***STOP PRESS 1***
If any two people come together on any 9.45PM tour in December 2011 or January 2012  and they haven't booked, they can obtain a price reduction by saying to me the magic words: 'Doctor Wu'. The price then becomes £7.50 per adult rather than £8.50.

This promotional Deal only applies to:
1) Groups of more than one person
2) They haven't booked
2) They are adults (15+)
3) The people come together
4) They come on a 9.45pm walk
5) They quote the correct passwords

You can't retrospectively try to claim this deal; it is only for people who read it here in adavnce of their walk.



***STOP PRESS 2***

The completed 200 page manuscript for 'Bloody London' has been sent to the publishers! It has been a very tough journey - writing a complex 200 page book in just 5 months is not for people who treasure sleep -  and I feel (and probably look) about 5 years older, but the arduous road has been trodden now and the hardships will all be forgotten once it's out in the shops and for sale on Amazon next April 2012.

I am already breaking down in my mind the best way to spend £1,000,000 (Hey, no-one can stop you dreaming)...

In the Chinese system 2012 will be the Year of the Dragon but for me it has to be 'The Year of the Book'.





***STOP PRESS 3***
You might like to have a look here at the Amazon listing for my forthcoming 'Bloody London' Book. It's available on pre-order too if you are very keen and some keen people have been pre-ordering which is why I've twice made entries into the Amazon charts which is very exciting considering the book is not out for five more months! 

www.amazon.co.uk/Bloody-London-Declan-McHugh/dp/1780590695

The Publishers Blurb about the book is as follows:

'Where did the real Jack the Ripper live?

Which pub in London has been used more than any other by serial killers picking up their victims?

Where was the capital's Gladiators’ Arena?

Where in London did Anders Breivik, the Norwegian mass murderer, live as a child?

The Ripper, the Krays, the Elephant Man, Aleister Crowley, Hanging Judge Jeffries, Ruth Ellis, Doctor John Dee, Sach and Walters the baby farmers – all these characters and more are covered in Bloody London, a unique and terrifying walk through the dark, gore-drenched streets of the capital. A must-have for fans of crime, horror, the supernatural and the simply bizarre, Bloody London will also show you:

• Sites of executions and unsolved murders

• London’s creepiest cemeteries

• Where famous horror authors lived and worked

• Where the Plague originated and other haunted locations

London’s dark and shocking secrets are laid bare in this compendium of true stories. We dare you to look inside…'

That's a fair reflection of the contents, but there's much, much more. I think the best thing I can say about the book is that I'd buy it!

 

***STOP PRESS 4***

This 192 page book will sell in the shops for £6.99, and it'll be cheaper still on Amazon. I genuinely think that is a great bargain for what is effectively a distillation of 13 years research. With 45 short chapters, there should be plenty to shock, inform and entertain you, and there'll be a level of detail that will be hard to find elsewhere.

I have really enjoyed writing this book and I hope and believe that you will all enjoy reading it. It's chockful of the sort of stuff that I have been researching for the last 13 years and which I talk about on the walk - the dark side of London's history - but in the main it is not the same stuff as on the walk. The walk and the book will therefore complement each other rather than duplicate each other. 

If you would like to be contacted when the book is published in both paperback and digital editions, then press the following email address ------> decmchugh@yahoo.com and a pre-filled email will come up which you can then send to ensure that you are sent information when the book becomes available in April 2012. 


***STOP  PRESS 5***

A little question and answer session with me here regarding Memonic software. Scroll down the page to see it:
blog.memonic.com/en/



'THE BLOOD AND TEARS WALK' PRICE COMPARISON LIST

For purposes of comparison, I give below the undiscounted prices for some well-known London horror attractions (prices correct on 1st February 2011). 'The Blood and Tears Walk' is much more highly-rated (on TripAdvisor) than any of the other attractions on this list; also it is excellent value for money because it is a two hour tour AND discounts are possible (see the section down below called 'How to book and prices').

'The Blood and Tears Walk' undiscounted price = £9
'London Dungeon', undiscounted on the door price = £23.10
'Ripleys Believe It Or Not', undiscounted on the door price = £25.95
'London Bridge Experience' (also known as 'London Tombs'),undiscounted on the door price = £23
'The Ghost Bus', undiscounted price = £18
 

SECOND MOST HIGHLY-RATED HORROR ATTRACTION IN LONDON!!!

I am very proud that on TripAdvisor, the world's biggest recommendation site, 'The Blood and Tears Walk' is currently rated 37th best thing to do in London (out of ALL 876 things to do) and 'The Blood and Tears Walk' is the second most highly rated Horror attraction in London. The following list (correct on 28.10.11) might be interesting to look at:

Attraction Name                                        Trip Advisor position (out of all 166 London tours)

'The Blood and Tears Walk'                                                 44th
Jack the Ripper Tour - Discovery Tours                            62nd
The Ghost Bus Tours                                                             87th
Jack the Ripper Walking Tours with Golden Tours          91st
Jack the Ripper Tour with London Walks                          106th
London Bridge Experience                                                    109th
Jack The Ripper Walking Tour - Ripping Yarns                114th

Thanks so much, people, for your reviews and if anyone reading this has been on the tour and would like to write a few sentences about it, there is a link at the top of the page to do so. 

HOLIDAYS

Always check the holidays section for holiday information - I really don't want people turning up when no walks are taking place!

LONDON PASS

Note London Pass pricing here.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO 'THE BLOOD AND TEARS WALK' 

This tour is now twelve years old. The first faltering steps were in April 1999. I can't believe that I have nurtured and guided it this far, and that the difficult teenage years are just around the corner... 

 

NORMAL SCHEDULE

Please note that the authoritative, correct walk schedule is given below in the section called 'What are the normal days and times the walk takes place'. Certain websites out there are giving old schedules, this is the correct, current, updated schedule.

The undiscounted price is £9 for adults and £7 for children (12-14). That is £4.50 an hour (since it is a two hour walk) for one of the best-rated entertainments in London. Excellent value! Keep reading and you will find out about a couple of possible discounts if you book online.

CLIP OF BRITISH TV APPEARANCE 

'The Blood and Tears Walk' has featured in the hugely popular 'Most Haunted' TV programme.  "Most Haunted" is watched by up to 1 million people!

 Here's the clip:

VISITOR BOOK QUOTES 

M. & P. Van Ert - "Loved the interaction" 18.03.09

K. Gaiss - "Highlight of my trip!" 20.03.09

A. Farrugia - "You clearly and quite worryingly know your stuff!" 3.04.09

L. Allmark - "Brilliant. Exciting, informative, scary and fun! 100%!"

D. Giraldo - "Amazing job, fun, entertaining, insightful" 1.05.09

E. Hulet - "It was awesome! (I am going to have nightmares) 15.05.09

C. Corneby - "creepy, cool, dastardly stories!" 11.06.09

K. & R. Ashraf - "Fantastic. Very knowledgeable. CREEPY! 12.06.09

C. Filipowski - "You are the most fascinating person I've met in my life. I admire your passion and knowledge." 17.06.09

O. Sethi - "one of the greatest storytellers I've ever come across." 17.06.09

K. Wenzel  - "Second time round was even better!!" 17.06.09

J. Gousse - "Incredibly entertaining" 19.06.09

T. Hackett - "Captivating and Brilliant" 8.07.09

J. Palmer - "Only scary tour where I've actually felt creeped out - awesome!" 8.07.09

Jackie - "Unique and spine-chilling" 8.07.09

M. Krueger - "You are a scary genius!" 8.07.09

J. Cutter - "Came from America for this and was not disappointed!" 19.07.09

A. Ravindranath - "Brilliant storytelling" 27.07.09

M. Carpio - "Outstanding" 29.07.09

C. Simenon - "He plays with your head" 30.07.09

Silvano Barbion- "Best guide I ever had" 07.08.09

E. Lewis - "Amazing insight"  13.08.09

H. Eriacleous - "3rd Time. One with friends, one as a group, one with partner - Brilliant"  21.08.09

S. Stevens - "awesome, spine-chilling"  9.09.09

I. Armstrong - "Loved it! Goose Bumps"  10.09.09

P. Pankrath - "creepy, horrible & fantastic"  23.09.09

W. Hopkins - "Incredible - so much knowledge"  25.09.09

K. Krueger - "Wickedly awesome"  21.10.09 

N. Modie - "Freaked me out"  23.10.09

T. Bump - "Shocking! Challenging! Amazing"  23.10.09

Yvon & Jurgen - "A. W. E. S. O. M. E"  31.10.09

C. Ryan - "Bloody Brilliant"  19.11.09

S. Klaudo - "Probably the most fascinating part of my visit"  27.11.09

Steels - "Totally awesome. I loved it."  4.12.09

K. Blittner - "Exceptionally chilling. Real charisma."  11/12/09

A. Cheshire - "Best tour ever"  13.12.09

J. Chatham - "Amazing atmosphere"  20.01.10

W. Johnson - "I am now very nervous" 4.02.10

D. Wilkins - "Fantastic! Do it"   26.02.10

M. Hotsue - "Third time - still brilliant"  4.03.10

J. McKillip - "Brilliant Tour Guide"  5.03.10

T. Whitman - "Perfect tour"  10.03.10

M. Zemal - "Visited 20+ countries - best evening out!"  17.03.10

J. Durham - "Highlight of trip"  19.03.10

S. Kelley - "Intense suspense, loved it!"  19.03.10

R. Mori - "Mesmerising"  24.03.10

First Choice Haircutters - "2 hours of pleasure"  1.04.10

L. & C. Hurst - "Amazing tour, you are a truly dedicated man" 14.04.2010

S. Varma - "Fantastic Night"  28.04.10

A. Van de Velde - "Fantastic! Enjoyed every minute"  29.04.10

D. Mirabito - "Haunting"  29.04.10

M. Harpur - "Best £8 you can spend in London"  3.05.10

B. Mott - "Brilliant and very funny in parts"  7.05.10

A. Orvi - "2 hours, absolutely AMAZING"  13.05.10

A. Broadus - "An intelligent walking tour of London!"  20.05.10

R. Ilczyszyn - *****  20.05.10

R. Stein - "What an experience!"  21.05.10

A. & G. Atwood - "Best tour on trip (out of 3)"  26.05.10

N. Thomson - "I loved it. Will totally recommend you to my friends"  27.05.10

W. Shazrina - "Amazing storyteller, humorous and educational"  28.05.10

W. Petersen - "Loved every minute!"  3.06.10

J. & B. & S. Staley - "Brilliant. We love you! We'll come again"  9.06.10

M. Hoffman - "This was the best part of London"  10.06.10

B. Sia - "Terrific and gruesome"  24.06.10

S. & K. Teacher - "Declan is the storyteller that brings Blood and Tears Alive"  24.06.10

J. Hutton - "Best thing in London"  8.07.10

S. Bale - "You have an inspiring and incredible knowledge!"  9.07.10

M. Arctig - "Non-stop interesting"   9.07.10

M. Pass - "Exciting, fun, dramatic, amazing!!" 14.07.10
 
J. Filbar - "Incredibly awesome. You're a fantastic entertainer!"  15.07.10

A. Di Prima - "4th time now and still very original, love it!"  16.07.10

EMAILS TO ME

H. Burdack (Teacher) - "I took classes on your tours in 2007 and 2008 and this year a colleague of mine is visiting London (June 2010). I recommended her to do your Blood and Tears walk as well because for my pupils it was the highlight of the week." 2.05.10

A. Tate (Teacher) - "Your tour was one of the things our students still talk about from our last trip!!! [two years earlier!! - Declan]

TRIP ADVISOR REVIEWS

c***1966  Leeds Uk Apr 15, 2010
"After looking on tripadvisor for some evening entertainment we settled for this tour. Declan was a great guide, brought all the ghouls, blood and gore to life, with all the stories of a campfire halloween night".

sarah****sandra, Canada, Apr 8, 2010
"The best of creepy London". "It was a fantastic tour that I would definately recommend!"

Alex****, Sheffield, UK, Apr 5, 2010
"Declan was a fantastic guide". ”Superb walk for those interested in Londons gory past...is incredibly passionate about the subject matter. Far superior to London Dungeon and London Bridge experience and for a fraction of the price".

Sheena****, Dublin, Mar 29, 2010
"extremely well researched. The delivery was also very engaging. I was utterly absorbed from start to finish".

go****racer888, Washington, Mar 28, 2010
"Declan is a gifted storyteller (he's Irish) and can make your hair stand up with his expressive narrations of dark events. Rather than waste your evening shopping or other needless pursuits I strongly encourage you to take a walk on the dark side".

Dia****, London, Mar 26, 2010
"A dark trip into your imagination...” He made the experience very personable and refreshed our imaginations in such a fun and creative way. His obvious interest in people and their lives and stories also made it very interesting and a lot of fun. It really did appear like he enjoyed meeting new people...which made him come across in such a friendly way.

J***, Chicago, Mar 22, 2010
"One of the "must do's" in London".

Mont****, Canada, Mar 19, 2010
“Amazing look at London with a funny and thrilling guide” "This walk was the highlight of my stay in London. A must-do if you are in London".

---

JUST ONE PAGE FROM ELEVEN YEARS WORTH OF OUTSTANDING REVIEWS:

 ANOTHER PAGE - APRIL 2009

WHO I AM AND WHAT THIS WALK IS ABOUT

I'm Declan McHugh, a researcher and former professional actor who has been doing the rave-reviewed 'The Blood and Tears Walk: London's Horrible Past' for 12 years since 1999. Thousands of people every year come on this five times a week walk featuring Jack the Ripper and other London serial killers, grave-robbers, witchcraft, conspiracy theories, execution sites, secret tunnels, etc. In other words, all the stuff you are interested in, all on the one walk! Jack the Ripper PLUS much, much more.

'The Blood and Tears Walk' is one of the most popular London walks, with consistently amazing reviews by visitors and the media over the last twelve years. At the time of writing - 26th October 2011 - I have a stunning 97% approval rating on major London site www.londontown.com for 'The Blood and Tears Walk'. 

Think how hard it is to impress 97 people out of every hundred people about ANYTHING!

People do the walk and then recommend me to other people, leading to major 'word of mouth'. People have very often returned two, three and even four times for the same tour! The record is FIVE TIMES (congratulations, Daniel)!!!

Apart from featuring in the extremely popular "Most Haunted" programme, I have also been interviewed by JoAnne Good about 'The Blood and Tears Walk' on her BBC Radio London JoAnne Good show, and the walk has for many years in a row been given the "One of London's 10 best walks" award by 10best.com. I was also included in a documentary about London released in 2008 called "Ultimate Journeys: London".

The most important thing for me, however, is the incredible response from the thousands of people that I get to meet each year. I have given above a small selection of genuine quotes from my visitors books and I want to give my sincere thanks to everyone who has attended so far in twelve years - thank you. I think of you all as one huge extended (slightly dysfunctional) family, and some of the nicest people I could hope to meet - either that or good actors!

To contact me email me at decmchugh@yahoo.com. My mobile/cell number is 07905 746 733 but it might be expensive to ring that number from outside Britain. Instead ring that number only on the day of your walk, when you are in London, and then listen to the short message confirming days, times and meeting place. Ringing from within the UK should cost you about 20p maximum. There should rarely be any change from what is written here but very occasionally something happens, beyond my control, which forces a change and that number will give any important changes.

Having two children means I have practically no free time (but it's worth it), but I continue to prepare materials to replace this rather basic page with a more in-depth website promoting 'The Blood and Tears Walk'. Included, eventually, will be an amazing and chilling collection of true life horror stories told to me by people who attended the walk in the last eleven years. Work continues on my 'Bloody London' book and there are plans for a book on 'Jack the Ripper', as well as a book on serial killer behaviour. Well over 25,000 people are waiting for my first book to be published and if you left me a legible email address, you will all be contacted when the book finally appears in April 2012. By the way, I did say finally...

WHAT ARE THE NORMAL DAYS AND TIMES
THE WALK TAKES PLACE? 

Wednesdays at 7-9pm and at 9.45-11.45pm
Thursdays at 7-9pm and at 9.45-11.45pm
Fridays at 7pm  

HOLIDAYS

***STOP-PRESS***


PLEASE CAREFULLY NOTE THE ONLY REMAINING DATES AND TIMES WHEN THE WALK WILL BE TAKING PLACE IN 2011

Thursday 15t December - 7pm and 9.45pm
Friday 16th December  - 7pm
Wednesday 21st December - 7pm and 9.45pm
Wednesday 28th December  - 9.45pm ONLY (no 7pm walk)
Thursday 29th December - 9.45pm ONLY  (no 7pm walk) (LAST WALK OF 2011)

The normal schedule then begins on Wednesday 4th January 2012.


WHERE DO WE MEET?

'The Blood and Tears Walk' meets outside the only exit at Barbican underground station. Barbican is just two stops from Kings Cross on 1) the Circle line, 2) Metropolitan line and 3) the Hammersmith & City line.

Walk outside the only exit and you will see me a few feet away directly opposite; look for the sign at knee level (not eye level) on my rucksack featuring the words 'The Blood and Tears Walk'.

'The Blood and Tears Walk' is a full two hours long and ends at Holborn underground station (which is on the Piccadilly and Central lines). Some other companies are much less well reviewed, charge much more and only do 60 or 90 minute walks!

WHAT IS THE COST?

The price for adults who just turn up without any deal is £9 for adults (15+) and £7 for children (12-14).  No-one under 12 is allowed to come. Reductions on those prices are given when you book in advance on the internet on either of two secure sites. You can find the details in the 'HOW TO BOOK AND PRICES' section. There is also a time-limited promotional deal, the details of which are in the 'News' section at the very top of this page.

NOTE -

Clink 261 (formerly known as Ashlee House)
If you are staying at the Clink 261 hostel in London and you come to the walk with proof of that, you will only pay £7 - but you must bring the proof. This does not apply to the Halloween walks which must be booked via my website.

London Pass - please read carefully.

Discounts do NOT apply at Halloween. At Halloween everyone - including people with the London Pass  - has to book through one of the two websites listed in the 'How to book and prices' section.


If you have a current valid London Pass and if you are an adult (which on this tour means over 15 years old), the price to come on the tour on other days will be 6.50, or only £4.50 if you are a child of 12-14 accompanied by an adult. No under 12s are allowed.  

Please do not leave your London Pass behind - I have to see it. It's a bit like going to a concert or the theatre - no ticket, no admission. Anyone who cannot actually show the Pass to me will be charged the normal undiscounted price which is £9 for adults.

N.B You cannot book though LondonTown and then later buy a London Pass and turn up with the London Pass hoping for that price instead. IF YOU BOOK FIRST THROUGH LONDONTOWN THEN I WILL HAVE YOUR DETAILS AND THEIR PRICE IS THE PRICE YOU WILL PAY.

To repeat - as it says in the book, discounts do not apply at Halloween. At Halloween everyone - including people with the London Pass  - has to book through one of the two websites listed in the 'How to book and prices' section.

IS 'THE BLOOD AND TEARS WALK' SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN UNDER 12?

Er, NO. Are you kidding? Look at the title of the walk! 'The Blood and Tears Walk' is NOT SUITABLE for under 12s but still every year people turn up with their 8 and 9 year olds and I have to turn whole families away.... This is a walk for adults (or at least people aged 12 and above), with adult themes, and even for many adults it has proved to be quite intense and scary, particularly at night-time. Read the quotes at the top of the page...People who bring their under 12s along are completely irresponsible and anyone who ignores the over-12 rule and turns up with a younger child simply won't be allowed to come on the tour. I have turned away groups before so I am not joking about this...

I will not be responsible for any nightmares and psychiatrists don't come cheap...

HOW TO BOOK AND PRICES

You don't have to book over the internet for 'The Blood and Tears Walk' except for Halloween night when I have to insist people book in advance because demand is insane that night - if I could clone myself I could do the walk for 500 people on Halloween day!

As I say, except for Halloween, you DO NOT have to book in advance; you just make sure the walk is on by reading the holiday section here and listening to the recorded message, then turn up to any of my walks and pay me £9 for adults and £7 for children aged 12-14 -or if you have a deal of some sort, you obviously need to bring the paperwork for the deal and show it to me.

If you want to obtain an online booking discount of £0.50p per person, please go here: 

http://www.365tickets.com/prodhubs.cfm/productId/60
*Note that there is a £0.50p - £1 maximum processing fee per order (but not per person) so this might be best to do if you are booking for 2 or more people. If you prefer, you can go to this site instead:  

PRIVATE WALKS

I am sometimes willing to do private walks for people on various nights, including on some Saturdays (at my discretion). I usually don't perform 'The Blood and Tears Walk' before 8pm on Saturdays and in fact 8.30pm or even 9pm are my preferred times to begin on Saturday nights.

The price for private non-corporate groups is £11 per person with a minimum of 15 people or the cash equivalent (15 x £11 = £165) if you have less than 15 people in your group. I emphasise that before you book me for private walks you must either be certain of having at least the minimum number of people turn up on the night, or be willing to pay the minimum cash equivalent for that number since those that actually turn up will have to pay that minimum price between them.  For example, if I am booked for 15 but only 8 actually turn up for whatever reason - and this has happened once or twice - the 8 will have to pay as if they were 15.

If there is enough time between my being contacted, and the date of the actual walk, I will ask for a non-returnable deposit of half the money to be sent to me in the form of a £ sterling cheque, or by electronic transfer to my bank account. This deposit is non-returnable and will be kept by me as compensation if a group does not turn up at all, for any reason including tube train delays.

If you are a corporate group then the price for a private 'Blood and Tears Walk' with me is £11 each (with a minimum of 15 people or the cash equivalent) PLUS £35 extra corporate fee, so £200 minimum price.

In addition, if I have to cancel a public walk to do a private walk because you only have certain dates available, I charge an extra £30 (partial compensation for loss of earnings), but I can only make public walks private ones if you contact me well in advance and so long as no-one has booked for the public one at the time of the change.

I cannot promise that I will be available on your preferred date since, as word spreads, I receive more and more requests each year, and dates rapidly become booked up for private walks. It is hugely complimentary that certain schools and colleges across the globe book me year after year after year because they know I give my all and that their pupils will have an experience to remember for a long time. Last year I did 26 private walks, apart from hundreds of public ones, and I strongly suspect the total will be more this year.

COMING LATE - THE FINAL WARNING

I've said it already but twelve years experience means I am going to say it again. My responsibility is to do the walk - yours is to be at Barbican station ON TIME. To be CERTAIN of arriving on time, you honestly need to start off for the walk 20 minutes earlier than you think you need to. We get underground train delays every single hour in London and, trust me, it is incredibly easy to get caught up in delays which add 15-20 minutes to your travelling time.

Late-comers FOR ANY REASON, INCLUDING TUBE TRAIN DELAYS are left behind. A walk is not like a film or concert or play where if you turn up late you can sneak in at the back; I go with people into dark side-streets immediately I start the walk and if you miss the beginning of the walk, you miss the entire walk since you won't find me and I turn my mobile phone off once I start the tour. Turning up just 10 minutes late has exactly the same result as turning up 3 hours late: you have wasted your time, energy and money (if you booked in advance) since I won't be there. I get going with the people who turn up on time and although I am a friendly guy, to be honest I regard it as totally disrespectful to both me and the others on the walk for people to come late because of tube train delays that I repeatedly warned them about!

If you know that you are otherwise going to be late and if you really want to do this walk, it might be worth considering jumping in a taxi to try to get you to Barbican station in time.

Literally hundreds of people every year miss this tour that they really wanted to do because they miscalculate how much time they need to arrive in time, and they forget or ignore the warning about tube train delays - don't be among them!

By the way, Barbican station is the world's most boring place to be if you miss the walk  - and then there is also the problem of that Barbican station serial killer they haven't caught yet - just joking :)  

**WARNING**

   OTHER MISCELLANEOUS ADVICE 

• Comprehension of English.
  If you want to attend 'The Blood and Tears Walk' you need to have a basic to good understanding of English since the walk takes place in English only. As the walk becomes more popular I have had to turn some people away (who hadn't booked) because although they really wanted to come, the reality was that they understood practically no English. 
  
  Here is a little guide as to whether your English is good enough for the tour. If you turn up and I say "Hi. I am Declan, nice to meet you" and you reply "What?" in your language; or if I say "we will be going in 20 minutes" and you go "What?" or if I say "Yes, this is the tour" and you say "What?" or if I say "How did you hear of me?" and you reply "What?", etc, etc - then the simple truth is that the tour is not for you because you will not understand anything that I am saying, and I would simply rather not have your money in that situation since I like to communicate and not to have restless people who don't understand me.

• Taking photos.
  If you have a camera there is stuff on this tour that you might want to photograph but please don't take photos as I am talking because it is distracting and actually I find it rude since people taking photos are simply not listening. Instead just listen to what I am saying - it'll hopefully be interesting - and at the end, as I stop speaking and turn to go to the next thing, loudly shout 'Photo' and THEN we wait for the shot, no problem. But you yourself do have to shout 'Photo', since I am not a mind-reader. I promise you will get your photo - just don't take it while I am talking to you. Also I don't allow camcorder recordings to be made because a) that is making a product of my show, which I don't allow, and b) it is even more distracting (and people are listening even less).  

• Refreshments.
  If you turn up early (good idea), there are few places to eat at Barbican at night-time, although there are a couple of shops selling sweets and soft drinks etc, 30 seconds from the station if you turn left after leaving the exit. There are also a number of pubs within 3 minutes walk, particularly in the street called Long Lane. To get to Long Lane you exit the station and turn right and it is then the first street on the right. 

• Toilet.
  You must go the toilet before you arrive at Barbican. If you don't, finding somewhere to go once you arrive at Barbican will be difficult if not impossible, especially for the late night walks. Going to the toilet in an alley with a group watching can be embarrassing for all concerned...
  
  Appropriate clothes for the weather.
  Dress appropriately for the weather. It's a two hour walk and an amazing number of people wear summer clothes when it isn't summer and then quickly freeze over the course of the two hours.
  
  Do I need to check to see that the walk is taking place if there is bad weather?
  Do bring an umbrella but you do NOT need to anxiously ring me up to check if the tour is on if there is bad weather. I have never ever cancelled a tour due to bad weather, no matter how horrendous, I just get on with the show. I have learnt that the reputation of this walk is such that people will sometimes come no matter what the weather is like. A few years ago there was a scary thunderstorm: torrential rain, lightning and thunder. I thought it would be a complete waste of time but arrived at Barbican station to find four New Zealand women ready and enthusiastic. I have great respect for New Zealand women since then!
  
  Repeat visits.
  If you come back to do the tour more than once (I am humbled to say that many people do), you get £1 off but there is an important little rule which I am afraid I have to emphasise. Ona repeat visit you are not allowed to answer any of the questions I ask during the tour. The reason for that is obvious but I will spell it out - if you have done the tour already, then you know the a nswers already to certain questions! If you are not willing to observe this rule, because you want to show off to your friends or whisper answers to them, then please don't come back a second time because it spoils it for everyone. Some people just seem to find it impossible to keep quiet in this situation. However, despite not being able to answer the questions, many people very much enjoy their second time on the tour because it's a lot of fun watching friends attempt to answer the questions and seeing if they do better than you did.
  
  Exact money please.
  If you have not booked in advance and are just going to turn up, that's absolutely fine (except at Halloween when you MUST have booked or you will be turned away!) but please can you bring the EXACT MONEY rather than giving me £10 or £20 notes. Constantly having to give change from £20 notes is a real hassle, especially if there are quite a few people. If you are part of a group, have the exact money collected from your group and ready to give to me BEFORE you arrive. 

• Planning.
  Given that it is a fully two hour tour, leave enough time afterwards to comfortably get to the next thing you are going to do. Remember those pesky tube train delays!
  
  Finally, expect the unexpected psychologically - oh, and bring a sense of humour :)

   

MY OTHER WALK

I am a former professional actor and for 11 years I have also been doing the critically acclaimed 'The Shakespeare City Walk' which is about Shakespeare's life, friends and work. This is a 90 minute walk in which I take people to various little-known Shakespeare monuments and sites in the City of London, including hidden courtyards etc. I illustrate the walk by Shakespeare's own words in the form of lines and speeches delivered by me at the appropriate locations. The 'Independent' newspaper has awarded this tour 'One of the grand Tours' status. You can find out more about the walk at:

www.shakespeareguide.com

People who have attended 'The Blood and Tears Walk' are rewarded by being able to come on 'The Shakespeare City Walk' for only £5 per adult, or £3.50 per child. When you arrive for the Shakespeare walk, tell me you have been on 'The Blood and Tears Walk' and I will remember you.

Finally, I very much look forward very much to meeting you all in 2011...

Declan McHugh

APROPOS OF NOTHING SECTION - RANDOM JOTTINGS

Clipmate Software - a warning

Seeking legal advice.

I have contacted Mr Thornton who has admitted he is “truly sorry” but “did not foresee” that the database file could grow that big. He “had thought that 2Gb was practically impossible to achieve”, but since the software appeared to be perfect for storing screen-prints of pages, I had taken hundreds if not thousands of screen-prints and there was no warning not to do so.

Mr Thornton baulks at the suggestion that he should compensate me for 6 months information loss but imagine trying to find again all the webpages, bits of information and screen-prints that you had searched for or found and stored over the last 6 months - and I am a researcher who had used Clipmate on average for 5-10 hours a day! Apart from the huge effort and time necessary to attempt to refind the information, the fact remains that much will never be refound.

Is anyone reading this a lawyer, or does anyone know a lawyer who specialises in this type of case who can help me mount a compensation action against Mr Thornton? I believe this is an ‘open and shut case’ – especially given the actual quotes from Mr Thornton above - and I will of course provide a negotiated percentage of the compensation in return for the legal help.

This photo of me is by my brother Feldore McHugh.
Check out www.flickr.com/photos/feldore/ for more of his brilliant work...