Feeling a bit spaced-out following strong coffee on an empty stomach and getting constant reminders of last night’s curry, I returned to the towpath at Richmond. A towpath that was very muddy and strewn with debris suggesting that there had been a very high tide very recently.

It had been so long since leg 5 that I’d forgotten a lot about how to do it. I forgot about how the rucksack works and what all the compartments do. I also forgot my own rules: if it might rain, go back to bed. Don’t try to do too much when you’ve been off for a while… etc. etc.
Continue reading S2S LEG 6: Richmond to Staines →

London is not such a big city. I walked from the east-end to leafy Surrey in a few hours – and that’s including the river’s meandering along the way. Starting point was of course the last leg’s end-point, The Prospect of Whitby. Had it been open and serving breakfast, this day may have turned out entirely differently. But it was shut, so following a quick trip to the Thames foreshore via Pelican Stairs (the pub’s original name was The Pelican) I was on my way, and soon into familiar territory.
Continue reading S2S Leg 5: Wapping to Richmond →

I may have been a bit hasty in declaring that all the ugly parts of the walk were behind me at the end of leg 3. Leg 4 had its share of derelict buildings and demolition sites. But these were mitigated by a number of landmarks, two river crossings (one above, one below) and a pub lunch. The latter was sufficient to tempt Russ to get his boots on and join me.
Continue reading S2S Leg 4: Beckton to Wapping →