After deciding to close temporarily in March, due to Covid-19, the Original Nottingham Ghost Walk will be hitting the streets again on 5th September. Now, the walk has gained accreditation from both the UK’s official tourist organisation, Visit Britain and the AA, for the work they have done to make the Nottingham Ghost Walk safe, during this time of Covid restrictions.
The Nottingham Ghost Walk now holds both the ‘Good to Go’ and ‘Covid 19 Confident’ certifications, for the steps they are taking to protect customers, making it what the owners claim is “The safest ghost walk in the UK.”
Simon Unsworth, from the Nottingham Ghost Walk, explained: “As soon as our partners at Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem and Ye Olde Salutation Inn shut their doors, we knew that we would have to stop too. We’ve never had to cancel a walk in 28 years, so it was a real blow to us, to have to do so. Ironically, both our pub venues kept going through the Black Death, so this was totally unprecedented for all of us!”
With pubs reopening in July, the owners of the walk decided to delay their reopening, to ensure that the Trip and the Sal could run under ‘the new normal’ and that there wasn’t a resurgence of the virus. They immediately set to working out how the walk could run safely, during these strange times.
Bryan Hall, from the walk said: “During the peak season, the ghost walk can often top 60+ people, we knew that limiting numbers would have to be a first, big priority for us, so we’ve limited all walks to 25 people. We’ve produced a Covid-19 risk assessment and guidance for customers attending the walk that you can view on our website and social media channels. We’re also using an app for test & trace purposes and we won’t be taking cash payments.
All the work has been worth it though, as we achieved Visit Britain’s ‘Good to Go’ award and, the more rigorous, ‘Covid 19 Confident’ award, from the AA. We think this makes us the safest ghost walk in the UK, officially!”
The walk will be kicking off again on Saturday 5th September, with limited numbers, from Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, at 7.00pm.
Simon added: “On the subject of safety, we can guarantee all our customers that the ghosts of Nottingham definitely can’t spread the virus!”
The Original Nottingham Ghost Walk runs every Saturday night, from the first Saturday in January to the first Saturday in December, at 7.00pm, from Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, Brewhouse Yard, Nottingham NG1 6AD. Tickets cost £7.50 (12+ years). Tickets are available online, through the ghost walk’s website; www.thenottinghamghostwalk.co.uk or their Facebook page. Private walks and children’s/family walks are available to book too.
