I follow the story of the film as it unfolds in Brighton, going to all the locations. I talk about what happens in the film, and the making of it with anecdotes from people who were there. I contrast the events in the film with those in real life, with local newspaper reports of the '64 battles.

You know the newspaper article Jimmy cuts out with his sisters scissors? I have a copy to show. So you see, I'm pretty thorough! I talk about Mods (I was a wannabe mod in '64, being too young to be the real thing, but my older friends were). Sometimes I play music and remind people of the dialogue. The walk lasts a good one and a half hours.

I start at the Visitor Information Centre, Bartholomew Square, the Lanes. This is behind the seafront Thistle hotel. The cost is £5 each for the public walks, and I ask people to contact me if they're coming, to reserve a place as I limit numbers. For private bookings, I'll guide a tour any time if I'm available. The public walks take place rain or shine.

Contact information and booking prices:
For a minimum of 12 people i.e. £60. in English or French.
Telephone/Facsimile:
011 44 1273 888596.
via email: info@brightonwalks.com

Walking tour dates:

Updated 06/26/02

New monthly Quadrophenia walking tour.
2 pm Sundays

1 July
12 August
30 September
21 October
4 November

From Visitor Information Centre, Bartholomew Square, the Lanes. Lasts one and a half hours. £5.Private bookings (minimum 12) anytime. Tel/fax Glenda Clarke 01273 888596 or e mail glendaclarke@hotmail.com

I loved the music and film since they came out, and when I qualified as a Tourist Board Blue Badge Guide in 1980 (yes, there are exams for this, it involves learining all about an area and its buildings) I thought it would be great fun to make a Quadrophenia tour but it got put on hold until this year. By which time, of course, it s become a classic and a firm favourite with my 17 year old daughter and her friends. I offered the tour for the first time in July of last year and had such a great bunch of people turn up, including an American (Steve, I think) who had seen it 21 times and 3 Japanese who barely spoke English but who went photo mad as I took them all up the infamous alleyway.

On Tuesday, November 14th, Bjorn, Sean, Jon, Donna & I met at Victoria Coach Station for the 12:30 Coach to Brighton. This was not our first choice on how we wanted to make this trip. Let me explain.

It had been raining in the UK for quite a while, as I understand it, and we were planning on going to Brighton for the Quadrophenia Walking Tour on the Tuesday between the Who shows at the London and Wembley Arenas. I arrived on Saturday night, Nov. 11th and wanted to research the situation about the trains running to Brighton. The news was not good. Talk of flooding, landslides, emergency schedules and fuel protests did not make our trip seem like it would be a simple outing. But as my young friend, Bjorn Ciggaar, likes to say, "if it's not fucked up, it's not any good." Well, it seemed then we were going to have quite a wonderful day, as it seemed like the worse possible time to go to Brighton. Ya-WHO!!!

On the day before the trip, we ventured to the Victoria Station to check out the train timetable for Brighton. I mean, if we're going to Brighton we should be on some train at 5:15, even if it's the return train back to London. It's part of the whole mystique surrounding the Brighton trip to begin with. Well, I asked 3 different ticket agents at Victoria Station and each one of them had a different version of the events for Tuesday's train to Brighton. The versions ranged from one train every hour, that doesn't go all the way to Brighton because of a landslide, to trains every couple hours, but subject to change due to the emergency schedule and so on. Great! Sounds like Bjorn's version of fun!

I presented my findings to the group and we decided we had to forgo the romantic version of the trip to Brighton and opted for the more reliable coach. One plus was the coach was a lot cheaper. So, we walked down to Victoria Coach Station and purchased our tickets for the following day and headed for the London Arena pre-show party at De Hems Pub in Picadilly Circus.

As we were waiting for the 12:30 coach on Tuesday, we talked about the great Who show the night before and how we all ended up in the first 3 rows. Lots of stories and laughs as we waited for our reliable means of transportation. Well, the coach was a 1/2 hour late, and we finally shoved off and were on our way by 13:00. Of course, the bus was slower than normal, and when we finally arrived in Brighton at 15:00, an hour late, I was glad to see Glenda Clarke, the official Quadrophenia Tour Guide, waiting patiently for us at the Brighton Coach Station.

After brief introductions, where another joined our party, Paul (MajorTom), and a quick rest stop, we were on our way to what would turn out to be a perfect afternoon, after all. Bjorn, you're right again!

I took a trip to see the Who in London in Nov of 2000. There was a day off between the London Arena and the Wembley shows. I found out through some traveling Who fans I have met that Billy Magik had arranged a special Quad walking tour on that day. The tour happens on a regular basis, however there wasn't one planed for the day we wanted, hence the "special arrangement" Jon(Tx.), Donna(NY), Bjorn(Netherlands), Billy(NY), and Myself headed down on a coach from Victoria.

There had been serious delays in the train schedules due to the wettest winter England has seen in many years. We were met at the coach stop in Brighton by Glenda our wonderful and informative tour guide. We then proceeded to what is now called the "Brighton Pier" the old Palace Pier. Only the name on the neon sign has changed. It is instantly recognizable as the pier that is not only in the film Quadrophenia, but the B+W booklet that comes with the Whos album, and from the projections during the Whos Quad tours 96-97. It was there that we met up with Paul of the Shout P.T. Bulletin board (Southern England). We were on our way. Now I have seen the film many times, and had actually already made a pilgrimage to Brighton.

I still found the tour to be most informative and interesting. There are both audio and visual aids utilized during the tour. It is very well researched, you are shown stills from the film while looking at the exact spot that they were shot! The tour includes all the action spots where the Dancing, Fighting, Shagging and Riding take place. The Grand Hotel is a stop on the tour, and is of course also in the B+W Quad album booklet. The face of the building is different courtesy of an IRA bomb, but if you go inside you can see that the lobby is exactly the same as the photo of the Bellboy in the Quad Booklet!! I would highly recommend this tour to Who fans, Quad fans, or Mods/Skinhead/Scooterists. Be sure to bring your parka for a pic of yourself in the alley that Jimmy (Phil Daniels) is standing in on the cover of the 1979 Quadrophena film soundtrack album!!