17/09/16 - The Jubilee Walkway Eastern Loop

Distance - 4.5 Miles
Geocaches - 9
Walk Inspiration
Pubs - Separate Blog

My daughter has booked me an experience for my birthday.  Much more thoughtful than socks, its a visit to the Shard Viewing Gallery.

This means my monthly weekend visit to the smoke will not be the usual long distance walk taking the day but a series of equally enjoyable events, concentrating on completing the Jubilee Walkway.

Shard booked at 1pm, so too early to start a 4ish mile walk when I arrive in Marylebone with half of Warwickshire who are here for the cricket.

A quick tube journey to the nearest location where the most previously unfound caches can be quickly knocked off.  There are 5 in Queens Park, so in a quick 40 minute blast, I have found the lot.

Things made slightly easier by a Buy One Get One Free offer.

Queens Park - Nice little place for caching

BOGOF

Hit the tubes, to get to London Bridge to start the walk proper.  Very handy for the Shard.

The Shard - Today's raison d'etre

If you want to see the sights of London - The Jubilee Walkway is for you.  There are actually five different walks that kind of interconnect.   This one is probably the most tourist pleasing, taking in a high number of London landmarks.

I take rather a lot of photos.  If you want to see them all, have a look at Ramblr.

These are the highlights.

SOUTH BANK - London Bridge to Tower Bridge

Have a fruitless hunt for a geocache by Hayes Galleria, which involves clambering down to the Thames shore and slopping around like a mudlark.  I was probably in completely the wrong location.

Pass HMS Belfast and City Hall - where I do find a TB Hotel geocache and drop off a TB that my German friends will be delighted to see is still in operation.  Das tut mer leid, for I have mostly been finding micros.

HMS Belfast and Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge, St Katharine's Dock, Tower of London and Skimming the City

Over Tower Bridge, where I accidentally get caught up in a Gorilla Marathon.  Streams of joggers are running for charity, dressed as gorillas.

Drop down and take a detour to get a Swan to Canary Cache near Traitors Gate and then retrace steps to go through the oasis of calm that is St Katharine's Docks - well worth a visit to get away from the gorillas.

Around the top of the Tower of London and skirt the edge of the City.  I have a choice to make, should I start the pubs early.  It was a tough choice to walk past the "Hung, Drawn and Quartered" but I abstained.  There is work to be done here later.

Tower Bridge from the South Side

St Katharine's Dock and a previously stayed at hotel

Edge of Tower of London

The City Looming over Tower Street

South Bank - Millennium Bridge to London Bridge

Turn left at St Pauls and cross possibly the most photogenic of the London Bridges, Millennium.

Along the South Bank, passing Shakespeare's workplace - the Globe - before hitting where he used to drink - detailed in a later blog.

Head into Borough Market, where the walk ends and all life can be found.

Last of the North Bank Walking

Millennium Bridge

The Globe

And just for the sake of completeness, here's the view of the Jubilee Walkway East on a grey murky day.

View from the Shard

20/01/16 - The Jubilee Walkway (Camden Loop)

Distance - 5 Miles
Geocaches - 2
Walk Inspiration
Pub - The Lamb, Lamb Conduit Street - Youngs Special

First trip to London in 2016 and a chance to continue with the Jubilee Walkway.  There are five legs on the TFL web site and I have to say they are getting very confusing.  There seems to be a lot of repetition between the stages.  In comparison to the Capital Ring and the London Loop, it has no goal or purpose.

Still, its better than looking at the inside of a hotel room.

Head to Holborn, up the American Werewolf escalators and spewed out into the hurly burly of Southampton Row.

Wait for a GPS signal behind the flower seller stall,

Around Lincoln Inn Fields for the first cache of the day and the relative calm of the back of the law courts.  Once again on the JW, walk past the Seven Stars on Carey Street.  There can be no repeat visit this time.

2nd Jubilee Walkway Visit to the Seven Stars.

Chancery Lane leads to a crossing of High Holborn and Theobolds Road and into possibly my favourite London Street - Lamb Conduit Street.

Why do I like it so much?  It has a fine Italian restaurant next door to the Lamb.  Like all good London Pubs, Charles Dickens was meant to have drunk there.  I need to check out if the Victorian vanity screens are still in place above the bar and can gladly report that everything as remembered.

Screens to Stop the bar staff from commenting who the gentlemen were entertaining

Prime Victorian London Boozer

Bloomsbury is probably the part of London that I know the best, so all the sights and streets are very familiar - even if I don't get down as often as I used to.

A circuit of the British Museum (in daylight, the walk recommends walking through the middle) and a final Virtual Geocache on Gower Street.

British Museum (north side)

At Oxford Street, I am meant to head back to Holborn Tube but the night is young and the city is calling.

Once again, I head off to see if the Coach and Horses is still intact.  It is and it's as gloriously grim as ever.  I also forgot it was Wednesday and the painfully annoying knees up on the out of tune piano.

I leg it when they come with the collection.  I am not paying for the ambiance to be ruined.

Coach and Horses, Soho - Avoid Wednesdays

Can't take the bustle and the noise and the fact that there is no real ale on, so I head out to investigate a pub that I have been reading a lot of recently, the French House.

Even if they only serve halves.

No Dickens references here but I know that Dylan Thomas left a manuscript of Under Milk Wood in the bar.

Flying Visit to the pub formerly known as the "York Minster"

Investigations made, I head back for the Piccadilly line at the Circus.

Down Shaftesbury Avenue 

To Piccadilly Circus

A last look at Regent Street before disappearing underground

One final leg of the Jubilee Walkway.  I will complete it, simply to say that I have.

20/08/15 - Jubilee Walkway - The Jubilee Loop

Distance - 4.7 Miles
Geocaches - 3
Walk Inspiration - The Jubilee Loop
Pub - Coach and Horses, Soho - Chiswick Bitter



A trip to the smoke for work cannot be complete unless I indulge in a touch of Bleisure - the combination of Business and Leisure.  Rather than catching the tube straight back to Euston, I grab a couple of "south of the water" caches, cross the River, complete stage 3/5 of the Jubilee Way and ensure the gentrification of Soho is not totally complete.

Three micro caches to grab - one guarded by an ice-cream man at Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park, one on Westminster Bridge Road and the final one in the shadow of the London Eye.

Over the river at Westminster to pick up the Jubilee Loop on a fairly pointless circle of St James Park.  Still, a fair few sights to take in - so I'll let the photos tell the story.

London Eye from Westminster Bridge

House of Parliament

Follow Birdcage Walk along the Southern Edge of St James Park

To Buckingham Palace at Western End

Through Admiralty Arch at the Eastern End

Into Trafalgar Square

To the National Gallery

Then it's onto refreshment.  In response the news reports of the "Gentrification" of Soho, I have been reading Daniel Farson's "Soho in the Fifties".  One place that has always avoided any sort of cleaning up is the Coach and Horses at the corner of Romilly Street and Greek Street.

I discovered it when I was reading a lot of Derek Raymond books - all set in a fictional police station in nearby Poland Street.  This pub was his local.  Along with other legendary boozers such as Peter O'Toole and Jeffry Bernard.

Quiet in the early afternoon and pleased to say its as gloriously grim as always.

Some business people came in and ordered a bottle of red wine - only to be told that "A corkscrew could not be found".  They headed off elsewhere.

Norman Balon - the legendary previous owner and self named "Rudest Landlord in Britain" - would have been proud.

Reserved for O'Toole, Bernard and Raymond

09/03/15 - Jubilee Walkway - Western Loop - The Sights by Night

Distance - 6.5 Miles
Geocaches - 3
Walk Inspiration - Jubilee Walkway Western Loop


Find myself working in the smoke, so a chance to complete the next part of the Jubilee Walkway.

The Western Loop is the longest, at just over 6 miles, and the easiest tube route drops me at the door of the Salisbury in St Martin's Lane.  I have been wanting to visit this pub since Ian Nairn, in his 1960's guide to London Architecture, described it as "West End Glamour, with all the Stops out".  It hasn't changed from his 50 year old description and its pleasing that the Art Deco lamps are still in situ.

So Tea before walking.

New Favourite West End Pub

Can't see the Lamps, but lovely views all the same

Onto the walk - Simply follow the Silver Globes embedded in the pavement.

No point in describing it.  The pictures tell a thousand words.  Just look both ways when crossing the roads.  And don't be scared to use your torch for Geocache hunting.  No one cares in the City.

New Art Installation at Trafalgar Square - The Horse Skeleton

Nelson's Column, with a finely hidden Geocache.  Watch for Muggles.

Horse Guard Parade - and I fancied a go as well

8pm Traffic Jam at Admiralty Arch

Across St James Park for First Views of Big Ben and London Eye

Down Millbank and over Lambeth Bridge

Cache number 2 coming up

A stretch along the South Bank to one of the best located pubs in London - Founders Arms

Heaters meant March Outdoor Sitting

Millennium Bridge - My Favourite View of London

Downstream to Tower Bridge and the Shard

St Paul's Cathedral

Down Ludgate Hill to the Strand and a pub I would not normally walk on by

But I know the Seven Stars in Carey Street is coming up - 1602 and one of the few buildings to survive the great fire

Remember to close the door or Mr Ruff will escape

Pass Lincoln Inn's Fields and back to the West End and Covent Garden

Two Jubilee loops down, three to go.

06/01/14 - Jubilee Walkway - The City Loop

Distance - 1.8 Miles
Walk Inspiration

London... so well known to me, yet always throwing up surprises. My recent trips (for the last 5 years) have mainly been taken up with the Capital Ring and the London Loop. Both long distance paths, getting myself into the suburbs.

It's time to get re-acquainted with the tourist hot spots.  And there's just the path for me.  The Jubilee Way.  It's only 15 miles in length and seems to be in a series of 5 individual walks.

The one in the City is only 1.8 Miles.  Time that it can be easily be completed in a lunch hour. Especially when I am working in the heart of it.

And I am not going to let a little bit of rain get in the way.

According to the guides, navigation for the walk is meant to be through pavement mounted disks - silver in the main, gold when there is something of historical interest.  I have stumbled upon them in the past.  Today, I find only two.  Good job I know where I am going.

Follow the direction that the cross is pointing

I am in an office near St Pauls, so its from there that I will start.  A view that I never tire of seeing.

Defied the Luftwaffe for Mappiman's viewing pleasure

Down Goldman's Street to Victoria Street, with the occasional view of the Thames.  Distant views of the Bank of England, the Gherkin and the Cheese Grater in London's ever evolving vista.

Only Colour is the Traffic Lights

The official start for this leg is 1 Poultry and I spend a couple of moments looking for the notice board and the Gold Disc.  Find nothing.

King Street takes me up to the Guildhall.  I only stumbled on this at the end of last year whilst taking a lunch time bimble and now this is the 3rd time I have been back.  Impressive courtyard for lunch on a warmer day than today.  One day, I really must pop inside.

Guildhall - Behind St Lawrence Church

My Mosaic Escape from the Courtyard

Now if I was devising a walk of the City of London, I would have taken in far more of the hidden alleys that permeate the City.  This walk only takes us down one - Mason's Avenue.  Its not bad, as they go, as it contains a pub.  It never fails to amaze me how many city types escape to these places.  They are always full in office hours.

Pint and a Ciggie before I invest your Pension

The Barbican is the next stage of the walk and an area that is new to me.  I am walking in the air.  Literally.  The area was extensively bombed in the war and hideously rebuilt afterwards.  What I didn't realise until today is that many of the walkways are in the buildings themselves.  So after a look at the Roman London Wall, I am up in the sky, looking down on London as I make my way to the British Museum.

Roman London

Sy Giles Cripplegate Church from a Barbican Walkway

Delivered on terra firma at Wood Street, I make my way past the museum and down Martin's Le Grande to be delivered at the back of St Pauls and back to the office.

No time for a haircut - need to find Greggs

A fine investment of 40 minutes of my time.