Seven London-ish blogs, not all of which you're reading
Rambles from the London Tube: "Some amazing things can be found within walking distance of a Tube station – I’ve come across a couple of windmills, old tile kilns, a circular piano factory and half-timbered cottages. There are plenty more historical and quirky things to be seen, plus beautiful countryside if you want a peaceful ramble. I’ve written up over a hundred trails with detailed routes, including maps and photos, so everyone can enjoy my discoveries." » Diana has conjured up a most attractive site using Blogger, with impressively detailed reports on dozens of tube network outposts including Ickenham, Plaistow and South Wimbledon. Latest location:Stratford ("The Old Dispensary (No. 30) is an unexpected treat. This three-hundred-year-old weatherboarded building was used as a dispensary in Victorian times, chiefly supplying medicines to the poor. It has a little garden at the back.")
Out of the Loop: "A slowly growing collection of walking routes easily accessible by train from London, mostly within an hour or thereabouts of the central termini. The walks link fantastic countryside, historic monuments and country villages; the geography of south-east England means that none are hugely strenuous." » All walks are printable, and all are wonderfully comprehensively described, so you need never get lost. Latest walk:Stour Estuary & Constable Country ("In the east, the broad, reed and beach-lined estuary, teeming with bird life. To the west, the stunning lowland river valley of Dedham Vale.")
Edith's Streets: "This blog records notes about London (and Greater London) streets - what the buildings are, what the background is. These pages have been compiled over many years and from many sources - its not intended to copy from other people's work. Each post represents a square on the Ordnance Survey grid - hopefully I have included the references and got them right." » I love this, even though it probably won't be to your tastes. Edith is recording a geographical history of outer London via its network of rivers, tributary by tributary, grid square by grid square. Every place of note gets a mention, however minor. And there's pages and pages of this stuff - a stunningly comprehensive repository of knowledge. Latest location:Turkey Brook - Maiden's Bridge ("Docwra Aqueduct. This takes the New River over Maidens/Turkey Brook. Built in 1859, it can be seen from Bull’s Cross footpath along Maiden Brook and stretches for about a mile. It was built it to get rid of the diversion to Whitewebbs Park.")
One foot in front of the other: "I've started this blog in order to record all my walks in one place and hopefully motivate myself to do more long-distance walking. Hopefully I'll become a bit healthier too." » Karen's walked in Norway, and the Highlands, and is doing the Capital Ring. Latest walk:The Nickey Line (I'd never heard of it, but it follows a disused railway from Harpenden to Hemel Hempstead)
London Historians' blog: "London Historians was founded in August 2010 primarily to act as a facilitator which enables all those interested in London’s history to find what they’re looking for quickly and in one place." » If you like London's past, possibly with a scholarly bent, then this organisation exists to give you somewhere to meet, discuss, read and explore. Always accessible, diverse and intriguing. Latest post:Review: Dickens’s London ("This is a lovely little book, literally. Although hardback and lacking a dustjacket, it is covered in crimson cloth with smart, white embossed lettering, used sparingly.")
I Like Boring Things: "Some words I have written about different things." » James Ward's blog is quite similar to the Boring Conference he organised last year - a series of obscurities inspected in fascinatingly unnecessary detail. Latest post:Olympics ("Being an adult, I have no interest in the Olympic games, instead, the only Olympics I’m interested in are the glass-reinforced plastic modular structures used in car parks and train stations")
That East London Blog: "a view of London written by Londoners for Londoners" » A new, rather large, housing estate to the east of the capital has launched its own blog, and is firing out posts in a relentless attempt to generate buzz. On the surface it's attempting to make East London sound cool, fresh and trendy, and a lifestyle destination of choice, whereas in reality it's professional marketing hoping to sell you a new flat. Latest post: That staple of blogs trying to get noticed - "asking a guest blogger to reveal their favourite things" in the hope that they'll link back and start a flow of traffic and conversation. Hasn't worked yet.
