The '2012 Routemaster Tour' was featured in both
The Evening Standard and Time Out London
My Olympic tours were noticed by East London Lines and
featured on their blog
At the final run up to London 2012 my tours were profiled
in the Jewish Chronicle
THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO CAME ON THE TOURS!
From March 2006 to May 2012 we saw the site transform from an industrial estate to the Olympic Park.
SPRING 2014 - The north and south sections of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park opened.
The site has continued to develop, the planting and trees are maturing, it is getting greener! CONTACT ME to arrange your TOUR to revisit the history, the Olympics and the continuing transformation of what was the industrial area of north-east London
The Olympic Games of 2012 profiled an area of London which has been instrumental to its growth and wealth for hundreds of years. The River Lea, linking to the rest of England via canals and the River Thames, was for many years a key industrial zone providing not just transport links but bakeries, distilleries and energy plants. As the industries declined so did the area but the past few years has seen a regeneration begin. The distilleries and granaries are film studios, the waterways a haven for wildlife and the disused sewage channel is now a wonderful pedestrian Greenway. Building on the new transport links the renaissance of the area will continue with the development of the Olympic village and sporting facilities.
Go 2012 tours provided an opportunity to see the vision take shape, taking you around the Stratford area to show you the extent of the plans. Many groups travelled in a coach or minibus. Using towpaths and the Greenway some preferred a walking tour.
When the Greenway is open again and the Olympic Park has re-opened, half day and whole day options will again be available and if you want to visit a particular site then do tell us and we will try and accommodate your particular needs. The Olympic Games did not just take place in and around the River Lea ... nearby are Olympic sites in the Docklands, Greenwich and Woolwich. All of these areas have a rich heritage which you can also explore.
The tours take a look at the future but also the past of these London districts connected with London 2012 and there are options for tours by coach or on foot.
Group Tours
Select your Group Tour from the list below and then please use Booking a Tour to make your enquiry.
VIEW THE SPORTING VISION - FULL DAY (COACH)
For those of you with transport this guided tour of the Olympic area starts with a drive past the disused rail depot of Stratford, now transformed into Westfield and what was the industrial hinterland behind now the Olympic Park. We will show you where major events took place and explain the regeneration plans for the area.
Travelling to the Royal Docks, you will see the Excel Centre where martial arts, weightlifting and boxing events took place and where the cable car was erected.
After a lunch break in Stratford we move south of the river courtesy of the Woolwich Ferry.
Shooting tournaments took place in the Royal Artillery Barracks on Woolwich Common and we hear of this area's past connections with the military, navy and sport. We then move on to Greenwich where the Millennium Dome played host to basketball and gymnastics. The tour finishes in picturesque Greenwich where the park, once a royal hunting ground, was the scene of equestrian events. Greenwich has good transport links and a varied array of eating places for refreshment at the end of your tour.
VIEW THE SPORTING VISION - HALF DAY (COACH)
View the Sporting Vision by coach also works well as a half-day tour. Contact us for the options we can offer you. Combine the half-day tour as above with lunch at Forman's or add in the talk and demo at Forman’s too and make a full day out.
VIEW THE SPORTING VISION - WALKING TOUR
This walking tour leads you along the tow path that skirts the Olympic site area and also along the Greenway which goes through what became the Olympic Park and from where you get a marvellous view of the Olympic Stadium and Orbit. The area has a rich history and en route you will hear about the area's fascinating industrial past and, of course, the how the plans for London 2012 came to fruition, the massive construction and remediation project and also the the legacy that the Games has left behind.
RAIL LANDS TO REGENERATION - STRATFORD EAST
In 2012 this area of East London will take centre stage for the Olympics. Discover Stratford East which was fascinating even before the crowds arrived in 2012 with its history of martyrs and London's bakery and perfumery industries. An impressive town hall, two Victorian theatres, an area which was once a trainspotter's paradise and a new cultural quarter all feature on this tour and personalities you will 'meet' include the first Labour MP, a maverick theatre director, a poet and the gentleman who campaigned against slavery.
... and lunch overlooking the Olympic Stadium
Formans, the long established east London salmon smokery is now situated in view of the Olympic site. I can arrange a lunch for you while overlooking the Olympic Stadium. There is something for every budget from smoked salmon bagels to a salmon carvery ... and with home made cakes to follow. Please contact me for details and how you can arrange lunch and/or a tour of the facility.
This visit really makes your group outing a great day out.
After lunch there is an option to hear a talk about the smoked salmon industry by the MD, Lance Forman followed by a tour of the factory with a demonstration of how to slice a side of smoked salmon, swiftly and with no cut fingers!!
info@golondontours.com
020 8883 4169
SOHO VICE
Saturday 8th August
JEWISH HACKNEY
Sunday 23rd August
UNIQUELY EUSTON
Sunday 23rd August
SOHO OF THE 60s
Saturday 5th September
WESTMINSTER WOMEN
Tuesday 8th September
STITCH STITCH STITCH
Saturday 12th September
LAMBETH LIVES
Series of tours
Thursdays September/October
ST JOHN’S WOOD
Sunday 20th September
CHARING CROSS
‘Let’s all go down the Strand’
Sunday 20th September
BESPOKE TO BOUTIQUE,
SAVILE ROW TO SOHO
Saturday 26th September
and more