Nerd explosion

November 1, 2016 by Ray Morgan

London tour for muggles

A while ago I wrote a blog [https://www.leigh-on-sea.com/blog/detail/people-who-bother.html] about how much I love geeks, fandom and Harry Potter.

In fact if you're the kind of person who thinks Harry Potter is "just for kids" then I suggest you stop reading now because this is not going to be for you (or do keep reading to torture yourself/come around to a new way of thinking, you're welcome)...

On Sunday, I went on a "Tour for Muggles", a walking tour of various points in London that inspired JK Rowling or were used as locations in the films. Now, I freakin' LOVE everything to do with HP. I wore a tshirt that said "Make love not horcruxes" and a Deathly Hallows necklace, and my sister bought me a lightning bolt bracelet for the occasion too. I'm a super fan. When my partner Jo bought tickets for this tour, she was properly indulging my ultra-geeky side.

The tour started at London Bridge, and we were met by a sprightly young chap called Nicholas Longbottom (what a coincidence) who got us all to pick which Hogwarts house we thought we'd be in. Can I just say at this point that ZERO children were on this tour. No kids. Just adults. Lovely, sweet, geekly adults wearing Harry Potter accessories. Nick said to us that on the tour, we could fully geek out, joking that it was a "safe space" to really explore our Harry Potter obsessions. I was instantly hooked.

We walked around Borough Market, visited the prison site that inspired Azkaban, saw where the Leaky Cauldron and Grimmauld Place were set and filmed, and a wealth of other interesting points. It was brilliantly interactive; there were quiz questions at each location, giving us the chance to win house points for our Hogwarts houses. OMG SO NERDY. Gryffindor got off to a flying start (typical), but I single handedly clawed my way up to level pegging for Ravenclaw by shooting my hand up at every question like Hermione Grainger herself. I think Jo was a bit freaked out. All my weird, competitive, nerdy sides were out on show but I didn't care. I even got a bonus 10 house points for knowing the Hogwarts school motto in Latin AND its meaning. I know, I'm too cool, try not to be jel.

We finished the tour by visiting the two streets that inspired Diagon Alley (where wizards by all their magical shizz: broomsticks and the like) and Knockturn Alley (where evil wizards by all their evil magical shizz: poisons and the like). 'Knockturn Alley' is the only street in London that still has proper gas lamps; a crooked, winding, dark alley with beautiful rounded black wooden bay windows that looked straight out of a Dickens novel. And it was silent; despite being between two incredibly busy London main roads. Then Diagon Alley, an actual pedestrianised street full of occult shops that genuinely today sell things like books on witchcraft. I half expected to see Professor Flitwick bimbling about with a basket on wheels.

The level of knowledge our tour guide has was impressive. It wasn't just Harry-related; we got a truckload of brilliant London history, and facts about other films too. We stood under a high building that both Daniel Craig as James Bond and Cumberbatch as Sherlock had apparently stood brooding on, that just so happened to be where a Harry Potter scene had been filmed too. It was fascinating! And the infectious geekery of Nick really made it. He knew it was my birthday so I was picked to go to the front and take part in a finale magic trick in 'Diagon Alley'. What utter, utter japes.

If you have a Harry Potter fan in your life (or you are one yourself, in which case, HI!) I really recommend this day out. You can book tours at https://www.tourformuggles.com/

To read all of Ray Morgan's previous blogs, please click the link https://www.leigh-on-sea.com/blog/tag/ray-morgan-.html