Route: The Jubilee Walkway
Area: Central London
Date of walk: 8th November 2016
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 9.4 miles
Weather: Sunny at first, then light cloud
The Jubilee Walkway route was opened in 1977 and visits some of London’s most iconic landmarks. The walk is 15 miles long and is divided into five sections. Today we were following the first of those sections – ‘The Western Loop‘
With Paul Simon songs still echoing around in our heads after last night’s show we stepped off the tube at Leicester Square and walked past the National Gallery, which unfortunately hadn’t yet opened for the day. We then walked across Trafalgar Square, along The Mall, around Parliament Square and past the Houses of Parliament, crossing the River Thames via Lambeth Bridge. As with yesterday’s walk, navigation was made easy by discs in the pavement featuring the cross of a crown pointing in the direction of travel
On reaching the South Bank we followed the riverbank path past the brutalist architecture of the Southbank Centre and the National Theatre which I fail to appreciate, sorry to say. We arrived at the excellent Tate Modern and spent a very worthwhile couple of hours before crossing over the Millennium Bridge with its superb views of St Paul’s Cathedral along the way. From there we walked back to the start via Lincoln’s Inn and Covent Garden
It was a great walk, and I hope we’ll be back one day to complete the rest of the Jubilee Walkway
Click on the icon below for the route map (subscribers to OS Maps can view detailed maps of the route, visualise it in aerial 3D, and download the GPX file. Non-subscribers will see a base map)
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
View of St Pancras Station from the 12th floor of the Pullman Hotel as we set off to catch the tube to Leicester Square
The National Gallery (not open until 10am) and St Martin-in-the-Fields
Canada House on Trafalgar Square
St Martin-in-the-Fields again
A unique warning sign
One of the four ‘Landseer Lions’ at Trafalgar Square
We walk through Admiralty Arch
The Mall
St James’s Park, where we follow part of yesterday’s route for a short distance
The heron we’d seen yesterday is in the same place - Gilly says it’s stuffed
Duck Island Cottage again, looking rather magical in the early morning sun
We leave the park and walk along Horse Guards Road
One of the waymarking discs which help us to keep on track
Big Ben
The Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey is being prepared with countless thousands of memorials
We walk by the Palace of Westminster
Walking beside the Thames
Lambeth Bridge, where we cross over to the South Bank
View from the bridge
The Palace of Westminster and Big Ben again as we walk towards Westminster Bridge
The London Eye through a fisheye
Golden Jubilee Bridge and Charing Cross
Graffiti on the concrete walks of the Southbank Centre
Approaching Oxo Tower
We visit Tate Modern
Time for a cup of coffee while enjoying the view…
…looking down on the Millennium Bridge, which we’ll be crossing after our visit
We visited the Louise Bourgeois exhibition - an interesting experience, though not for those of a sensitive disposition
There’s a wonderful 360 degree view from the viewing level - this is the ‘Walkie Talkie’ building…
…The Shard
St Paul’s Cathedral and the Millennium Bridge again
Back inside Tate Modern
Thanks to Gilly, we’re able to enjoy the press preview of Sir Elton John’s photography collection - one of the best in the world
‘Glass Tears’ by Man Ray
Salvadore Dali by Irving Penn
Migrant Mother by Dorothea Lange
Elton John by Irving Penn
We make our way to the exit after a thoroughly enjoyable couple of hours
The Millennium Bridge and St Paul’s Catherdral
Crossing the Thames again
View from the bridge
Chancery Lane
Covent Garden, and from here it’s a short stroll back to Leicester Square to complete today’s walk
Time to be heading to King’s Cross to catch the train back home
The giant poppy at King’s Cross
