Description: Beginning at the St. Paul Tube Stop, we had no trouble spotting our guide. He was dressed in a long, black hooded cape, and his tall, thin frame and ghostly pallor certainly set the mood for the walk.
We roamed the area around St. Paul's, down dark passageways and into secret courtyards, accompanied by Shaughan's insightful commentary. We then walked northwest past the Old Bailey, a haunted bombed-out churchyard that has been turned into a rose garden, West Smithfield (where William Wallace and many Protestant martyrs were put to death), and then into the churchyard of St. Bartholomew the Great.
There is apparently a ghost every few feet in London, and I don't want to spoil the walk for anyone by giving too many details. We had no frightening experiences, although we did stay pretty close together. It's easy to let your imagination run wild when you're walking around in a 2,000-year-old city.
Even for those not particularly interested in ghosts, this is a great tour. Shaughan threw in plenty of history and anecdotes that did not involve the supernatural, and it was a great opportunity to explore the city at night without feeling unsafe.
This group was larger and rowdier than the sedate group that toured the Inns of Court the day before. Several of the younger people fortified their nerve with cans of beer (carried in their pockets), and by the end of the tour, they were feeling no pain. But Shaughan handled the situation well, and everyone had a good time.
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