It was fascinating to walk this section of the river and see so many sights in one day. We were surprised by the number of open green spaces and how the character changed as we passed each bridge. The forecast had been rainy all day but we caught only a couple of showers that were a fun way to shake up the day.
We started the day with bacon buns at a small cafe close to our pub and soon hit the path, worrying about rain that did not materialize for a couple of hours.
A bit grey to start the day.Back at the river and at Hammersmith Bridge – the day’s first of many bridges.An older style of flats around here.Fulham’s football ground, Craven CottageBuses lining up on Putney Bridge, where the Oxford Cambridge Boat Race starts.A heron looking for his breakfast in the low tide shallows.
Every time we walked through a park, I thought it would be the last, but they kept coming, interspersed with residential sections, bridges, and boat houses, as the buildings got taller.
These leaves alongside a park clearly marked where the high tide had come up to, with low tide about 25 feet below.Lots of boat houses from London schools and colleges here, and the road was muddy from high tide.The Fulham Railway Bridge.A mailbox from Edward VII’s reign, Queen Victoria’s son who was king from 1901-1910.We loved the way the trees curled over the path toward the water, all the more impressive at low tide.We started seeing Uber boats on the water which are a ferry service on the Thames, nothing to do with ride share.The skyline becomes more impressive as we approach Wandsworth Bridge.Another heron! They are so graceful and so still!After local rubbish collections, there was loading containers of rubbish onto barges that we saw a couple of times being taken downstream. London makes a lot of rubbish.Wandsworth Bridge.Simple riverside walking.A riverside heliport was busy, perhaps more than usual because of a tube strike?A green Battersea Railway Bridge, with examples of large houseboats along the bank.A repurposed power station on the other side of the river in Chelsea.A train crossing Battersea Railway Bridge at low tide.St Mary’s church in Battersea looked out across the Thames. Battersea Road BridgeSolid traffic on Battersea BridgeWalking towards Albert Bridge.Albert Bridge was very ornate.Soldiers from nearby barracks must break step on the bridge or they can cause resonance swaying, like the wind did on the wobbly Millennium Bridge!Chelsea Bridge was next.Then Grosvenor Railway Bridge.Battersea Power Station has been repurposed.Some wavy flats right next to the power station. I could imagine an architecture class walking this section of the river and having a field day!London’s main fruit, veg, and flower market moved from Covent Garden to Nine Elms fifty years ago.We caught our first glimpse of Parliament and The Eye through the mist over Vauxhall Bridge. The Eye was on the south side of the river, as were we, indicating the bend in the river.
We came to the first landmark from a film – MI6’s HQ that blew up in Skyfall while M was standing on Vauxhall Bridge:
Fortunately, all was in tact for us.Lambeth Bridge crossed the Thames just before parliament.Lambeth Bridge marked the beginning of the stretch of river that I was more familiar with.The COVID remembrance wall stretched from Lambeth Bridge to Westminster Bridge, opposite parliament and in front of St Thomas’s, one of London’s main hospitals.The Palace of Westminster, with the Elizabeth Tower on the right (housing the Big Ben bell), and Westminster Cathedral beyond. I loved this angle of Westminster Bridge.Eric posing by the location of our next James Bond clip found at https://www.facebook.com/share/v/179i8tApnZ/?mibextid=wwXIfrOur view of The Eye. The Hungerford Railway Bridge taking trains into Charring Cross. Pedestrian bridges were added to it for the queen’s golden jubilee.Waterloo Bridge.Our first view of St Paul’s. I loved how it caught the sunlight, reminding me of the iconic image of it standing unscathed above the smoke and flames during the Blitz in 1940.Time for a selfie in front of the skyscrapers of the City of London.An image of Blackfriars Bridge being built.Underneath Blackfriars Railway Bridge, looking at the road bridge and the pillars from the former railway bridge.
We went to the top of the Tate Modern art gallery, in another former power station, but found options that were not what we wanted for lunch. We ate at its ground floor cafe, after taking in the view.
St Paul’s from the top of the Tate Modern.
The Millennium Bridge had to close soon after opening as it wobbled. And there was also the death eater attack:
Does the bridge look secure?Great view, but bridges like this give me the willies!Selfie time 😊I liked this perspective.Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre is right there too.Southwark BridgeCannon Street Railway Bridge, with the Walkie Talkie skyscraper behind.The flowers at this pub were a favourite.We couldn’t avoid the rain all day, but don’t they look chic!The bow of the replica of The Golden Hinde, the first ship to circumnavigate the globe.
We were close to Borough Market, that Janet and I missed on our last trip. We knew it had a Humble Crumble and other interesting things, and it was so close to our path.
Borough Market was somewhat crowded with a very cool vibe.That is what we wanted to see!Eric couldn’t even pause for the photo…Watch out for thieves!The Shard and Southwark cathedral.London Bridge was not falling down and marked the edge of the City of LondonHMS Belfast which fought in WW2.The Tower of London and Tower Bridge. Nearly to the day’s destination – we just needed to cross the bridge.A bit more rain.Crossing.The bit in the middle that goes up!Oh yeah!
After checking into our hotel, freshening up, and relaxing, we headed out for a fine dinner, walking around the tower which gave us some great views of it.
The Tower. We were glad we were not spending the night in its dungeon.Those lovely Crown Jewels are so close! And not a single armed guard in sight…Bright at night.
It was the end of an exhausting day. There was so much to see along this section of the river. The intermittent showers added to the mood. Only one more day along the Thames Path!
"Cajunlimeys" combines Lousiana (Janet) and England (Peter). For "limeys," check out scurvy in the English navy.
We love adventures and use blogging to write a photo diary to preserve our memories. Some crazy friends enjoy following us and my notes might help others plan.
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One thought on “The Thames Path Day 8: Barnes to Tower Bridge”
The Adventures of the Cajunlimeys 
My favorite day of pictures. Love the bridges!!
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