London Walks

Don't ask me about anything North of the river. I have no comprehension.

http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/England-History/JackTheRippersLondon.gif

now take you hands of me, you peasant!

http://www2.filmweb.no/multimedia/archive/00011/Jack_the_Ripper_11978a.jpg

I often walk between Clerkenwell and Marlybone and sometimes further. Walking in London is great if you seek out the back ways and little alleys that keep you off main main thoroughfares.

between kings cross and farringdon was somewhere i hadnt done before (at least down as far as mt pleasant). then it was familiar as far as liverpool st, but i realised id never seen aldgate high st before. i had also never been through st james park!!

I stole this off another thread; it seems a likely prospect.

That walk has the added bonus of some amazing pubs.

Nothing to do with the Thames, but I know someone who a few weeks ago decided to walk from Alexandra Palace to Greenwich just for the sake of it. We greeted him like a hero when he collapsed on the pub floor.

Or you could go for the full tourist central London whack and walk from Westminster Bridge to London Bridge, which, obvious as it is, has some stunning sights along the way.

Also, I need to persuade girlfriend that this would be A Good Idea.

greenwich-deptford is also a good call...

What is the bit around Wapping like? Has anyone been to the Prospect of Whitby?

Regent's canal from the Cally to Little Venice is a nice walk. Or my house to work which I enjoyed a fair bit.

Any good places to wander round North London other than Hampstead Heath?

The Prospect has a nice riverside patio for those uncivilised souls who think drinking outside exposed to the elements is a good idea. It has a nice metal bar top. Fundamentally, though, it's a dodgy old Chef & Brewer which isn't really my cup of gristle at all. It's nicely placed for the art gallery at the Wapping Project in the old pumping station across the road.

In answer to your question: yes, I've been there. River walking opportunities are limited by the ex-warehouses, but grebt views of lovely leafy Rotherhithe are snatchable.

and going back to the greenway, there a bridge over the railway line that you pass over along the way. the walls are very smooth concrete and it's become a mecca for graffiti writers. i've seen a lot of real superstars paint there, including mode 2. writers from paris, germany (daim) san francisco (giant)new york and all over england have visited. kline/keen one of englands wildstyle legends paints there regularly also.

Eh? The Boleyn is by no means the ugliest football ground in the country, have you seen Middlesborough's ground? or The Reebok, with it's big hole in one end? Or worst of all, Derby's shed on a derelict industrial estate? It's far less offensive than most of the brand new grounds

Taking one of your more coherent points, the walk along the Lea from Tottenham Hale to Victoria Park is decent. Once you clear South Tottenham anyway. The Middlesex Filter Beds (like some Ballardian fantasy according to Luka),look more like disused filter beds to me and are a mini walk in themselves. There's a lack of pubs along the way and the ones you do pass aren't the greatest in the east end, but once at Victoria Park, you are back in latte territory.

I don't like that bit between Vauxhall and Battersea much

I think the original comment from the other thread was mine. It would probably not be first choice if you were choosing ONE Thames walk but I still like it. The bit just west of Vauxhall Bridge isn't that interesting admittedly but I like the waste disposal plant in Cringle Street and the jetty where you can see barges being loaded up with waste to be taken down the Thames. There are some interesting crumbling industrial buildings around Cringle Street as well (some evidently threatened by the Power Station redevelopment) and of course the Power Station shell itself (although you have to leave the riverside shortly after the waste plant and make your way past the Dogs Home to Queenstown Road and Chelsea Bridge). From there you could cross over and return to Vauxhall on the other side, passing the Dolphin Court apartment block, or continue on through the park to Albert Bridge, which is nice, cross there and similarly return
on the opposite side. The section east of Vauxhall Bridge is good as well - the MI6 building and Alembic House (featured in Lights Out For The Territory - the Jeffrey Archer section) plus great views of the Tate Gallery, Millbank Tower and Parliament on the opposite bank and the Power Station away to the south west.

Exiting the tube at Goodge St (TCR was closed), we made for Bloomsbury Way via Bedford Sq, Bloomsbury St., Great Russell St. and Museum St. until we came across St. George's Bloomsbury. The grandeur of the building was somewhat reduced by the portico being covered in scaffolding. I got a couple of shots of the funky spire/pyramid and some DANGER! signs before we moved on.

The walk then took us through High Holborn and into Lincoln's Inn Fields where we stopped to look at the bizarre antiquities grab-bag of Sir John Soane's Museum. Then on to Fleet Street where we stopped for a restorative pint at the Cheshire Cheese. The danger here, of course, was that once we started on the Ayingerbrau, ruin would take over and the schedule would fall to pieces. Luckily, the pub shut.

We carried on along Fleet Street and Ludgate Hill until we reached a scaffolding and plastic covered St. Paul's. Liz noted that it looked rather like one of Christo's wrapped buildings. We lunched on baked goods from the new Marks & Sparks, took photos of cranes and moved on.

Cannon St and Queen Victoria St led us up to our second Hawksmoor Church: St Mary Woolnoth. Happily, this least church-like of the churches en route was free of scaffolding. The twin towers that topped off the narrow building are superb but I dislike the rusticated blocks surrounding the main door.

We enjoyed the weekend ghost-town of the City for a while. Wandering through the empty Leadenhall market, round the big-budget Dr. Who set of Lloyds and on to St. Mary Axe to get a good look at the Erotic Gherkin. Seeing the big steel & glass cigar close-up finally settled the burning question of how the building's windows are cleaned - there's a great big ring round the top to hold the cradles!

On to Aldgate via Mitre street. We fought a confusing subway system and a closed shopping centre to find our way up Whitechapel as far as Commercial St. where we could see the huge spire of Christ Church Spitalfields waiting for us. We found the building also undergoing renovation. The supposed looming menace of the building and its shadowy portico was tempered a bit by the sunny weather.

We continued our journey through Fournier St., wandering which of the houses belonged to Gilbert & George. After enjoying the various spicy Brick Lane smells, we reached Commercial Road.

At this point we deviated from the schedule. Realizing we were too lazy to hoof all the way down to St. Anne's, we turned into Cannon Street Rd. and eventually reached St. George's-in-the-East. I love this Church. The white pepperpot towers looked fantastic against the blue sky. The whole building sat in utterly serene contrast to the surrounding East End murk.

Our feet now properly aching, we started back along Cable St., past Hawksmoor Mansions, to Shadwell station. Here, we ended our walk, boarded and DLR and set off to NEW ADVENTURES!

(actually we bimbled round the Isle of Dogs for a bit, then headed up to Islington to see Spirited Away)

19 bus to Angel to get film, then continuing via 55 up to Lea Bridge Road, walk down Chatsworth and Powerscroft roads, which had some really nice houses, quite surprised, mary remarked like san francisco. through Clapton Passage and past mark s' abode and through Clapton Square and down into Hackney Central, then along Graham Road, with slight detour into Fassett Square to see the square that was the inspiration for albert sq in eastenders, then onto Ridley Road market, Dalston.

from Dalston Junction, down Kingsland Road as far as faulkners fish and chips, the most upscale fish and chip shop in the world? something incongruous about it really. then east along Haggerston Road, Livermere Road and Shrubland Road to London Fields, quite a mix of houses, some really nice little terraces here, interspersed with council blocks, interesting mix. rest at London Fields, then through onto Mare St to get a bus. bus comes quickly and we end up on a D6 instead of a 106, so, south to Bethnal Green, then east along Roman Road through Globe Town, then south down Grove Road to Mile End, and then continuing along Burdett Road to Limehouse.

then we change buses and head west on a 15 to Whitechapel, passing the Limehouse church (Hawksmoor), which mary says is like disneyland (?) and limehouse basin, new and old, in (dis)harmony. along Commercial Road, and then get off in Stepney, walking up Cavell St to Whitechapel tube station, where we see the market, the blind beggar pub (gentrified into submission), and morrissey landmark The Grave Maurice (not gentrified). then vallance rd, hanbury st and princelet st to Brick Lane, and fournier st onto spitalfields. Looked at the Ten Bells pub, looked very gentrified but strangely rather nice, another hawksmoor on commercial rd, then over into the (closing up) spitalfields market...

Over to Liverpool st, then up to great eastern rd and curtain road shoreditch, where we stop for coffee and a rest, before crossing old st into Hoxton, where we go to the hoxton boutique and see the damien hirst little girl sculpture in hoxton sq

a 55 to clerkenwell, a korean restaurant, and then to calthorpe arms on grays inn road for the fap...

a 19 in the other direction through central london and the west end as far as Sloane Square.

We get out and look at some shops and then walk down kings road, i explain what a sloane ranger is, the shops are ok but not of any great interest, mary has been before we realise. We walk as far as oakley st before heading south over albert bridge. there is a strange message on the bridge which says that troops most walk in single file across the bridge. on the south side we walk east through battersea park, the thames looks gentle and nice, sun glinting, it is rather like dc, we walk past the peace pagoda, which i have never seen before, or even heard about. at chelsea bridge we walk back over the thames and to the north side, and get good views of battersea power station. east through pimlico, along grosvenor road. Pimlico is an odd place, who lives here? there are many blocks and flats here which dont look upscale, but iev never met anyone who lives here before.

At Vauxhall bridge we turn south back over the thames, with a brief stop to look at the spring gardens, it is a piece of burnt rough grass. then we get a 322 down through stockwell to brixton. we walk along the high st and back, mary gets called a freak. brixton feels like there is an edge, it is somehow different to other areas that should have such an edge but don't. i havent been to brixton in ages, i'm not sure i like it really. perhaps it is because i am south of the river again. we get a 345 through camberwell to peckham. it is early evening sunlight and peckham feels nice, we see the library, which i havent had a chance to see before. ive only been through peckham before, never stopped, i prefer it to brixton.

we get a 177 through new cross and deptford to greenwich. on the way we pass the montague arms, is this the place where the mooted se london fap is to take place? we dont really have time to do much in greenwich, so we look at the thames for a while, then get the DLR up through docklands to Bank. now it is dark. we walk along cheapside as far as st pauls and environs, before taking a 76 up to the vietnamese restaurant on englefield rd, de beauvoir town, or is it islington, or is it kingsland? the food is good, the place is an ex-public baths, i shall eat here again.

the 243 takes us back, to much needed sleep

a late start, and, after much to-ing and fro-ing through covent garden, soho and carnaby st, we get a bus to notting hill, examine the 2nd hand bookstore, where mary purchases a book (ballard?) then walk along pembridge road and portobello road up to ladbroke grove. it is the same as i remember it from the last time i was here, i dont like it so much, though there was a serbian cultural centre, which was of some interest. then a hammersmith&city line tube east, the tube, as stevem says, running parallel with the westway, but this isnt the edward platt/leadville tour. engineering works, so we only get as far as paddington before having to take a bus west as far as great portland st, then a C2 north through camden, kentish town and gospel oak to parliament fields, and a 210 to the crest of the hill, highgate village, mary says mock-americana. i like highgate, it feels rich but somehow, not oppressively so, a relaxedness about it maybe...

dusk, we walk down through waterlow park, there is fear that the gates may close before we are able to make our exit, but we manage it, leaving at 7.35. gates close at 7.40. We exit at swains lane, where we are able to see the cemetary gates, ominous, imposing, strangely central european, then some private residences that appear to be their own self contained villages. Swaines Lane eventually emerges from the gloom back at parliament fields, where we get another C2 back to gt portland st, where we walk west to drummond st, euston for indian food.

nightime, and a bus south to waterloo bridge, we get off at the southbank and walk north to get nighttime thames views. as we look east to blackfriars we see a chinese paper dragon and fireworks making its way slowly across the bridge, what could it be?

we walk east along the victoria embankment to blackfriars to find out, but by the time we get there the dragon is gone, there is only confetti and people in events and organisation t-shirts, and police motorcyclists, we head back along bride st, but we dont see hopkinstims church. back past another sainsburys, and sleep...

This was put there as back in the day the constructors were scared that a column of troops all marching in time would destroy the bridge with the resonation, so they were told to march out of time, to prevent this from hapening.

(I said that Highgate Vilage was like an American interpretation England. More Disneyland.)

The dragon was because of the Mayor's London festival, I think it went on the next night too.

I bought Concrete Island -- more study.

we would stroll for the joy of it, aye

oh, and it was I'm guessing about 35 miles maybe?

a marathon is 26 miles, for reference

that did not occur to me once

:P

this would look more impressive if drawn on a map

still 15-18 is about the scale of every other really long walk I've taken, so if you do that regularly it probably balances itself out

yeah but what was ur pace lj

at first, forthright, later a rapid hobble, then jogged the last half-mile in a desperate and narrowly vain attempt to beat midnight

if you're going to walk for distance sake why not just hammer a nail into your face for pain's sake

^^^ doesn't 'get it'

Ronan, check out my Facebook photos in about half an hour - they may help you understand

but yeah jeez you feel like king of the world when it's over - an amazing way to fulfil yrself imo

well if it's about seeing things then not about how long the walk was surely...

it's a combination of learning the city and conquering it, really - the art of the flaneur

I set out with goals in mind and had I not fulfilled them, the achievement would have been spoilt.

also can I spell out my route in brazen simplicity?

cockfosters -> wembley stadium -> beckton -> charlton -> lee

the only time foot was relinquished was to cross the Thames between King George V station and Woolwich Arsenal station on the DLR

wtf u cant swim

lj come to nyc and we'll have a 5 borough day

when I have any money at all I shall do that

oh yeah - this is the sort of fun that costs like 5 quid total and that was mostly on getting to C'fosters in the first place - great way to spend one's penury...I packed an Oyster Card, spent about 3 quid on it, and brought 2 quid for drinks, nothing else

fuck i paid 65 quid to do a half marathon where i live last month. i probably have landowner's fuckin rights to most of where i was navigating. feel ripped off now

i probably have landowner's fuckin rights to most of where i was navigating.

loooool oh you

where did you go between wembley and beckton

descended into kensal green then harlesden via harrow way but then turned right at the paddington tracks and wound up walking the entire length of portobello road, which was an eye-opener. having safely boosted my street-cred by 200 points i walked along bayswater road/oxford street until a little after tottenham court road, whereupon i wound my way down past the phoenix theatre to aldwych and then the strand. after a sizeable detour via the tower of london and st katharine's dock, i joined 'the highway' which was walked to its easter extremity, then i cut up to commercial road. continued to bear east along the motorway, before slipping right into canning town, then cutting through a few residential streets to reach victoria dock road. eventually i rejoined a motorway and with london city airport and some of the finest urban desolation i've seen to my right i continued forth until beckton simply happened

there are a few nice pictures - maybe i will post some. or you can facebook-add me!

1. well done for not getting rained on

2. how are the feet?

1. was rained on, briefly, right at the beginning and right at the end!

2. god DAMN.

I spent five years of weekends doing that sort of thing and am feeling a glow of pride for you right now. Never quite that epic, though - consider my topper doffed.

Well done for surviving E16 too - I thought my time had come on several occasions in that locality, most terrifyingly when cornered by a rottweiler outside the airport. I hope you did the walking-on-the-spot thing aboard the dlr to avoid entirely discrediting your day's effort?

If I ever have a free day in London again, LJ, you and I shall flân twixt Parliament Hill and Crystal Palace or Chesham and Bat & Ball, or some other route of suitable epicità.

Did Greenwich to London Bridge along the South Bank once, miles of soulless estates for both the poor and rich with the occasional surprising point of interest like a cool city farm and a German bombs surviving Georgian forecourt that had been converted into council flats. Then Rotherhithe and Bermondsey, both of which are nice.

Were you walking solo, Louis?

Did Greenwich to London Bridge along the South Bank once, miles of soulless estates for both the poor and rich with the occasional surprising point of interest like a cool city farm and a German bombs surviving Georgian forecourt that had been converted into council flats. Then Rotherhithe and Bermondsey, both of which are nice.

Were you walking solo, Louis?

Once did a fine walk from Little Venice marina along the canal to Southall, with CURRY at the end.

I hope you did the walking-on-the-spot thing aboard the dlr to avoid entirely discrediting your day's effort?

Fuck that, I enjoyed my sit-down, all 2 minutes of it (actually every time I tried to sit down and take a break I found myself unable to remain still for more than half a minute or so - the urge to carry on was overpowering)

Klata, a couple of already-made captions to my Facebook photos eerily echo stuff you've said! And I quote:

"At this point, my battery started to fail, so you have only this as a VERY mild taste of why the area south of King George V dock is probably the sketchiest place I have been to in Britain, bar none"

Absolutely fucking terrified me, did North Woolwich. Ridiculously intimidating murderhole of a place - amazed I wasn't at least accosted. Never, ever go there.

Also, I said this as my suggestion-garnering status:

" Think I can do better? OK, here's YOUR challenge. I have an Oyster Card. Tomorrow, I will travel to a London station, and make my way home thence. This is YOUR opportunity to send me TO A PLACE OF YOUR CHOICE! Best suggestion wins. N.B. 'Chesham' is not the best suggestion"

Chesham to Bat & Ball obviously has to happen now. It's too outlandish to refuse. And yes, I would be down for an accompanied walk! This one was entirely solo - only my camera for company. I had a fully-charged iPod Shuffle but never once felt like using it.

Oh, and a friend of mine linked this rather splendid article (penned by YOU KNOW WHO), pertinent to my wanderings: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/may/29/iain-sinclair-richard-mabey-rereading

Alas that I only discovered ILX after leaving London! Afraid I have no current plans for a visit, but will give you due notice next time I do.

You're not wrong about North Woolwich. My visits there were characterised by said rottweiler; a brawl breaking out mere feet from me as I passed a beer garden; sight of some ladies who looked like russian prostitutes with belts-for-skirts striking poses above me on a bridge and accompanied by extremely burly gents, meaning I had to stare at the ground as I passed for fear of somehow causing offence and being murdered. I had actually been thinking about moving to its eastern end at Gallions Reach, which would've been the single worst decision of my life.

The oddest thing is that the north side of the dock was/is so derelict as to be virtually wilderness - very strange to be wading through waist-high grass and picking over hedgerows, with only the odd boarded-up country house and chain-link fence to tell you there was once a city here.

I did actually flân to Chesham from I think Chorleywood exactly four years ago, which is pretty much wall-to-wall countryside and pleasant to boot. I know it was during the last world cup because I have a picture of myself in England garb (Owen 10) at Chalfont & Latimer station and recall chatting to some locals about England's game that day, which for some reason I didn't consider worth watching.

My practice was to walk routes between stations, which explains the photo. It becomes tricky only at the eastern ends of central and district lines, enabling me to once boast (if that's the right word) familiarity with every tube stop on the network.

My suggestion for tomorrow: Ickenham

My suggestion for tomorrow: Ickenham

My suggestion for tomorrow is that I'm playing in a football match so have no time for a long walk - also, the desire to retain the use of my legs is an issue - but I may do this at some stage! People have been volunteering for walks after seeing my pictures. Perhaps ILX should see them too:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2390616&;id=36910239&ref=mf

A few stations in there! Mostly DLR, but still. Also, PLENTY of the Docklands, especially the North side of London City Airport, which is glorious in its perfect isolation. An area of true austerity, one of the last few London locations thus imbued.

North Woolwich had me genuinely fearing for my life. There was a rave in this old-school dive called The Royal Oak that looked like it had started let alone ended in violence. Getting my camera out would have been, um, silly.

um let's link those photos again

Did a marathon walk last saturday, but not much of the dérive about it, a pretty conventional route along the river from Hampton Court to Waterloo. Still, plenty of variety - once you get past Wandsworth you get soulless and empty new waterfront builds interspersed with run-down industrial wastelands.

SW London is a fort I need to storm...

Nothing on Louis's epic scale, but some recent improvised walks:

Vauxhall > London Bridge > St Paul's > Whitechapel > Brick Lane > the fuzzy Shoreditch/Hoxton area > Dalston > Stoke Newington (and back)

Vauxhall > Battersea Park > Chelsea > Earl's Court > Warwick Road sort of area > Hammersmith > Shepherds Bush > Holland Park > Notting Hill

Vauxhall > Royal Festival Hall > Charing Cross > Brewer Street > BT Tower > Regents Park > Primrose Hill > Swiss Cottage > a bit of Hampstead > Finchley (and back)

I've been pretty much been doing this everyday all this week. And now I'm going to attempt to walk to the Whitechapel gallery from Paddington. Wish me luck.

Good luck !

I started used www.walkit.com - but it's more fun to use it as a rough guide (if at al) and improvise your own walk. You can use walk it to plot your own walks on the map afterwards (and wonder why burning up over 1000 calories doesn't seem to lead to any weight-loss whatsoever).

I also take a small digital camera to capture anything particularly interesting, or take visual 'notes'. Yesterday evening, for example, I captured a painting through art gallery window to remind me to investigate further at a later date. I also find having a camera makes you look at the scenery in a different way.

good new "dickens walk" in the guardian podcasts...

Not only did I succesfully walk there, I spent like 1/5-2 hours walking around Shoreditch after, then walked back. I think that's like 6k.

where are you living? we must catch up now you're over here, whether by fap or otherwise. maybe add me on fb?

I live just by Paddington Station (Uni residence). And sure! My fb account is Edw4rd B4c4| (de-googleproofed, obviously; or just look on the ILE page) for any and all people that care to add me.

Has anyone done this?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkland_Walk

It's lovely - started from Finsbury Park and after 10 minutes or so it gets really quiet, like walking through the countryside. Give or take the odd dog walker and a bunch of people studiously graffiti-ing a tunnel. Made it up to Highgate before it completely belted it down with rain and so decided to get home. But it'd be so nice to do on a sunny winters day.... Not long now.

Yeah, it's a charming bit of hidden wilderness, and very atmospheric, with the all remnants of the abandoned railway.

Vauxhall - along the river to London Bridge - across the river to Liverpool Street - Shoreditch - Kingsland Road - Stoke Newington - Highbury and Islington - Upper St - Angel - Kings Cross

(about 11.5 miles)

has anyone done the greenway (from hackney wick out east)?

i want to do it and while i'd be into an east east london wilderness vibe, for the sake of others i kind of want to know whether there might be any nice pubs en route. nice as in not racist, no st george's crosses etc

(last weekend did battersea to richmond along the river and it was really nice)

Thinking about doing Stoke Newington to Highgate this weekend. Along the New River Path as far as Alexandra Palace, then down the Parkland Walk from Muswell Hill, through the woods to Highgate. Any idea how long this will take, and where is good for food and beer on the way?

Battersea to Richmond along the river is also under consideration for the future, maybe going further and taking in Eel Pie Island.

Any particular recommendations for country walks within about an hour from London on the train?

I did the Balcombe Circular a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. Didn't get much more than exercise out of the Haslemere Circular this weekend but it was pleasant enough.

The Time Out guides are great but it would be good to know any favourites.

I had a v nice day pootling around the Rickmansworth aquadrome & then up the grand union canal yesterday, also quite good for birds if that's your thing

That looks lovely, thanks.