GoFundMe! Help Me Become A Certified Guide!

I have applied to the Camden Tour Guide Association's tour guiding course. I have started a GoFundMe page to help raise the money for the course fees, £850.
Anyone who donates to my cause will get a free tour!

https://www.gofundme.com/camdentourguide

Londonphilia Playlist: The Letter 'C'

Here's all the songs about London on Spotify that begin with the letter 'C'.

The Legendary Castle Pubs of Camden

Starting in June, until September, I will be doing a pub crawl around the legendary castle pubs of Camden...the Dublin Castle, the Edinboro Castle and the Pembroke Castle...also included in the tour is the Hawley Arms which is near where the Caenarvon Castle was located near Regent's Canal.

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Private Tours

I offer several private tour itineraries to choose from.
If the tours are three hours or longer, we will stop for food and refreshments along the way.

£75 for a 4 hour tour

The Tate Britain to the Tate Modern.
This tour consists of a leisurely stroll along the Thames River starting at the historic Tate Britain & finishing at the spectacular Tate Modern. Along the way we will view the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, we will then cross over the river to walk along the Southbank and see the London Eye. We finish off at the breathtaking Tate Modern. If desired we can continue a long the river to Borough Market and London Bridge.

£75 for a 4 hour tour

This tour celebrates the music history of Soho and Camden Town. Starting at the world famous Denmark Street, we make our way through the streets & alley ways of Soho. We will see the locations of the recording studios used by David Bowie, Queen, Elton John etc. We finish off at the location of the famous Ziggy Stardust album cover before heading up to Camden Town. In Camden we will go to the pubs where Britpop started and Amy Winehouse hung out. We will also see world famous music venues like the Roundhouse & the Electric Ballroom.

£75 for a 4 hour tour

You don't need a time machine to see things from another time period in London. This tour spans the centuries...from 1000 to the 1800s. See the oldest museum, the oldest church, the oldest dwelling. We'll also see the monument to the Great Fire of London and a monument to local heroes. We finish off at the oldest market in London.
Along the way we can stop off at several historic pubs including Ye Olde Mitre, Cittie of Yorke, the Princess Louise, The Viaduct Tavern (a haunted pub!) and The George Inn.


If none of these tours interest you I can plan a private customised tour just for you.
Private customised tours are available on upon request, a minimum of two weeks in advance.
We can  communicate through email and also have a Skype/Facetime chat to go over what your interests are so I can plan the tour.
The price for private customised tours is £20 per person per hour.
The tour can be anywhere from three (minimum) to nine (maximum) hours.

Please contact me at: djalicat@gmail.com

Kentish Town Lock Open Days

This weekend on the Camden and Kentish Town borders the Kentish Town Lock was drained so they can replace the doors...which you can see in the pictures below.
The Canal and River Trust took this oportunity to let the public come and see the lock and canal form a different perspective.


There was a good crowd when I got there on Sunday around 2:30. Lots of families, London locals and tourists from all over the world.

The volunteers were very friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful.




It was an interesting experience standing on the bottom of the lock looking up at the walls and the new doors.

The Canal and River Trust does good work and you can support them by clicking on the link below.
canalrivertrust.org.uk

London A-Z: C is for Camden Town

Now I'm gonna be honest...I am completely biased when it comes to Camden. I do a walking tour of Camden, Rock n Roll Camden Walking Tour, because I love Camden so much. The first time I went to Camden on vacation back in the 90's I knew I was home. Camden is full of freaks, geeks and weirdos...goths, punks, mods, cybergoths/punks, trustafarians, rockers, hippies, crusties, b-boys, drag queens, rock-a-billys, death metallers and emos.

I can show you where this was taken.

Camden is the home of Britpop, Madness and Amy Winehouse. The Clash had their rehearsal space in Camden. Prince has played several 'secret' shows in Camden. Amy played pool at one of the pubs...I don't want to give too much away because I want you to come on my tour!
As a Camden local, I stay away from Camden Market on the weekends...Camden is the fourth biggest tourist attraction in London...millions of people come to Camden, usually on the weekends. If you're going to visit, do it during the week, the stall holders will probably appreciate it more. The best way to see the market is to take the Northern Line and get off at Chalk Farm, not Camden Town, it's just a short walk from Chalk Farm Station to the Stables Market. Easy, peasy.

Camden Lock Street Food Market

The street food market in Camden Lock Market is amazing. There is food from every country on the planet...if you can't find something to eat, you're not hungry!

Legendary music venue KOKO

Down on the other end of Camden is Mornington Crescent and KOKO. KOKO started life as The Camden Theatre in 1900 and then was renamed The Camden Hippodrome in 1909. Charlie Chaplin regularly performed there. After a couple other name changes it became the Music Box and the home to several legendary punk shows including a four day residency by The Clash in 1978.
In 1982 it became Camden Palace and Madonna played her first UK show there.
Camden Palace closed in 2004 and reopened as KOKO in 2005. If you have the chance to go to a gig there, you should definitely take it!

Rock n Roll Camden Walking Tour recommends:
The Dublin Castle pub on the Parkway is my favorite pub in Camden. It's the official Madness pub after they did a year long residency there back in the 70's. There are pictures of Madness all over the

Nelson the pub cat at Tapping the Admiral

pub and it has the best jukebox in Camden.

Tapping the Admiral pub is probably on eof the best pubs in North London. It has won 'Pub of the Year' from CAMRA several times. It has an amazing selection of real ale and craft beer. And it has a pub cat named Nelson.
It's kinda hard to find though, it's on the borders of Camden and Kentish Town but actually just a quick walk from Kentish Town West Station.

Tours in 2016!

I'm so excited about 2016! I've come up with loads of really fun and entertaining tours! Here's just a small preview of some of the tours I have planned for next year! The tours will be starting in February!

Doctor Who's London: The Doctor spends a lot of time in London, though the show is actually filmed in Wales. This tour takes you on a trip around some of the the London locations from the TV show. We might even see a TARDIS or two!
Date to be determined

The Camden Railway Pub Crawl: There are several lovely and historic pubs along the railway going through Camden. This pub crawl takes you through history from a Victorian Gin House to a local Camden Town Brewery.
Date to be determined, but will probably be on a bank holiday weekend.

The Famous Castle Pubs of Camden: In Victorian times Camden built four (or five depending on who you talk to) castle pubs...only three of them still exsist as pubs.
Date to be determined, but will probably be on a bank holiday weekend.

 The Crazy Cat Lady Tour of London (gentlemen also welcome): On Valentine's Day, I will be giving a tour of cats of London! From Dick Whittington's cat to Nelson the pub cat.
Date: Feb 14th, 2016 at 5pm.

Hair of the Dog: A dog friendly pub crawl
Dogs like walking tours too!
Dates to be determined, if the first one goes well I will be doing multiple ones.

Keep checking back on the website to see when the tours will be taking place!

London Calling w/ Music Heritage UK & Rock n Roll Camden Walking Tour

Besides Londonphilia, I do a popular tour about Camden Town's music history, Rock n Roll Camden Walking Tour...a lot of which is about Britpop.
Several months ago, I was approached by Music Heritage UK to be interviewed about the Britpop scene in Camden. I took them around to some of the local venues and pubs...and basically did what I always do at the pub, I talked about Britpop.
Here's the finished product, which I'm very proud of and quite excited about.

London Calling Ep 2.3 - Camden Town: Birthplace of Britpop by Music Heritage Uk on Mixcloud

Coming Soon!

I run the popular Rock n Roll Camden Walking Tour in Camden Town. Now I don't just love Camden...I love London! 
I want to share my passion for all things London with people. This is where all the tours, that aren't to do with Rock n Roll or Camden, will be located!

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