There are now around 35 episodes of the free London Walks podcast for your iPod or MP3 player. They cover much of the centre of London as well as further afield. There are also episodes showing you how to use London's public transport, as well as getting to and from the airports. We have many listeners around the world. Something like 200,000 separate downloads so far. Not only by tourists and those planning to visit the capital, but also schools using the podcast with their students for teaching English or history, and those who through age or disability can no longer travel. Many people appreciate the soundscape. It makes them feel like they are walking alongside me. On the less favourable side, we have been threatened with legal action by a company offering personally guded walks, even though what we do is free and we do not personally guide anyone. Secondly there has been little financial support or sponsorship to pay for the costs of bandwidth and other costs. Thank you nevertheless to those who have made contributions. Thirdly, and most important, the technology is time consuming and not always reliable. Up to now, we have been relying on second hand minidisc recorders, but even though these are cheap and make good quality recordings, they have to be imported in real time as the file format is incompatible. What of the future? Well, I have many more ideas, but am faced with the expense of buying a new MP3 recorder which will only be useful for podcasting and costs up to $500. This is a greater expense than I can justify for what is purely a service to others. If you would like to see these walks continue, and are prepared to make a contribution towards this expense, please use the PayPal button to give whatever you feel is right. Thank you.
