(For Full Day Riverside Walks See Full Days/Longer Walks)

BANKSIDE – FROM BLACKFRIARS TO BOROUGH MARKET
Starting at Blackfriars – a walk along the North bank to cross the Millennium Bridge then on the South bank – with great views of the city, pass Tate Modern, Shakespeare’s Globe, Southwark Cathedral. Afterwards shop/lunch in Borough market (Thurs-Sat).

THE OPEN WATER AND GREEN SPACES OF CANARY WHARF
If you associate Canary Wharf with a jungle of glass, steel and concrete – think again.  The open stretches of water give a feeling of air and space between the buildings.  This walk covers the history of the area, with lots of visual aids to show the sheer scale of the 19c docks. But its emphasis in on the open waters and imaginative landscaping of its green spaces, the most impressive of which is 300m long Crossrail Station Roof garden.

DOCKLANDS – BOOM AND BUST – Riverside walk St Katharine’s Dock to Canary Wharf
The London Docks once the world’s largest trading port, is now reborn in 21st century Canary Wharf as a leading world centre in trading money. The walk passes through the old villages of Wapping and Limehouse and ends at Canary Wharf. Return by boat (3hrs +).

GEORGIAN RIVERSIDE – HAMMERSMITH TO KEW via Chiswick House Grounds (6m.) ‘More walk less talk’
A stretch of the Thames lined by grand Georgian houses with pretty riverside gardens. Pass William Morris’s Kelmscott press, Chiswick church with Hogarth’s grave. Cut away from the river to pass Chiswick House, a Palladian villa in classical grounds. Rejoin the river along the picturesque Strand-on-the-Green.Walk ends by Kew gardens (4hrs) (NB Can be a full day with more time to stop and look, and incl. pub lunch).

LONDON’S LOST RIVERS (Half day walks)
See Full Day/Longer walks for full route of the Fleet, Tyburn, Westbourne, and ‘New’ Rivers

  • TYBURN RIVER Through Marylebone and Mayfair – The Tyburn River rises in Hampstead flows (now through the sewers) under Marylebone, Mayfair, and into the Thames at Pimlico.. We will follow part of the river’s course, strictly above ground through 2 of London’s most elegant and fascinating areas.  The layout of those areas, their history and their land-ownership are directly related to the course of the river.
  • THE WALBROOK (3hrs) - It is the shortest but arguably the most important of London’s ‘Lost Rivers’, as it formed the heart of Roman ‘Londinium’.  A walk of great contrast between the vibrant, youthful area of Shoreditch and the serious money-making pulse of the City. It passes Shakespeare’s original playhouse, foundations of which have been recently discovered and the location of 2 major archaeological digs, Liverpool St. Crossrail and the Walbrook. These are shedding new light on London’s history.
  • THE WESTBOURNE -  Hampstead – Hyde Park  (approx 5m.) - A walk from Hampstead to Bayswater. Rising on Hampstead Heath the Westbourne flows (underground) down through West Hampstead, Kilburn, Paddington and Bayswater.  It is a truly varied walk where you will see the influence of the river on its adjacent areas. This walks ends at a gastro pub nr. Hyde Park (approx 4hrs including coffee stop).
  • THE WESTBOURNE – Bayswater (Royal Oak) to Chelsea Embankment (approx 4m.) - A walk from Bayswater to Chelsea  Rising on Hampstead Heath The Westbourne flows (underground) from Bayswater into Hyde Park where the row of marshy ponds were converted into the Serpentine.  The route then weaves through Knightsbridge and the elegant streets of Chelsea to end on Chelsea Bridge where, if the tide is low, you can see its outlet into the Thames (approx 3 hrs).

    • LONDON’S NEW ‘FAR EAST’ – THE ROYAL DOCKS AND SILVERTOWN
    The massive expanse of the Royal Docks is being transformed into major residential areas (Royal Victoria Dock and Silvertown) and into London’s 3rd financial centre  – the Chinese-funded £1.7bn Asian Business Park. (Royal Albert Dock). The first 2hrs we explore Victoria Dock and take the DLR to/from the Asian Business Park (Walk can end here). Then we cross the dock to explore Silvertown via a high walkway (NB not suitable for vertigo sufferers or those who can’t do stairs) to explore the regeneration along the riverside. The walk ends at Thames Barrier Park with its great views of the Barrier and imaginatively landscaped park. Both walks cover both the history, with visual aids, as well as future plans (3 ½ hrs). Can be done as 2 separate walks.  Silvertown as separate walk can be accessed avoiding high walkway.

    THE ILLUMINATED RIVER
    An evening riverside walk to look at the first 4 bridges to be illuminated as part of a major new public art project ‘The Illuminated River’.  The first bridges, Southwark, Cannon Street,  London Bridge and the Millennium Bridge have been imaginatively illuminated. Eventually it is planned to illuminate 15 bridges from Albert to Tower Bridge.  Floodlighting enhances aspects of buildings you never see by day so we will look at other buildings along the way in literally ‘a new light’ (can be combined with supper nr. London Bridge).

    THE REGENTS CANAL
    1. From Paddington to Camden Lock or Islington
    2. From Camden Lock or Islington to Limehouse (or vice versa)
    3. Full length – 11 miles, full day
    Built in 1820’s to link the Grand Union Canal to the booming docklands on the Thames, it now provides a varied canal-side walk.
    Part 1. Paddington Basin, Little Venice, elegant villas of Regents Park, Camden Lock and then on roads through to Islington. Part 2. More industrial but fast changing, past Victoria Park (East End’s Hyde Park) to the Limehouse Basin in Docklands.

    RIVERSIDE VISTAS – ROTHERHITHE to SOUTHWARK (more walk less talk)
    A 3+ mile walk along the Thames on the South side from the maritime village of Rotherhithe, which we will briefly explore.  The walk will then follow the river path past Jacobs island, immortalised in Oliver Twist continuing along Butlers Wharf. Crossing under Tower Bridge, it passes City Hall to end at Southwark Cathedral. (great café!)  Wide views across the river to Wapping waterfront and to the City.  This is a brisk walk with brief stops, ideal for winter or for those who want more walk and less talk or both!

    THE UNSUNG ENGINEERS OF RIVERSIDE LONDON  Brunel and Bazalgette to Arup and the Thames ‘Super Sewer’ (2 ½ hrs)
    A walk along the river from Westminster to St. Paul’s with an engineering focus.  It crosses both new London footbridges and takes a closer look at the London Eye, Festival Hall, National Theatre, Tate Modern and progress on the new Thames ‘Super Sewer’, It also features the unseen great Victorian engineering achievements of Bazalgette’s London sewers, and the first underground railway in the world.

    WELLS, SPAS AND HIDDEN RIVERS – Angel Islington to Clerkenwell
    A walk with a watery theme, tracing the route of  ‘New River’, from Islington to the New River Head in Finsbury.  From Sadlers Wells the walk traces the hidden Fleet River and ends by exploring Clerkenwell.  A varied walk through Georgian Squares, past Victorian warehouses and social housing, fragments of medieval monasteries, and a notorious prison.

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