Slow Horses Locations – TV Walking Tour in London

Slow Horses meets old London. This two-hour walking tour links the show’s fictional spy world with real streets, Barbican architecture, and classic City landmarks. I like the small group limit of 15, and I like that the guide adds London history instead of simply pointing at filming spots. The main drawback is distance: you should be ready to walk about three miles.

The tour begins near Bunhill Fields and ends at Leadenhall Market, with stops around the Barbican, Aldersgate, Bank Junction, and the Royal Exchange. I also like the extra attention to the Mick Herron books and real espionage. The meeting point at Greggs on City Road can be slightly tricky to locate, especially if you rely on Apple Maps.

Key things to know before booking

• Bunhill Fields starts the story: You begin at Blake’s grave, a meeting place connected with Jackson Lamb’s team.
• The Barbican is more than a backdrop: The walk spends about 45 minutes around one of London’s most distinctive modernist areas.
• You see the real inspiration for Slough House: The fictional office is tied to a real London building where failed MI5 careers supposedly collect dust.
• Susannah brings the show to life: Her tour includes series details, book connections, real espionage facts, and a well-timed Jackson Lamb impersonation.
• The route covers about three miles: Comfortable shoes matter more than dressing for a formal sightseeing tour.
• Leadenhall Market is a useful finish: You can continue your London day with food, architecture, and easy access to the City.

Why this Slow Horses walk works

The best film-location tours do more than identify a doorway. They help you understand how a city becomes part of a story. This Slow Horses walk appears to do that by joining fictional MI5 offices with the real streets, passages, and buildings that give the series its uneasy London mood.

You get the show’s locations, but you also get a walk through several different versions of London. Bunhill Fields has a literary and historic feel. The Barbican brings concrete walkways and postwar city planning. The City of London adds banking landmarks, grand civic buildings, and tight streets shaped by centuries of commerce.

That mix gives the tour value even if you are not able to name every Slow Horses character. If you are a serious fan, the route offers something more precise: a chance to connect scenes with the places that helped create them, while hearing how the television series relates to the books.

The group limit of 15 people matters here. A location walk can become frustrating when the guide has to shout over a large crowd. A smaller group should make it easier to hear explanations and gather around specific buildings without blocking the pavement.

The tour is offered in English and uses a mobile ticket. Confirmation arrives when you book. It is also near public transportation, and most people can take part, with service animals allowed.

Starting at Bunhill Fields and Blake’s grave

The meeting point is listed as GreggsU1, 91 City Road, London EC1Y 1BD. From there, the group begins near Bunhill Fields at Blake’s grave, one of the places associated with Jackson Lamb’s team of spies.

This is a clever opening. Rather than beginning with a generic London landmark, the tour starts with a location that hints at the odd, slightly offbeat tone of Slow Horses. William Blake’s grave also gives the guide a natural way to connect the show to London’s literary past.

You can expect roughly 30 minutes in this opening section. The emphasis is not only on where the characters meet, but also on how the area relates to the fictional Slough House. The walk toward that office location lets the guide set up the story before the group reaches the central filming areas.

I would arrive early enough to identify the meeting point without rushing. The extra characters in the address caused some map confusion for one participant, particularly in Apple Maps. The practical fix is simple: check the full address before leaving and look for the Greggs location at 91 City Road rather than relying only on a shortened map pin.

Bunhill Fields itself makes a good first stop because it gives the tour a pause from the usual London checklist. You are not being hurried straight to a famous palace or museum. Instead, you begin with a graveyard, a literary connection, and the fictional spy network that drives the series.

Exploring the Barbican Highwalk and Aldersgate

The longest named section of the walk takes place around the Barbican and Aldersgate. Allow about 45 minutes here. This is likely the portion fans will remember most clearly because the Barbican’s walkways, towers, concrete forms, and unusual levels provide such a strong visual setting.

The area works especially well for Slow Horses. The architecture can feel closed-off and maze-like, with routes that do not always behave like ordinary streets. That makes it a natural fit for a story about surveillance, secret meetings, office politics, and people trying to disappear in plain sight.

The guide also brings in London history during this part of the walk. That extra layer is important. You are not simply stopping every few minutes for a television reference. You are learning how the neighborhood developed and why it looks so different from the older City streets later in the route.

I like this balance because filming-location tours can become repetitive. A parade of scene references may entertain a dedicated fan for a while, but it does not always give you a reason to care about the surroundings. The Barbican section appears to avoid that problem by treating the neighborhood as a place worth seeing in its own right.

One practical point: this is a walking tour, not a vehicle-based location circuit. The route covers about three miles, and the Barbican’s raised walkways can involve changes in level and direction. You should wear shoes you can comfortably walk in and keep your schedule flexible.

A fan may also appreciate hearing about filming details and the relationship between the show and the original novels. One participant specifically praised Susannah for adding insights that made a later rewatch more enjoyable. That is a useful sign of a guide who understands that fans want context, not just coordinates.

Finding the real-world Slough House

At one point, the group stops outside the real-life inspiration for the fictional Slough House. The joke behind Slough House is that it is where MI5 careers go to die, so seeing the building connected with that idea adds a satisfying bit of reality to the story.

This is one of the tour’s strongest concepts. You are not only looking at a building used on screen. You are seeing the real place that helped shape one of the show’s central settings. The contrast between the dramatic reputation of Slough House and the ordinary reality of a London building is part of the fun.

The stop also creates room for discussion of real espionage. The tour includes facts about actual intelligence work alongside the fictional events in Slow Horses. That should appeal to anyone who enjoys the series for its workplace tension as much as its spy plots.

I would not book this experience expecting entry into every building. The information provided describes an outdoor walking route with free admission at the stops. The reward is the explanation, the setting, and the ability to recognize locations from the series, rather than access to restricted interiors.

Bank Junction and the Royal Exchange

The route includes Bank Junction and the Royal Exchange Building, where important scenes from the show are set. These landmarks shift the mood again. The Barbican feels planned and modern, while the area around Bank and the Royal Exchange presents a more formal side of the City.

The Royal Exchange is one of those places that makes the route useful for visitors who want more than a television-themed outing. Even if you know little about Slow Horses, you will be walking through one of London’s major commercial districts and hearing how the city’s past fits around the show’s fictional operations.

Bank Junction is also a good example of how the series uses recognizable city spaces without turning them into postcard scenery. The show’s world is built from offices, streets, meeting points, and public places where secretive work can hide among daily business.

The published timing gives this part about 30 minutes, although the stated route is approximately two hours and includes several walking sections. I would treat the timing as a guide rather than a strict promise. The guide may need to pause for questions, pavement conditions, or the pace of the group.

Finishing at Leadenhall Market

The walk ends at Leadenhall Market, with about 15 minutes set aside for this final stop. It is a strong place to finish because it gives you an immediate choice after the tour: continue sightseeing, stop for food, or head onward through the City.

Leadenhall Market has a very different character from the Barbican and Bunhill Fields. Its covered passages and decorative setting make it an attractive final backdrop for a show that often moves between grim offices and polished public spaces.

The end point is listed as Leadenhall Market, Gracechurch Street, London EC3V 1LT. Since the route finishes here, you can plan a meal or coffee afterward without adding another major sightseeing transfer. The market is specifically useful for that reason, although the tour does not include food or admission charges.

I appreciate an ending that leaves you somewhere practical. Some walking tours finish beside a nondescript road and leave you to work out what comes next. Here, you can keep exploring the City or use the nearby transport connections to continue your day.

What the guide adds to the show

The guide is a major part of this experience. The guide named in the tour feedback is Susannah, sometimes spelled Suzanna in the comments. She is praised for her enthusiasm, her grasp of the series, and her ability to connect the show with the books.

The most distinctive detail is her Jackson Lamb impersonation. That will not be the main reason to book, but it gives you a sense of the informal tone. The tour seems designed for fans who enjoy a bit of character and humor along with solid location information.

You can also expect discussion of real espionage, not only fictional plot points. That makes the walk more useful for people who have watched the series and now want to understand which parts draw on real intelligence work and which belong to Mick Herron’s fictional world.

A good guide-led walk should leave you seeing familiar episodes differently. Here, the combination of location knowledge, book references, filming details, and London history gives you several ways to connect the streets with the story.

The strong rating, 5 out of 5 from 65 reviews, and 100 percent recommendation rate suggest consistent satisfaction. Still, I would read those figures in context. This is a focused tour for people who already like Slow Horses or want a themed London walk. It is not a general introduction to all of London.

Is $27.62 a fair price?

At $27.62 per person, the price is reasonable for a two-hour guided walk in central London, especially with a maximum group of 15. You are paying for the guide’s preparation and storytelling, not for entry to a paid attraction.

The value improves if you have watched the show or read the books. Every location reference will mean more, and you are more likely to enjoy the smaller connections between the fictional Slough House, real MI5 ideas, and the streets used in filming.

The value is still decent for a casual London visitor because the route includes Bunhill Fields, the Barbican, Bank Junction, the Royal Exchange, and Leadenhall Market. These are not random corners of the city. The walk gives you a structured way to see them and explains how they relate to one another.

The limitation is that the tour does not appear to include refreshments, transport, or indoor admission. You should budget separately for anything you want to eat or drink at Leadenhall Market. The listed stops have free admission, so there are no expected entrance fees added to the tour price.

The tour is booked around 30 days in advance on average. That does not guarantee that every date sells out, but it does suggest you should not leave planning until the last moment if your London dates are fixed.

Who will enjoy this walk most?

I would recommend it first to dedicated Slow Horses fans. You will get the most from the references to Jackson Lamb, the Slough House setup, the book series, and the filming locations.

It also suits visitors who like walking tours with a clear theme but still want general city context. The London history and varied neighborhoods keep the experience from becoming a simple television scavenger hunt.

The tour may be less suitable if you want a short, low-effort activity. Three miles in about two hours is a steady walk, and the focus is on outdoor locations. You also may not enjoy it as much if you have never seen Slow Horses and do not care about the show’s fictional spy world.

Most people can participate, and service animals are allowed. The tour is near public transportation, uses a mobile ticket, and is conducted in English. Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before the start time. Cancellations or changes made inside that window are not refunded or accepted.

Should you book the Slow Horses locations tour?

Book it if you want to connect the series with real London and you enjoy a guide who can add book references, spy facts, city history, and humor. Susannah’s apparent strength is turning a location walk into a conversation about the whole Slow Horses world.

I would also book it if you want an efficient way to see the Barbican and City of London without planning every turn yourself. The group is small, the price is fair, and Leadenhall Market gives you a useful place to stop afterward.

Skip it if you dislike walking, want indoor attractions, or have no interest in the show or books. For everyone else, this is a focused and entertaining way to see London through the crooked, funny, and slightly shabby eyes of Jackson Lamb’s world.

FAQ

Where does the Slow Horses walking tour start?

The tour starts at GreggsU1, 91 City Road, London EC1Y 1BD, UK.

Where does the tour end?

The walk ends at Leadenhall Market, Gracechurch Street, London EC3V 1LT, UK.

How long does the tour last?

The experience lasts approximately two hours.

How much does the tour cost?

The price is $27.62 per person.

How many people can join the tour?

The group has a maximum of 15 travelers.

Is the tour offered in English?

Yes. The tour is offered in English.

Can I cancel for a refund?

Yes. You can cancel at least 24 hours before the start time for a full refund. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours before the start time are not accepted or refunded.