Emily’s Walking Book Club has been meeting for monthly walks on Hampstead Heath since 2012. It is an extremely friendly and relaxed group of people, bound together by a love of books, and of walking. You can watch webcasts discussing our books on my YouTube channel here.

The idea is it’s much easier to talk while you’re walking – something about the rhythm of it loosens your thoughts and your tongue too. Perhaps it’s also easier because you’re looking around at beautiful landscape rather than making stressful eye-contact.

Here is a piece I wrote about it for the Spectator.

We were delighted to be recorded for Radio 4’s Ramblings with Clare Balding, first broadcast in 2013, for which we discussed Elizabeth Taylor’s Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont. You can listen again if you follow the link. More recently, I was delighted to be asked on Monocle’s Meet the Writer show to talk about the book club and more. You can listen to it here.

We set off on a Sunday morning at 11.30 sharp from Daunt Books Hampstead, and return there for 1pm. There’s a £8-£20 suggested fee, but if you can’t afford this (plus the cost of travel and the book – I know, it adds up!) then just come along anyway and pay what you can. Our Regent’s Park walks are Fridays, 12-1.45 setting off from Daunt Books Marylebone.

If you can’t make it to the Heath or to Regent’s Park, then why not join me to discuss the book on the following Monday evening on Zoom instead.

Fancy joining us? Great! Find out details of our walking book club picks and book a spot on our walks and zooms over on our substack, HERE.

Emily’s Walking Book Club has also popped up across the UK at Literary Festivals, Writers’ Retreats, and even at a hen party. If you think it could be the right thing for your own special event – birthday / team away day / school outing / anything else then please get in touch. I love taking this idea onto new ground.

Drop me a line if you’d like to find out more: emilyrhodes [at] hotmail [dot] com.