of the Chiltern Society’s Heritage Group and Save our Pubs Group. Neil, originally from London, is an experienced marketer whose roles have included developing public support for an association of UK heritage attractions. Both hold PhDs in history. Pen & Sword published Helen’s The Legitimacy of Bastards: the place of illegitimate children in later medieval England (2019) and Neil’s Victorians and Edwardians abroad: the beginning of the modern holiday (2016).