Circular walking guide from London Waterloo

Leave London Waterloo by Exit 5, following the signs to “Hungerford Footbridge” in order to cross the Thames, and enter Embankment tube station. Take the exit to Villiers Street, at the end of which cross the Strand and follow the sign (on your right), to Covent Garden.

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On your left pass Coutts, then the Adelphi Theatre, with its 1930s art deco foyer, before turning left on Southampton Street into Covent Garden, where there are hundreds of shops and a piazza buzzing with entertainers.

To visit St Paul’s - the Actors’ Church - walk to the left of the piazza and into the churchyard. Plaques here commemorate theatrical and film greats such as Noël Coward and Charlie Chaplin. With your back to the church door, walk to Bedford Street, turning right to Paul, a patisserie serving tasty baked goodies.

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Upon returning to the piazza, follow the signs to the Royal Opera House and visit the Floral Hall, a magnificent glass conservatory.

If it is closed, take the lift to the Amphitheatre Bar and Café, (open Monday to Saturday, noon to 3pm), and enjoy the views from the balcony.  

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You can usually cut through the box office, (open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 3pm), to emerge on Bow Street. If it is closed, follow the signs to Covent Garden tube station, turning right on Long Acre to meet Bow Street.

Emerge on Bow Street opposite the former Bow Street Magistrates Court and Police Station. London’s first police force of sorts, the Bow Street Runners, was established here by writer Henry Fielding in 1750.

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Once back on Long Acre, turn left then right on to Great Queen Street. The huge building ahead is Freemasons’ Hall. Despite its reputed secretiveness, guided tours are offered weekdays, on the hour, from 11am to 4pm. Book Saturday tours at least six months in advance (020 7831 9811). Continue down Great Queen Street to reach Kingsway, cross this road in order to reach Remnant Street and Sir John Soane’s Museum at No 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields. This gem of a house — free entry and open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm — is packed with fascinating paintings and artefacts.

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Turn left out of No 13 and follow the street around to the right, towards Lincoln’s Inn, (weekdays only), where bewigged barristers train and work.

Continue down Serle Street, turn left on Carey Street and arrive at Chancery Lane. Charles Dickens fans can visit the Old Curiosity Shop by turning right off Serle Street to Portugal Street and right on Portsmouth Street.

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Turning right on Chancery Lane, you meet Fleet Street. Turn left for the Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, an atmospheric pub. Otherwise cross Fleet Street into Temple by taking the road opposite, Middle Temple Lane.

In order to visit Temple Church with its effigies of the Knights Templar. (For details of opening times, go to www.templechurch.com)

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Returning to Fleet Street turn left and pass the massive Royal Courts of Justice on the right. On your left is Twinings, tea sellers since the 1700s. Continuing west you pass St Clement Danes in the traffic island on the right, infamous due to its inclusion in the nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons.

Further on, on the left is Somerset House, home to art collections, good Thames views and cafés, and even an ice rink opens seasonally in the winter months. Turn left at Lancaster Place to return to London Waterloo station crossing Waterloo Bridge. 

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