The London Walking Festival Podcast series

What does it mean to walk in London? Not just as a way of getting from A to B, but as something political, ecological, historical, communal, and quietly radical? That’s the thread running through Do London Differently, the London Walking Festival’s podcast series for 2026.

Across nine episodes, host Michael Shilling heads out across the city — to a medieval church in Smithfield, a community garden in North Paddington, the banks of the River Lea, and beyond – to talk to the people shaping how London moves on foot. Here’s a guide to every episode.

Urban Walking, Lost Rivers and Why the UK is Nature-Depleted

 

Guests: Hana Sutch, founder, Go Jauntly; Lola May, Community Climate Action Coordinator, Paddington Development Trust

In this episode, Lola May turns interviewer, sitting down with Hana Sutch — founder of the walking app Go Jauntly — for a conversation about the joy of getting lost in London, the hidden histories you can discover at street level, and why the UK is one of the least nature-connected countries in the world. A fitting note on which to end the series: personal, curious, and quietly urgent.

Urban Tree Festival Special: London Walking Festival 2026

 

Guests: Paul Wood, co-founder, Urban Tree Festival, and author of Tree Hunting; Sarah Hayes, festival director and public artist

Paul Wood and Sarah Hayes join Michael to talk about the Urban Tree Festival’s ninth year, its new home at Art Hub Studios in New Cross, and the growing movement to celebrate and protect London’s urban trees. A conversation about canopy, community, and what it means to notice the city at a different scale – the kind you can only access on foot.

The Walking Festival Conference Preview with Dr Tom Cohen

 

Guest: Dr Tom Cohen, Reader in Transport Policy, Active Travel Academy, University of Westminster

Ahead of the London Walking Festival Conference at the University of Westminster, Dr Tom Cohen talks transport policy, the evolving language of “walking and wheeling,” road safety, delivery riders as the new folk devil, and why Disney World might be the most walkable place on earth. Essential listening if you’re thinking about the politics and infrastructure of how cities are designed for people on foot.

Wellness Walks with The Proper Blokes Club

 

Guest: Scott Oughton-Johnson, Founder, The Proper Blokes Club

In September 2020, Scott Oughton-Johnson went for a walk in Southwark. From that single walk, he built a network of 25 to 30 walk-and-talk groups for men across London. In this episode, Scott and Michael discuss men’s mental health, why walking side by side creates space for conversations that wouldn’t happen face to face, how to start a new group, and plans for a new Pimlico walk as part of the London Walking Festival. One of the warmest conversations in the series.

London Rivers Week: Thames 21

 

Guest: Liz Gyekye, Communications Manager, Thames 21

London Rivers Week turns ten this year, and this special episode marks the milestone. Liz Gyekye joins Michael to talk about the festival, Thames 21’s work protecting the River Thames and its tributaries, and how Londoners can get involved. If you’ve ever wanted to know what’s happening beneath the surface of the city’s waterways — and what you can do about it — this is a good place to start.

Pavements, Parking and the Pedestrian Pound

 

Guests: Catherine Woodhead, CEO, Living Streets; Emma Griffin, co-founder, Footways

A National Walking Month special bringing together two of the most important voices in UK walking advocacy. Catherine Woodhead shares the nearly 100-year history of Living Streets and its current campaigns — from school streets and women’s safety to the fight against pavement parking. Emma Griffin makes the case for strategic walking networks and shares findings from the Footways pilot project across five English cities and towns. Together they consider what it would take to shift the balance back towards pedestrians for good.

North Paddington Nature Pilgrimage: The Natural Way

 

Guests: Lola May, Community Climate Action Coordinator, Paddington Development Trust; Eman Asir, Library Officer, Westminster Libraries

Filmed on location along the route, this episode introduces The Natural Way — a fully accessible, six-mile circular walk through North Paddington inspired by the Camino de Santiago and Europe’s pilgrimage traditions. Walkers collect stamps designed by local children at stops including libraries, community centres, gardens, and places of worship across Westbourne, Queen’s Park and Harrow Road. Lola May and Eman Asir explain how the route came together and what it means for a community that doesn’t always see itself reflected in London’s walking culture.

Will Norman on London’s New Walking and Wheeling Action Plan

 

Guest: Will Norman, London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner

Walking is London’s most common form of transport. It’s also the one that gets the least attention. In this Walking Festival special, Will Norman sits down to unpack TfL’s new Walking and Wheeling Action Plan — and explain why “wheeling” appears in the title for the first time. They discuss what the plan’s three new targets will mean for ordinary Londoners, how half a million daily car trips could realistically shift to walking, the progress of Oxford Street pedestrianisation, the push for 1,000 new pedestrian crossings by 2031, side road zebra trials, School Streets across 800 schools, and the challenge of getting more children walking independently.

The History of Walking with David Harrison, Footways

 

Guest: David Harrison, co-founder of Footways and creator of the Historic Ways map

Recorded at St Bartholomew the Great, one of London’s oldest surviving buildings, this final Walking Festival special brings the series full circle with a deep dive into the city’s pedestrian past. David Harrison traces the physical evidence still embedded in London’s streets – from Portland stone pavements at Lincoln’s Inn to a surprising 18th-century “low traffic neighbourhood” at Queen Anne’s Gate. If you’ve ever wondered what the city looked like before the car took over, this is the episode to start with.

Listen to More Insightful Conversations

Want More Episodes Like This? Visit the Full Podcast Library

Visit the Podcast Library >

Stay Connected

Discover Things to Do

We’re curating a dynamic programme of things to do — from walks and talks to workshops and cultural activities — all in and around our pop-up Visitors Centre at 80 Mortimer Street. These activities are run in collaboration with a range of partners, both big and small.

For the latest list of upcoming activities, visit:
nationalparkcity.london/events

To find out more or discuss running your own event, contact Louis Rutherford at
louis.rutherford@nationalparkcity.org.

Scroll to Top