It had to happen sooner or later; last Thursday night was my first walk in the pouring rain.  The literary walk around Mayfair for my book group had been arranged months in advance.  9 people turned up despite the weather and they were still smiling at the end!  Apart from the weather everything went well.  I remembered most of what I was going to say, there weren’t any questions I couldn’t answer; in fact there were no questions at all and the best of it was that when we walked in the dining room of the pub at the end (the King’s Head in Albemarle Street) there was a table for 10 people ready and waiting for us.  I hadn’t booked as wasn’t sure how many would want to eat but I will next time as we were incredibly lucky. 

In my research for the walk I had contacted Sotheran’s of Sackville Street the oldest antiquarian bookshop in the country.  They had sent me 6 catalogues.  It seemed a waste to keep them at home so I brought some of them on the walk with the intention of showing them round in the pub afterwards.  I should have put them in a plastic bag.  The catalogues in the middle had survived unscathed but those on the outside of the bag were decidedly soggy.  However people found them of interest and hopefully it will encourage them to visit the shop as it really is an amazing place; the interior is rather like a museum but the staff are very welcoming and friendly. 

I’m hoping to repeat this walk for different book groups so if any of my readers are interested get in touch with me at westminsterwalks@yahoo.co.uk and I’ll give you more information.