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Thames
Path: stage 2 - Tower Bridge to Putney |
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25 March 2006 started brighter than the forecast had
predicted, and I headed by train and tube into London,
alighting at Tower Hill. I visited the Tower
of London with my school in about 1979 and would
like to go again, but this was as close as I was going
to get today. I had arranged to meet Tanya and Sue
at the Tate Modern, so needed to get a move on.
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Enroute
to the Tate Modern I passed the Globe
Theatre, somewhere we've been promising ourselves
to visit since it opened. I made it as far as
the foyer to collect a programme... Southwark Cathedral,
the Winchester Palace rose window and the Golden Hind
were all on my route to the rendezvous. Southwark Cathedral
is so hemmed in by buildings, it was impossible to photograph. |
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I
met up with Tanya and her two year old daughter Natalie
and Sue with one year old Thomas at the Tate. Many
years ago, Sue, Tanya and I had worked together at
BT - much has changed since then.
Natalie
played hide and seek around the sugar-cubes,
and examined the (now) very steady Millenium
Bridge. Then we
headed off for hot drinks and pastries at the OXO
cafe. Natalie enjoyed the cream from the hot chocolate
and the pastries were great.
We
had originally planned to get only as far as the Southbank
Centre, but Natalie was in good form, and despite
kissing all the ducks on the benches along the river
we made it to Lambeth for lunch at the Museum
of Garden History.
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We
had a choice of five different vegetarian soups at lunchtime,
at a very reasonable price. Thomas had a good go at
the soup, finishing with some apple gloop. By now Natalie
was quite tired, so Tanya and Natalie headed for home.
I hadn't seen Tanya for about 8 years, so it was great
to catch up. |
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Morning
break at the OXO Tower
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Lunch
time in Lambeth
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Sue and I carried on, stopping for a tea and a swing
in Battersea Park, and a walk around the Buddhist Peace
Pagoda. Then it started to rain. I walked Sue and Thomas
to Clapham Junction, and then headed back to rejoin
the path around Wandsworth. If you are planning to walk
the Thames path and are looking for part of the walk
to avoid, it is the part around Wandsworth. The path
goes close to the river for stretches of only 10 metres
at a time, and then takes you away again past grimy
warehouses and rubbish dumps. With hindsight, it would
have been more interesting (and less eerie) to walk
through Wandsworth town centre |
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There
were times when it was easy to believe that I'd lost
the path altogether - no friendly river to guide me,
no signs and several junctions. And when a sign turned
up, it pointed away from where the river was.
At
last at Wandsworth the river again. It was raining
now, and I was wondering if I should have retreated
with Sue at Clapham Junction. But bright yellow daffodils
are cheering, even in the rain.
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I
remember Wandsworth Park from the few months I lived
in Putney, so knew I was near the end of the route.
With the rain and a growing blister I was relieved.
This
rather shaky image was taken for me by an exhausted
jogger, obviously unsteady of hand from his exertions,
but kind enough to stop for this mad, wet woman thusting
a camera at him.
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end of this stage was not as exciting as arriving at
Tower Bridge. As I walked over Putney rail bridge to
the tube station I looked back down the river - only
10% into the walk, and so many contrasts along the route. |
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