Greenwich Park Equestrian walks Sunday 13th and Wednesday 16th March

Two special Olympic Games equestrian walks in Greenwich Park will take place on Sunday 13th March and Wednesday 16th March, starting at 11.00 am at St Mary's Gate entrance (in King William Walk near the Greenwich Tavern pub).

To be led by experienced and qualified Greenwich tour guides, the walks will cost £6 (£5 for concessions) per person and last about an hour and a half, finishing at the Pavilion Cafe near the Observatory. We'll be following part of the cross-country course, so stout walking shoes are advisable. It's all fairly easy walking, apart from some slightly steep steps up to the delightfully misnamed One Tree Hill. This is where Queen Elizabeth I is believed to have composed her stirring Spanish Armada speech, delivered to the British troops at Tilbury in 1588.

In addition to the ruff guide to good Queen Bess, the walk will include:

• A potted history of the modern Olympic Games. And, yes, pottery - or at least sculpture - was once an Olympic event.
• The rich history of Greenwich Park and its royal sporting (and some unsporting) associations.
• How a very public spat involving (shock, horror) a royal family behaving badly led to England's first Palladian-style building.
• Why Jimmy Hendrix and Humphry Bogart are linked to Greenwich Park's latest avian residents.
• Why you should be very wary of horses at traffic lights.

Please call Roger on 07910 312686 or Neil on 07950 130939 to be sure of a place or simply turn up on the day. The Cow & Coffee Bean cafe just inside St Mary's Gate is now open for the season, so you can grab a quick coffee before the walk if you wish.