Ease up Mother Brown

A new campaign designed to encourage Londoners to 'ease up' will take place later this month. The ten day festival entitled Slow Down London will feature a range of events that will, in the words of organiser Tessa Watt, encourage people to "improve their lives by slowing down to do things well, rather than as fast as possible."

Critics of London might dismiss its inhabitants as unfriendly, unsmiling and preoccupied with their daily commute. As Germain Greer wrote in The Female Eunuch: "Even crushed against his brother in the Tube, the average Englishman pretends desperately that he is alone."

Taking a commuter train during rush hour in any major international city from New York to Tokyo can be a daunting and claustrophobic experience. Luckily, visitors to London often have the flexibility to avoid travelling at peak times. Sightseeing can still be unnecessarily stressful with deadlines to adhere to and wish lists to fulfil.

There is another way. Why not relax and enjoy the best that London has to offer on your own terms and at your own pace?

Independent minded travellers and visitors alike can take in some of London's rich heritage, without feeling conspicuous, with one of five Walk Talk Tour audio downloadable tours. Each London city guide is available in English, French, German and Spanish.

Listeners have the flexibiltity to go at their own speed and combine visiting attractions with going walkabout. You're the boss, you can complete all of the tours in two hours if you're in rush with the exception of L5: The City & South Bank Circular audio tour. But even that can be completed comfortably in three hours. There's slow and there's really slow...

The comedienne Jo Brand was reported in The Observer, February 25, 2005, of having said of the London Marathon that: "I've set myself a target. I'm going for less than eleven-and-a-half days." In actual fact, the slowest recorded time for a participant in a London Marathon goes to ex-professional soccer goalkeeper Lloyd Scott. In 2002, Scott completed the route in an antiquated deep sea diving suit, in a time of five days eight hours, 29 minutes and 46 seconds.

Londoners can hear more about Lloyd Scott's exploits and enjoy discovering the heritage of royal and monumental London with the Palace Trail London travel guide. To hear an audio sample from the Palace Trail mp3 guided tour please click here.

'A knees up' in Cockney terms refers to a lively party. The song Knees Up Mother Brown is believed to have been first published by the comic duo, Gert and Daisy, who appeared on BBC radio in the 1930s. The characters were the work of sisters Elsie and Doris Waters.

And Finally, I'd like to a give a huge thank you to everyone who voted for the Walk Talk Tours Blog in the recent Lonely Planet Blog Awards. Thanks to your support this blog claimed fifth spot in the Best Themed Blog category.