Vauxhall to Rotherhithe

Now entering the congestion charge zone, we were in central London proper. 

Straightaway, we were treated to the SIS building at Vauxhall Cross.  This is a grand piece of architecture viewed from far away, but, seen  close up, the modern interpretation of art deco style is even more impressive.

Having started late in the day, and with a daughter (later two) for company, we stopped at the Tamesis Dock floating pub for refreshment, then continued. After passing Westminster Bridge, we had to remind ourselves we were still on the Thames Path. On a summer Saturday afternoon this was choc-a-bloc with tourists,  with even a one-way system for walkers at one point. Needless to say, the Thames Path was not the object of their tours.

Throngs of people continued all the way along to Tower Bridge. At Blackfriars we discovered there is one railway station even closer to the Thames Path than Barnes Bridge.

After Tower Bridge, once again we were in the milieu of new developments, but in this eastern area a little more respectful of the local style.  Maggie Blake's Cause commemorates a local resident who fought successfully to continue riverside access to the public as these developments were built. Now the Thames Path follows this alley named after her.

Towards Rotherhithe, the new developments give way to more ordinary housing and once again we were among locals who actually live by the river. We stopped at the Angel, a pub we have visited once before, and were glad to be back. It has a sign saying the windows should be closed when the tide is in.

We have passed through central London: the river here is almost the sea. We are nearly finished.

Barnes Bridge to Vauxhall

Friday was not much warmer than Thursday in London, just a little calmer. We were still on the boat-race stretch, with evidence all the way to Putney as crews in training passed us on the river in each direction. There was also a lot of boating coming and going on the land. We passed Boat Race landmarks: the Leg o'Mutton (which we couldn't see for the trees), Hammersmith Bridge and the Harrods Furniture Repository.

Hammersmith Bridge (pictured) is probably the blingiest of the Victorian bridges. We liked it.

Beverley Brook (also familiar to us as a character in the Peter Grant series) joined us just before Putney.

After passing Putney, the path changed completely: it was now truly urban. Since arriving in Greater London, the path underfoot had generally been metalled with some sort of chippings. But once we passed Putney, we were always walking on a hard surface: tarmac, concrete or paving. Where we encountered green areas - as in Wandsworth Park - this was formal planting, not the sort of semi-wild random growth were had seen along the riverside from Teddington. 

What the guidebook describes as "one of the path's less attractive diversions" at the mouth of the Wandle, reminded us, as we passed a recycling centre and sundry industry, that we were now in the middle of the metropolis.

Passing along the Wandsworth and Battersea banks, there were cranes eeverywhere and swanky new flats going up. We were, however, struck by by how quiet this area was in terms of human activity: whereas earlier in the day we had been accompanied by joggers, baby-walkers and dog-walkers, along here it seemed very few people actually live here. This is a sorry story.

Lunch was taken at the Prince Albert a good break after having completed most of our walk for the day, followed by an ice-cream from La Gondola al Parco in Battersea Park (a proper Italian place in an Art Deco building).

As we approached Vauxhall, the river continued to widen and we began to see landmarks of central London ahead.

Teddington to Barnes Bridge

From Teddington, the path splits, with one on each bank. We thought initially to do the shorter of the two on each leg, and then realised that this would take us on the South Bank every time. Why, when the river curves both ways? Because the north bank is (generally) more developed, which means more diversions around riparian properties. This means the south bank is more of a riverside walk, and so confirmed our choice as the better option.

Twists and turns in the river mean that at Teddington (and a few other places), the south bank is, in fact, north of the river, but we knew what we were doing.

An old friend with considerable local knowledge met us at Teddington station (pictured) on Thursday. It was unseasonably cold in London for June - possibly the coldest day we've had on the whole walk.

The stroll along to Richmond was pleasant enough, along a wooded former towpath. Just before Richmond, our local guide took us just off the Thames Path, along River Lane, the cafe at Petersham Nurseries. We would never have found this ourselves, and it's not in the giuidebook, but a lovely stop-off with home-made cake to have with our teas and coffees. We firmly commend this place to Thames Path walkers.

A breezy walk around Richmond Deer Park was surprisingly green on both sides of the river, considering how close we were to central London. Later, the Brent river and the Grand Union Canal joined on the opposite bank. At Kew we stopped at the Greyhound, apparently a pub from the outside, but more like a restaurant inside, so much so that ordering drinks at the bar wasn't welcomed.

It wasn't far after that to Mortlake - beginning the Boat Race part of the walk - then Barnes Bridge. As we had company and still needed to catch up on old times, another tea break was called for  - this time at Orange Pekoe. We left from Barnes Bridge station, remarking that this was the closest station to the Thames Path that we had seen anywhere from the source.