The incredible known and wonderful hidden gems of Notting Hill

Hi all, cost & info below, please join us for a fascinating 3-mile circular walk of Notting Hill, known for hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Road Market, but we are going to see much more along with some hidden gems!

So many things to see! Notting Hill the most successful British film of all time taking nearly $400 million sales at the box office, film locations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a09MFuvfeJQ

Famous 'Notting Hill' film locations, famous people's homes of Bob Marley, Robbie Williams, Geri Halliwell, Annie Lennox, where sadly Jimi Hendrix died, where Band Aid's 'Do they know its Christmas' was made and countless other famous recordings for Island Records, the only 3 star Michelin restaurant in the UK run by a lady chef, apparently Banksy Art, famous Portabello Road and connections to the beginning of Notting Hill Carnival and of course the amazing colourful famous townhouses which we will see on our incredible walk. All in 3 miles!

Please meet outside the front of McDonalds Restaurant which is about 100 meters from Notting Hill Underground Station. The address for McDonalds is 108/110 Notting Hill Gate, London W11 3QA. Organiser Kevin will be wearing an Edwardian hat to greet you.

£10 cash/card payment by simply turning up on the day

History of Notting Hill
For much of the 20th century, the large houses were subdivided into multi-occupancy rentals, Caribbean immigrants were drawn to the area in the 1950s, partly because of the cheap rents, but were exploited by slum landlords and also became the target of white Teddy Boys in the 1958 Notting Hill race riots.

Known for its slum housing, in the early 21st century, after decades of gentrification, Notting Hill has a reputation as an affluent and fashionable area, known for attractive terraces of large Victorian townhouses and high-end shopping and restaurants

Notting Hill was in the county of Middlesex, a hamlet on rural land until the expansion of urban London during the 19th century. As late as 1870, Notting Hill was still referred to as being in Middlesex rather than in London.

Origin of the name
The origin of the name "Notting Hill" is uncertain though an early version appears in the Patent Rolls of 1356 as Knottynghull, while an 1878 text, Old and New London, reports that the name derives from a manor in Kensington called "Knotting-Bernes,", "Knutting-Barnes," or "Nutting-barns", and goes on to quote from a court record during Henry VIII's reign that "the manor called Notingbarons, alias Kensington, in the parish of Paddington, was held of the Abbot of Westminster."
For years, it was thought to be a link with Canute, but it is now thought likely that the "Nott" section of the name is derived from the Saxon personal name Cnotta, with the "ing" part generally accepted as coming from the Saxon for a group or settlement of people.

Notable residents
Peter Gabriel, George Orwell, David Cameron, Michael Gove, John Christie,

ABOUT OUR SECRET LONDON WALKS It is a 15-year fascinating journey together to explore the whole of beautiful, enchanting Secret London.
The only walking group in the World offering this unique experience!

The individual walks have been created from an original route several miles in length (usually on average about 40 miles) where we have checked every nook and cranny, every hidden alleyway, lane, lost cobbled path, cul de sac, avenue, road or street in that area for you!

It is then shortened, to give back to you a magical walk with all the best bits of 'Lovely London', voted the best City in the World for the 10th year running!

What is given back to you is the most scenic, healthy walk (usually 3-6 miles in length) with some of the walks containing hidden cobbled lanes, lost shops, secret gems, areas lost in time, wonderful views, idyllic Instagram photo shots and all sorts! Now and then some brief local info is mentioned or something of historical importance along the way.

You will have plenty of time to chat and meet new friends whilst walking the amazing lost areas of London! So we welcome you to the colourful highlights of this fascinating City of London with simply wonderful things to see!

TERMS AND CONDITIONS
PLEASE ensure ARRIVAL at least 15 minutes BEFORE the start of the walk, sorry no latecomers are accepted for whatever reason.

Members attend the unique walks from our different meetup groups.

IF LATE, SORRY WE ARE UNABLE TO RECEIVE CALLS OR ANSWER EMAILS AS WELCOMING MEMBERS, LEADING THE WALK, AND CONCENTRATING ON THE SAFETY OF THE GROUP. PLEASE DO NOT BE LATE, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO CATCH THE GROUP UP, PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT.

Part Tour - Medium pace walk from 'Visit England' Award-Winning Guide and our group featured in the National Press! Please Note: Some events, being a large attended meetup group will be an organised walk only, but members are very welcome to organise their own get-togethers after the event.

You are required to be fit and healthy with appropriate footwear & clothing, responsible for meeting at the correct location, own safety and to not lose the group by viewing the organiser/making the organiser aware as much as possible, or follow/not lose sight of the person(s) from the same walk in front. We advise carrying water and some snacks.

The organiser is also not responsible for any circumstances that may affect the group or personally such as personal accidents, rail information, engineering works, cancellations, rail strikes or delays, heavy traffic, tours affected, weather, walk paths or routes closed, postcodes for car parks or for when we arrive back at the station, or anything else not mentioned!

By joining the event you agree to all the terms and conditions.

We really look forward to welcoming you on the walks/tours for a wonderful, great, fun day!