Lunchtime stroll

My usual lunch break consists of a walk of all of 50m to either Pret or EAT and then back again but occasionally the schedule and the weather permit me to stretch my legs a little bit more and to explore the mean streets and parks of Victoria.

I like the ordered streets of tidy mansion blocks, cottages and mansions to the south towards the river but today I headed north for the open spaces of St James' Park.

While the streets around Victoria are clogged with office fodder squeezing lunchtime errands into tight schedules the area around St James is full of tourists leisurely ticking Buckingham Palace and Horse Guards Parade off their to-do lists.

I'm slightly impressed that somebody managed to convince so many of them to visit London in February. I think I'd rather be where most of them come from.

The first defining feature of the park is the large lake that conveniently creates a circular route for those of us looking for exercise rather than memories. The bridge across it offers a figure of 8 route with long views towards both Buckingham Palace and the EDF Energy London Eye.

The other defining feature is the pod of pelicans that live on an island in the lake. You can see one of them here.