Well I finally fulfilled my long term ambition of barefooting in the big smoke - and i've concluded thats its an amazingly barefoot friendly city! Spent 3 days barefoot and no-one cared or said a word. Was barefoot leaving the train at paddington, then on the tubes which were great fun, lovely cool smooth floors and within 2 mins my soles were jet black. Busses, shops, restaurants, hotels, bars, parks etc - all no problem at all, just the occasional double take and smile. Can't wait to go again! Will upload some piccies to my profile page soon.
Well done and good for you! I have gone round London several times and never had a comment. I felt very tentative the first time, but needn't have worried. I even went up by train one evening to meet some old friends for a drink, a few comments to start with but they soon got over it
Had that experience last year and two years ago, and no problem whatsoever. One time last June it was raining heavily all day, I had an amazing time.
I agree, I was barefoot there 2 weeks ago and its very bf friendly, either people are too polite to look or they just dont care! Also, the streets in london are mostly very smooth tiles, unlike some other cities in england which have rougher pavements.
Yes, London is great for bare feet, i go once or twice a year for a walk with a bf friend. My favourite place is St.Pauls cathedral, we climbed the stairs all the way to the top, a great view inside, and out.
Its sure fun barefooting in London. Smooth tiles on the streets and smooth surfaces on the Underground. Glad you enjoyed it Rob. As you said, it takes no time to get your soles/feet dirty. So please about my home city.
I too really like being barefoot when I'm in London. It kinda takes the stress out of the madness wandering about without shoes, nobody cares or has the time to notice my feet and the variety of surfaces makes the whole thing a great experience....as said by others dirty feet top and bottom though
Winne-the-Pooh went bearfoot; Christopher Robin did not. Winnie was such a silly old bear That he preferred honey to pot.
I spent several hours a couple of years ago crutching through London with my foot bare and enjoyed the experience tremendously! I agree that the street surfaces were quite friendly.
It's good to see so many positive comments about bare feet in London from visitors. As a native and resident I agree entirely. Today I spent an afternoon and evening in Central London.No problems at all on the bus or tube or in cafés and a pizza restaurant. Went to the theatre in the evening and no one batted an eyelid. Altogether the citizens of London (and the visitors) displayed their usual total indifference to what anyone is or isn't wearing. However not a single other person barefoot seen all day.
Have to put a slight downer on this, sadly. Took train up to London to day to meet some old friends, no probs with that, but stupid bouncers on the door of the pub (the England game was being shown) would not let me in "with dirty feet like that". Nothing was going to dissuade them so I produced my emergency flip flops from my bag and was immediately acceptable (don't normally bother carrying them but didn't want to risk any aggro and end up not seeing my friends). Although I took them off once I was inside, it kind of put a mental downer on things
Just shows the illogicality of these people. Putting on flip-flops appparently miraculously cleans your dirty feet! Bouncers are often a problem but the only other place I've had a problem is the National Gallery. Does anyone have any positive experiences there?
I had no problems with the National Gallery or the Tate last year, maybe I was lucky if it's a place for hassle.
Went to see A Doll's House at the Young Vic on Wednesday. A rather older and more formally dressed audience than usual at London theatres (a midweek matineé so concessions available and the youngsters all working hard to pay for our pensions I suppose!) but no reaction at all noticed to my bare feet. I've never had any problems at the theatre in London, although it may be tempting fate to say so.
Call me reckless but it's not something I really think about - then again I don't think much about getting run over by cars, beaten up my muggers or terminal illness...suppose I'll just cross that bridge when I get to it
Hey, are here in west London some barefooted people who meet regurally? If not, hey, barefooted people, let's go for a drink sometimes! I walk almost all the year barefooted (and in the winters in flip flops).
