THE PILOT walking tours organised by Tony Porter on Sunday (17th Jan 2016) as part of his ‘Hedon History Walks’ project, attracted over 40 people all keen to discover the legends, stories and facts about Hedon’s rich heritage.
On Sunday Tony tested his idea by leading two walks, both of which proved popular despite the weather being the coldest, although one of the brightest, of the year so far. The first walk in the morning traversed the town south of Fletcher Gate/New Road and included the fascinating history of when Hedon was the 11th largest port in the country. The Hedon Fleet and Hedon Haven no longer exist as waterways, but Tony’s commentary brought to life the era when the town was a thriving maritime location. The afternoon walk comprised the more well-known tourist attractions and stories associated with the town centre.
Kathy Kirk attended the afternoon walk, she said: “I had a very enjoyable afternoon with Tony Porter as our guide around Hedon. I saw things around the town that I had never noticed before! And the very knowledgeable commentary by Tony was extremely interesting! Being so cold, I am sure I missed bits, so I am looking forward to doing the walk again, in warmer weather, to make sure I can take everything in! Thank you, Tony, really well done.”
Tony said of the day: “I was amazed to see 19 turn up for the morning walk and, even more, amazed with the 26 in the afternoon. I thought January was a daft time to start these walks off but the weather was kind. It just goes to show how effective that the Hedon Blog is at reaching people as I only had the piece on that blog and a few small posters up in Hedon!
“On each of the walks, I also learned from those with me, some of which will now be incorporated into future walks. I have also been contacted by a Scout group to do some work with them and would welcome calls from other Societies and Groups to do tailored walks for them. After this success, I will definitely run the walks again but will have a good think about the best dates and times for the future.”
Tony has created a website at www.hedonhistorywalks.com to promote the tours. He can be contacted at hedonhistorywalks@gmail.com for those who want further information.
I had no idea there were 2 walks, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. I could have made the afternoon walk. Oh well, hope the walk will be repeated soon. Congratulations on such a good idea, sounds like it went extremely well.