Walking to Embankment

I wanted to go for a longish walk today and made a late to decision to follow The Thames Path on the north bank for a change. I had been that way before but only once or twice whereas I go along the south bank a few times a year.

The only decision after that was where to hit The Thames and (for reasons) I chose a scenic route through Richmond Park before hitting the familiar Barnes Railway Bridge.

I was not sure how far I was going to walk, that would depend on things like the weather which held the possibility of rain, but I knew that once I got past the Fulham bend I would always be in easy reach of a District Line train home.

Another part of my basic plan was to take some photos, something I do not normally do usually because I am walking with somebody else who would not necessarily appreciate indulgent stops. The success or otherwise of this is shown below.

The final part of the plan was to listen to some radio drama that I had downloaded on BBC Sounds and this worked very well and I was in the good company of Miss Marple, Charles Paris and Dr Who.

Beyond Hammersmith the territory was little known to me and so was a constant source of interest. There were a lot of very grand new developments in Fulham and Chelsea and a highlight was seeing a new one under construction at the former Lotts Road Power Station.

From Vauxhall things were familiar again and after a brief stop for brunch (at 3pm!) at Cafe Society I made the final decision on my plan and that was to walk as far as Embankment where the District Line touches the river bank.

I got there just after 4pm having taken just over six hours, including breaks, to walk the 28 km.

It was an immensely successful walk all round and now the only problem is what to do tomorrow!

 

I had intended to take more photographs but in the end I only took these five.

My main issue was that even a simple photo takes some time to compose to do it justice and some time more to post on Instagram and that was time out from a walk that I was really enjoying.

I also did not want to take any photos close to home.

The former Harrods Furniture Depository is one of the few landmarks on the Barnes side and seemed like a good place to start the photographic record.

I toyed with the idea of taking a picture of Hammersmith Bridge but the angles did not work and I walked on.

Albert Bridge,much further along in Chelsea, was more obliging.

After several years of redevelopment the Battersea Power Station site is now almost complete.

Sadly, while the shape of the old building can be determined, the beautiful proportions have been ruined by the two side extensions.

The chimneys remain but that is not enough.

I will be walking the south bank again soon and may get the chance to go inside in which case I hope that some of the grandeur of the former interior has been retained, as it has at Tate Modern.

I took the photo of the cluster of buildings just upstream of Vauxhall Bridge mostly out of nostalgia.

When the flats on the far left were built the development very much faced the river and it did not cover the whole site. Lambeth Council had offices on the far side, facing the railway, and I visited there a few times.

At that time there was only one tall building in the srea, the tallest one in the middle, and that had been approved by John Prescott, then Deputy Prime Minister, after being refused by Lambeth Council.

I took this picture of Elizabeth Tower mostly in amusement.

That area was thick with tourists with lots of people taking photos of the tower and clock faces so I thought that I would join in.