Wear Sensible Shoes - the Coil Guided Tour of London

Drown yourself in the lost history of Coil’s London - the city that permeated the English experimental band’s art, life and mythology from 1982 through to 1998.

Three versions of the London Coil walk are now running, based around a core central London itinerary, with each rising price band reflecting group entry to separately ticketed locations.

Wear Sensible Shoes is a comprehensive guided tour of Coil's London that dips into the locations of the band's biography, song themes, album art, photo shoots and twenty years of associated Coil-lore. The tours visits ten or more Coil-related locations from across their timeline, both major and minor, but the exact locations and themes will be revealed as the walk unfolds. Beyond being merely a revelation of locations, WSS gets inside the weave of the band's fabric by looking at the dynamic of their lives, motives and outlook, and how we can apply their legacy and aesthetic to our own lives. The exploration is a two-way, informal and informative experience, where our discoveries and conversations will prompt as many questions as answers.

Occupying the best part of a day, the ambitious route will be by foot and by London Transport. Accordingly, the group will be limited in size to facilitate group movement. Participants should expect to be mobile for the duration during peak British summer, but the afternoon will include rest breaks and travel interludes.

A waiting list will operate in the event of a sold-out walk; please add yourself and the organiser will contact you if a space becomes available. Refunds will ONLY be possible when a ticket can be re-allocated. Tickets ARE transferable; please contact the organiser to re-assign a name and email to a ticket that you cannot use.

Full public liability insurance exists for the event.

Wear sensible shoes, obv, and bring water / sunblock.

Please see the Walk Info page to get the best out of the day.

About your guide:

Ben has been a Coil fan since discovering Horse Rotorvator at his local lending library in Manchester in 1987. With his Still Walking organisation, he has explored the possibilities of the guided walk format that lie beyond heritage culture. He is the author of the 2023 guidebook 111 Places in Birmingham that You Shouldn't Miss, has had numerous short stories published and, along with Spydeee Gasmantell, is the co-author of the 2018 epistolary publication Conscience.