Ways to Walk in London by Alice Stevenson

‘Ways to Walk in London – Hidden Places and New Perspectives’ by Alice Stevenson could have been written for me.  It is a book about London for those who like to walk and discover London’s quieter places.  Alice is an author, illustrator, educator and Londoner and she loves to walk.  She doesn’t drive or run or cycle she navigates everywhere on foot.

From November 2013 to July 2014, she documented and illustrated the walks she took around London. From areas as diverse as Hampstead and Hounslow to the rural charm of Richmond Park. She walks the waterways of Regents Canal and takes a hungover night time stroll through Hackney.

The walking is deliberate and mindful with an attention to detail that many of us lack when we walk.  She has an artists eye for her surroundings, picking up on, and squirreling away memories of doorways, or unusual signs, or the shape or colour of a building or scene.

She has an understanding of the urbane and urban living which oozes from the beautifully illustrated pages of her book.  Her words capture a moment and bring it to life, so that as a reader you feel welcomed into it.

“When I walk under the Mare Street Bridge of Regent’s Canal, and I’m, about to leave the canal to turn into Vyner Street, a swan floats towards me through grey dappled water, closely followed by three teenage cygnets.  Their brown, smear like markings echo the colour scheme of the blurred reflections I’ve been walking through on my way to work. The bottom half of my jeans and trainer sare drenched but I’m glad I walked”

There are 32 beautifully illustrated walks. The walks are sometimes purposeful and taken with friends or family.  On other occasions they are solo meanders with no clear destination in mind. Her insights are personal and insightful but also inspiring.  Reading this is an encouragement to engage with the places around you, to not just see them but to really see them.

The illustrations which accompany each walk are detailed and representative of the shapes and structures of Alice’s sharp observations.  The colour pallete is at times earthy and subdued and at others bright and striking and sometimes simply black and white.

So what is this book? Is it a walking guide to London? Is it a travelogue? Is it an art book, or is it simply a collection of personal reflections?  It is all of these things and more. It is the book you want to pull from your shelf when seeking inspiration on where to walk, but it is also a book to be read when seeking a little bit of calm in a crazy world.  This book is an unusual and unconventional guide which may not make it the first book a tourist would turn to.  However I would say it captures the mood of London so much better than most conventional guides.  For those who live or work in London this book will present the city in a fresh and discerning way; and if by any chance you find yourself falling out of love with London, then this book will help you fall head over heels in love all over again.

Alice Stevenson has also written another book ‘Ways to see Great Britain: Curious Places and Surprising Perspectives’  I have already added this to my Christmas list for this year……

You can buy both of Alice Stevenson’s books from September Publishing.