Oliver Twist London Walk Reviews

A delightful and informative walk with Ace Guide Hazel. So many insights into Victorian society and attitudes towards the poor, good and evil in people, how it compares to our behaviour today. I can dine out on these stories and anecdotes for months! The tour ended at The One Tun pub, described by Dickens as the haunt of Bill Sykes, now the purveyor of good beer and delicious food. Yes reader, I tried it out! Jan Knight

You do not have to be a fan of Oliver Twist to go on this guided walk. It covers Dickens and lots Victorian generic history. As a local was particularly interested in the walk from Angel to Farringdon. Emma M

Hazel is a truly wonderful tour guide and for this tour was extremely knowledgeable and able to paint vivid pictures of life in early Victorian times, which was far from pleasant for many people. Tripadvisor lists the excellent private tours and the company's website also lists scheduled tours which are also excellent value for money. Gullible88

Hazel was an excellent guide. Very informative and walked at a good pace. Great to see new areas of London and learn new things. Would go on another walk with them again. Rosie C

I really enjoyed this guided walk. The 90 minutes flew by as Hazel successfully combined literature, social history and actual locations. She is an engaging person and a knowledgeable guide who was thoroughly prepared. I actually started reading Oliver Twist again when I returned home, which is a massive compliment to our guide Hazel. Thank you. Sigi E

Retrace the steps of Oliver Twist and the Artful Dodger! This was another fascinating walk from Hazel. She took us on a tour of the places mentioned in Oliver Twist, bringing it all to life with her descriptions of the sights, sounds & smells of Victorian London and quoting passages from the book. Highly recommended. FreydaEvelyn

Very informative. Although a Londoner visited parts of the capital I had never been to before, and learnt lots of new facts. Would highly recommend. Most enjoyable. vrbChris

Such enthusiasm from our guide Hazel. Researched very well and she kept our interest right to the end. Made you want to reread Charles Dickens again. So many parts of darker London to see. Thoroughly enjoyable couple of hours with Hazel and a friendly group of walkers. Suitable for most of us. LindaandTerryWynder

My school friend and I were meeting for a catch up and fancied trying something different. I had attended The Hearts and Heretics Guided Walk with my husband on Valentine's Day and enjoyed it so much, so suggested we book The Oliver Twist one.

We met in The Angel on a beautifully sunny April afternoon. It was fun to hear about the area in Victorian times, places that seem quite inconsequential to us when we're trudging around with our daily lives often aren't, or weren't! I won't say what we learned as I urge you to try it, but it was so interesting and Hazel is so kind, friendly and descriptive that she really makes it all come alive! Because we were right where it had all taken place it was easy to get a good idea of the scale of what we were being told. We heard some very interesting little facts about the local area and Hazel offered a few recommendations along the way, which is always nice. I liked that it was based on Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist, it made a good basis of how those kind of character's lives may have played out.

Some of what we learned was very funny and some was just plain wonderfully weird!

Hearing about the struggles some people would have faced was quite sad. My friend and I were surprised that the issues Londoner's struggled with in Victorian times hasn't changed. People are still living in poverty, often in inadequate accommodation, children are still sometimes treated poorly when they don't have anyone. Immigration problems and the hurdles people face when moving into London are still pretty much the same. The huge class divide is ever present. I found it quite sad that in some ways we haven't made much progress since Victorian times ...

I really can't wait to book up for the Street Art In Shoreditch Guided Walk now. Hazel even took us all for a drink after. We told her that when we were at school we had a very mean history teacher so we both hated the subject. We're educating ourselves now! We both said we wished Hazel could have been our teacher! TaraJane O'Malley

Lively and interesting walk to areas I was not familiar with. Hazel has lots of knowledge and is a great guide. G Smith

This was a great walking tour tracing part of Oliver Twist but was also a fascinating and eye opening look at Victorian London..Hazel our guide was clear, knowledgeable and fun. Passwordf

Fantastic - brings London to life. I have done a few of Hazel's walks: Wonders of Whitehall, Oliver Twist and Victorian Soho and Covent Garden. They are a fantastic way of learning more about the city, bring history to life and finding hidden gems that you wouldn't otherwise notice or appreciate.

Hazel is very friendly and has a great knowledge of London and is clearly passionate about what she does. I've enjoyed the tours so much that I am taking my parents on the Royal London walk when they visit. Tracy

An excellent walk! The guide, Hazel, manages to transport you back to the times of Dickens's, with her description of the route Oliver took following the Artful Dodger through the streets of London. You discover side roads of London and their history, which the guide links to passages from the book. R Lee

Oliver Twist walk - great for adults and kids. Took the Oliver Twist walk yesterday with my 10-year old daughter. It was a fab experience that we both enjoyed. Lots of historical facts, engagingly presented, made us really see and relive London as it was then. We'll definitely be doing this walk again.. and other walks offered by Hazel. Noushka

Another excellent walk with Hazel. I always come away having learnt so much and having been fully entertained and absorbed for 90 minutes. Combine this with her Georgian London walk and you really learn a lot about the history of an area which in my case I have hardly visited before so I am very grateful for the experience. The duration is just about right and no time is wasted. Everyone should try at least one of Hazel’s walks as you will not be disappointed. Ian A

Another lovely an interesting walk with Hazel who has the mix of walking and information absolutely perfect.

I really enjoyed this walk. Hazel has a great knowledge of the book and London history of the period. She made the walk very interesting and I will be booking some of her other walks soon. Definitely worth going out on a cold February evening. LizzyG

This tour, following in the footsteps of Oliver Twist, is very well planned, organized, and executed. Hazel has vast knowledge of London, its history, and all aspects of interest to those who want to learn. We especially enjoyed her articulate style, engaging tempo, and humour. Highly recommended for tourists and Londoners alike! We are repeat customers. Hazel is terrific! LisaB

Informative and entertaining walk around some of the streets of Islington, describing the journey of Oliver Twist and the Artful Dodger. The guide was very knowledgeable and a good communicator. EileenR

My friend and I very much enjoyed this tour and we learnt a great deal! It was the perfect way to spend a cold but sunny afternoon. Hazel was fab, thank you! RoseF

Most enjoyable, informative and concise. The 90 minute ambles were well worth going on. I thought I knew both of these areas well but almost every aspect of the tours provided me with new information presented in a fun, interesting and joined up way. I would not normally go on this type of walk but I strongly recommend this. Hazel is an excellent guide and has a wealth of relevant background information to supplement any query. i am going back to some of the other tours. JohnM

Interesting and fun walk. The walk was really interesting, detailed and pertinent with its title (which is not always so obvious with other walk groups). The guide was enthusiastic and able to make the walk even more interesting and even funny. I have learnt lots of things about Oliver Twist and Dickens's age and I can remember them thanks to the attitude of the guide and her way of explaining. Elixx97

I have now been on a couple of walks with the wonderful Hazel in a small group. Hazel is always outgoing, entertaining and highly informative. This lady really knows her onions when it comes to London's history. She brings the city alive with her words and does not just present the cold hard facts but tells you very interesting stories. She is engaging to adults and children alike. Hazel also takes time to answer your questions, explaining in more detail where required and she is very good with people for whom English is a second language.

I opted to join a small group in organised walks that were of interest to me but I have been informed that Hazel also does private walks. I can imagine that if you are visiting London one of her walks would be a very enjoyable and memorable day out for you. And if you are a native Londoner then I too would urge you to go, it's a great way to learn about this wonderful city. As a bonus Hazel is also great at picking out the best spots for ice cream or a cold beer. What more do you need? :)" LouiseT

Excellent. Really brought the sights, sounds and smells of Oliver and the Artful Dodger's London to life.
AND the walk ended in an optional pub visit. Always a bonus! Curious284680

90min walk on a cold blustery day but Hazel the guide was full of smiles and knowledge throughout. Not much of Dickens London has survived but lots of stories and excerpts read from the book helped to create a very interesting walk. If you are new to London or even a local it's a great opportunity to venture down all those side streets and alleyways you never knew existed. Walk finished with a trip to the pub. Recommended. LyndaD

Very interesting walk that included the socio economic status of the area. Some illuminating facts about Dickens and his upbringing. S Pinagli

This was a very enjoyable walk and was full of historic titbits as we travelled at a leisurely pace around Dickens’ haunts. It was fascinating to be taken to parts of London that hold so much history and to learn about what stood there before being supplanted by luxury buildings. Hazel was a top guide and this was my third walk. J Roe

Fantastic Walk lot of knowledge a lot of stories. Y Cliffe

This was a thoroughly entertaining tour. Hazel is a fabulous tour guide who is passionate and knowledgeable about her subject. She has inspired me to want to read the book as I've only seen film and TV versions. Also, Hazel painted vivid pictures of life in those times, which for many people was truly terrible. As she said at one point, these things should not be forgotten. D Sellman

This was a great walk. Hazel, our guide, managed effortlessly to combine the landscape of Dickens' novel to the streets and buildings which we past on the way and gave a real feel of what we would have seen in the time of Oliver Twist. This is a wonderful way to get to learn more of London's history. K McHale

Although today there is not too much left to see, Hazel was wonderful at creating the atmosphere of the period. Her knowledge and commentary were of a very high standard and the whole walk was very interesting and entertaining. R Sacco

Really excellent. So much I didn't realise it think about in regards to Oliver twist and his London and times. The films of course pretty everything up. Hazel talked about life as it was. Kept up a good place and made the information intestinal for everyone in the group. V Mann

Wow! Hazel does know her stuff. This is the second of her walks I've been on. I loved it. In common with most of the others I haven't read the book (hang head in shame!) Hazel really brought it to life. Most interesting fact of the day ... Nancy was only about 13 years old. This was real in a way that the film wasn't. I'll definitely be booking more of her walks. M Crotty

A great walk with lots of interesting facts, guide was very engaging and informative. R Rahman

Outstanding walk! Hazel was funny, informative and interesting. The walk opened our eyes to how difficult and uncomfortable Victorian London life must have been (not to mention dirty!) Real fun and would be delighted to take another of Hazel's walks. Thank you. L Pearlman

A very engaging tour, Hazel’s historical knowledge of the area was impressive and insightful. R Ali

Excellent guided walk. It was not just about the story but about real life then. Hazel was brilliant. Thank you. H Joshi

Hazel was friendly, enthusiastic and humorous. I was seriously impressed with her encyclopaedic knowledge on everything related to this tour and off topic. I really enjoyed the tour and recommend it to all. The duration was perfect; lots of information but not to saturation point. L Lomax

A great walk, so enjoyable and interesting and found out a lot of interesting facts afterwards. I recommend Hazel’s walking tours. A Johnson

Hazel is informative and fun. We followed the route of Oliver and the Artful Dodger between Angel and Faringdon learning about Sadler's Wells and Grimaldi along the way. S Hallam

An extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide who educated and entertained us on a cold but bright Sunday. Our only criticism is that Hazel said the tour would be 90 minutes yet it lasted 2 hours, which in the conditions was not a bonus. D Dunn

This was a great little walk through Oliver Twist's world. Highly recommend it but better on a warmer day. F Kelcz

This walk was great. On a cold afternoon Hazel transported us back to Victorian London, bringing the streets and buildings to life. It was fascinating, very informative and also friendly, most of the group ended up in the pub afterwards for a drink or lunch. I really recommend it and will.look out for Hazel's walks again. J McHugh

We have done a few walks with Hazel now and each time she has us enthralled with her interesting stories of London. A well researched walk and will want you to read/reread Charles Dickens. L Winder

Absolutely fascinating walk. Makes you see this part of London very differently. Having a reread of Oliver Twist now. Hazel is a fabulous guide and I would highly recommend! Anon

Hazel, you are a London gem and your knowledge, enthusiasm and energy is all wonderful. Thank you for a lovely tour. We'll be back for more..... P Raikes

This was another fascinating walk from Hazel on a blustery, wet Easter Sunday. She took us on a tour of the places mentioned in Oliver Twist, bringing it all to life with her descriptions of the sights, sounds & smells of Victorian London and quoting passages from the book. Highly recommended. C Bleathman

Excellent walk - retrace the steps of Oscar and the Artful Dodger. Hazel is very knowledgeable and brings the story to life - great to get a sense of the social history too. T Sutton

Fascinating walk with knowledgeable and friendly guide. Offers an insight into life in the area in the 1830's - at times it's pretty gruesome stuff! R Taylor

Fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable. Hazel was a knowledgeable and entertaining guide. M Williams

An insightful tour of rediscovery, which through the words of Dickens himself retraces the steps of Oliver and the Artful Dodger through the sights, sounds and smells of London in 1837 as they make for Fagin's den. (P.s. I would write a review on TripAdvisor but they say I cannot post for 90 days since my last review of the Victorian Christmas tour. I'll try later on!) H Morgan

A very cheerful Hazel led our walk reciting excerpts from Oliver Twist on a very chilly Saturday afternoon. Little exists of Oliver Twists London but Hazel was full of knowledge in recreating this period. A jolly jaunt ending up in the pub. Lots of her regulars on the walk is a great recommendation. Anon

Excellent interesting walk only spoiled by pouring rain, but she still managed to get us some dry spots to stand under. I would recommend this to others. Wendy T

A very interesting walk, following the path Oliver Twist would have taken into London.....great descriptions of the times, Hazel made the streets come alive. She is knowledgeable and personable. . Would recommend her walks. Anne S

Very interesting walk that included the socio economic status of the area. Some illuminating facts about Dickens and his upbringing. Sharon P

This was a very enjoyable walk and was full of historic titbits as we travelled at a leisurely pace around Dickens’ haunts. It was fascinating to be taken to parts of London that hold so much history and to learn about what stood there before being supplanted by luxury buildings. Hazel was a top guide and this was my third walk. Julie R



Copyright London Guided Walks and Treasure Hunts