After
7 weeks of lovely walks in the countryside, the best I can say about today’s
walk is that the morning was sunny. London’s waterfront is in the midst of a
construction boom, and the Thames Path was diverted time and time again to accommodate
the construction. Sadly, in many places where the Path followed the river, it
passes by derelict old warehouses and piers, or through neighborhoods of “social”
housing – perhaps historical and necessary, but not picturesque.
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| Path diversion for construction |
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| Old pier |
As
in many cities, old buildings have been converted to upscale housing for the
wealthy. As I was passing through one such enclave, I met David, who was
cycling by. He pointed out a penthouse that was once owned by a rock star,
David Bowie. I'm not familiar with David Bowie, but he had a nice house.
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| David |
Eventually,
the path arrives at tourist London near Tower Bridge, with mobs of people. I’ve
grown accustomed to herds of sheep and cattle, and wasn’t ready for
jostling crowds of people along the footpath. Fortunately, Ben arrived just at
that time, and led me through an interesting (if crowded) historic market
place. Ben commented that it was not very busy today – on a weekend there would
be even more people. Outside the market place we stopped at a cheese store and
then a deli, and put together cheese sandwiches to munch on as we continued on
our way.
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| Tower Bridge |
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| The new London Bridge |
I
had had about enough of crowds by the time we reached Vauxhall Bridge, and
decided to end the day, whereupon Ben led me to the nearby Pimlico Underground
Station, and reacquainted me with the process of buying a ticket and making
train connections, so I could return to my hotel, and write today’s posting.
Maybe
tomorrow I’ll find another mystery plant on the footpath. Wouldn't that be exciting?
© 2014 Ken Klug
Congratulations, old chap. You have come full circle, and I bet it feels good to have finished. If, that is, you have indeed finished. I feel good being the first to congratulate you (?) and especially beating Danielle to the Comments column - a singular feat.
ReplyDeleteI still should walk back to Staines to complete the loop, but if the route tomorrow is as uninspiring at the route today, I may drop the rest of the Thames Path and return to the countryside. As you well know, for me it's the journey, not the destination.
DeleteI don't think anybody has ever beaten Danielle on a comment before.
On your way to Staines, you surely wouldn't want to miss a visit to Battersea Dogs Home on the south of the Thames near Chelsea Bridge.
Deletehttp://www.battersea.org.uk/. It's a British institution, and all dogs from there come with clipped British accents, tails and ears. No self-respecting hiker should go home without a Battersea dog - or two. Better check with Janet first, though.
Daryl, you beat me fair and square! So sad not to have been able to comment on anything because we were biking in Colorado. At least you were there to cheer the old Lost-a-Lot, thank you for that!
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