Putney to Tower Bridge. 9.5 miles (15.0km)

This was a big day for the two of us. Walking into and through our capital, a capital that relied so heavily on ‘our’ river, was quite an impact on the two of us. It almost felt a finale, but there is one day to follow.

Another hot day is forecast, but we are less concerned with that as we are targeting the more shaded South side. Our lovely quiet parks, complete with parakeets, changed to increasingly busy paths.

A helicopter flew low over our heads. Not an unusual sight in the skies above London, but it flew down to land Thames side. I was a little surprised to find we were passing London’s only heliport, I didn’t even know there was one. It was pretty busy, and I don’t know how the residents and office workers around here put up with the racket

I used to work in London, but even the most closeted of individuals is probably aware of how long it took for the development of Battersea Power Station to be completed. Umms and ahhs, failed consortiums and projects, Red Bull events held in its shadow, its irreparable iconic chimneys dismantled to have fibre glass replicas installed. I wasn’t even aware that you can walk inside, but we did. I am not often impressed with expensive modern architectural, cultural and commercial developments. But confess to being suitably wowed by what we found there.

There were simply too many sights, buildings, statues, monuments and memorials on this section to add here. Typically, now into the city, signposting and route finding occasionally wasn’t always the simplest. Particularly with a couple of awkward diversions.

I was pleased to reach Tower Bridge. I had commuted to and worked in London for thirty years and was very familiar with this landmark structure. One of my fondest memories are the days that my uncle had invited his teenage nephew to stay with him for a few days in the 1970s. He was a Tugmaster with the Alexandra Towing Company and I found it fascinating, noisy and in truth, a little scary at times, to be on board his tug, Sun Two if I remember correctly. We moored downstream of central London but were called up early morning to move one of the Tall Ships moored by Tower Bridge. It had developed a 15 degree list overnight as the tide went out and we towed it beneath the opened bridge. There was doubt that it would clear it and a young sailor was sent to the very top of the mast to shout down the clearance, it was just six inches that I recall.

Lunch was al fresco, beside some little pavement fountains that delighted little girls. We found a co-op that provided the makings of a decent meal. I refrained from also buying a brew as we were so in advance of ETA that a couple of pubstops might have been made prior to leaving trail for the day.

This section in particular, is one of the reasons why it made sense for the two of us to walk this trail using a baggage company. I think I would have really struggled to wildcamp in and around London. Walking from accommodation to accommodation is almost a necessity, and using Contours to arrange everything simply removed the hassle of booking individual nights. Tonight’s halt at Tower Bridge is a classic example, I cannot see me pitching my Duplex anywhere round here. Instead, we are staying at The Buxton, on the other side of the river to our trail. The menu had looked good online and we had reserved a table. The Buxton has been shortlisted as one of the best bistros in the world, even the breakfast looked like it might excite the palate of someone just a bit jaded with continual breakfast

We were offered a small ‘poser’ table, or two lone seats at the bar, watching chef prepping our meal. We chose the latter. Focacia and decent olive oil as a starter, Mission Control chose the Hake, I had the Bavette to follow Both were… excellent, (there may have been another course). I shall draw a veil over how much we spent on food and drink, but it was worth it, and not the most expensive this week. Not hiker food by any account, but, have I mentioned, I’m on holiday!

The Thames Path- National Trail

• The Thames Path
• The Thames Path: Kemble to Cricklade
• The Thames Path: Cricklade to Lechlade
• The Thames Path: Lechlade to Tadpole Bridge
• The Thames Path: Tadpole Bridge to Bablock Hythe
• The Thames Path: Bablock Hythe to Osney Bridge, Oxford
• The Thames Path: Osney Bridge, Oxford to Abingdon
• The Thames Path: Abingdon to Shillingford/Warborough
• The Thames Path: Shillingford/Warborough to Goring
• The Thames Path: Goring to Sonning
• The Thames Path: Sonning to Marlow
• The Thames Path: Marlow to Windsor
• The Thames Path: Windsor to Chertsey
• The Thames Path: Chertsey to Hampton Wick/Kingston-on-Thames
• The Thames Path: Hampton Wick/Kingston-on-Thames to Putney
• The Thames Path: Putney to Tower Bridge
• The Thames Path: Tower Bridge to Woolwich Foot Tunnel