10 Fun Facts For 10% Off A Classic Bike Tour!

Bike tours are a great way to see the city’s most famous sights whilst getting some fresh air and a bit of exercise. The London Bicycle Tour Company offer a huge range of tours so there’s bound to be one that suits you and your family. We love the Classic Tour, it’s a fun and different way to see all of London’s landmarks. In honour of 10% off, here are 10 fun facts about the sights you’ll see to get you excited for your adventure!
 

Did you know Big Ben is not actually the name of the famous London clock tower? Big Ben is the name of the bell whilst the tower itself is called Elizabeth Tower. The bell inside it weighs 13 tons, that’s about the weight of three hippos!
 

Hopefully you won’t need to worry about this on your bike tour, but in the 1800s the whole of The Houses of Parliament had to be abandoned due to a really foul smell! It happened in the Great Stink of 1858.
 

Westminster Abbey is home to England’s oldest door, which has been dated back to 1050AD. The oak door by Chapter House was also believed to have the skin of a thief pinned to it, but it’s recently been proven that it was actually just cowhide.
 

The most famous residents of St James's Park are the Pelicans! They’re probably not the birds you’d expect to see in the middle of London, but they’ve been there since 1664 after a Russian Ambassador gave them to King Charles II. Well, what else do you get a King who has everything?
 

A Classic Tour of London would be incomplete without seeing Buckingham Palace, you may even catch the Changing of the Guard! Although you won’t be going in, Buckingham Palace has an incredible interior with 775 rooms, including 78 bathrooms, a post office and a cash-point! 
 

The Square used to be home to thousands and thousands of pigeons. Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about running any over on your bike, the ban on feeding them in 2003 helped to decline numbers hugely.
 

You’ll have to watch where you’re going in Covent Garden as it’s one of the city’s most popular tourist areas and shopping destinations! With over 44 million visitors a year, it’s one of the busiest tourist attractions in the world. 
 

St Paul’s Cathedral is another one of the city’s most iconic buildings. You wouldn’t know, but it actually sits on the highest point in the City of London, Ludgate Hill. It’s had some well known visitors over the years too, including Martin Luther King in 1964.
 

It may be obvious because of the name, but did you know Cleopatra’s Needle actually came to London all the way from Egypt? The needle left Egypt in a specially designed shipping container in October 1877 and, after a treacherous journey, arrived in England in January 1878. 
 

The famous tourist attraction is now embedded in London’s skyline, but much like The Eiffel Tower, it was actually supposed to be a temporary structure. Originally, The London Eye was only going to be up for 5 years. 
 

There’s so much more to see and learn about London’s landmarks on the Classic Bike Tour, book with us for 10% off! If this tour isn’t making you wheely excited we’ve got plenty of others, why not check out the Christmas Lights or Love London tour.