Conclusions:
The 30 minute walk feels much less rushed. People have time to walk leisurely and look around. The addition of the poetry and music balances the rest.My new narrative sections are shorter and punchier than before.
I tested Sennheiser headphones, sound limiting Sony headphones and earpieces.
The sound limiting headphones were best.
At certain times of day there is a lot of external traffic sound. Some external sound is fine as it adds to the experience but too much means that any subtleties on the soundtrack are lost.