All the greatest hits (Thames River Ramble Leg 13–Putney Bridge to Tower Bridge)

I woke up early Thursday morning looking forward to a “light” 10-mile ramble from Putney Bridge to Tower Bridge, the heart of London. The day did not turn out as I expected.

The trip to London was just fine. I took the 5 AM Tube to London, getting off at Notting Hill, just a short Underground Ride to the Putney Bridge stop. When I arrived at the Underground station, it was chained shut. “Hmmm, they must be doing work on this station. Let me see where the nearest open station is,” I said to myself. Stepping into the nearby coffee shop, I received bad news from the barista: the Underground workers are striking today. There is no Underground service available.

“Fair enough,” I said. “My ramble on the Thames Path is only 10 miles long. It’s only 3 1/2 miles to Putney Bridge from Notting Hill. I did 16 miles on Tuesday; the extra walking will be a breeze, and I’ll get to see a part of London that I wouldn’t otherwise get to.” I started from Notting Hill for Putney Bridge, a route that takes one through the heart of Fulham. It was a cool, dry day, so the walk was refreshing. I made it to Putney Bridge around 9:30 AM, the official start of my ramble.

But here is the deal: the strike wasn’t over when my ramble ended. At Tower Bridge, I needed to make my way to Victoria Station, a 3 1/2 mile walk from the Bridge. During my walk to Victoria Station there were several times when I considered taking a bus the rest of the way. My feet were begging for it, but I resisted the temptation. I am rarely in London, so the walking gave me the opportunity to take in sites from the city that I might otherwise overlook on a quick bus ride. All told, I hiked 17 miles in London today. My feet were feeling it at the end of the day.

Between Putney Bridge and Tower Bridge, the Thames Path traverses the very heart of London [Note: friends interested in a complete set of pictures from this leg of the ramble my find them here]. I suspect that I succumbed to the allure of all of the famous sites in London; I got pictures of all of the greatest hits: Westminster Palace, Westminster Cathedral, Big Ben, Tower Bridge, The Globe, The Eye, etc. As I approach the end of my ramble, I’ve made peace with the fact that I’m not going to be able to stop at every site I come across. I would have loved to stop at the Tate Modern, for example, to take in the art. When you have miles to go, there simply is not enough time.

I did stop at Battersea Power Station, however! The sheer size of the old coal-powered power station is awe-inspiring. One of the largest brick buildings in the world, the station was a critical source of power in London during the 20th century. It was decommissioned during the 1970s and 80s, fell into disrepair, but in 2014 was repurposed as a mixed commercial-residential building. This redevelopment officially opened to the public in 2022. The bottom levels of the Station are a public shopping mall. Above the mall are numerous flats. Walking around the site, I discovered just how expensive it is to live on site. Monthly rent in the area was listed at around £6000/month. It is a playground for the wealthy.

While taking in the site, I got into a conversation with another passerby. “Are you a Pink Floyd fan?” he asked.

“Well, I know some of there music, but I would not say I am a big fan,” I replied.

“Check out their album, ‘Animals.’ That power station is on the album cover,” he said. And he is right.

In central London, the Thames Path diverts frequently from the riverfront, and several times I ended up having to backtrack when construction barriers barred the marked path. The reason for this: at present London is building the Thames Tideway Tunnel, a 25 kilometer long sewer line that will clean up the Thames, which presently still receives tons of sewage waste into the tidal Thames. The highlight for me, off course, was finally encountering so many of the amazing sites in London. Next weekend I’ll be returning to London with all of our ACU students. We’ve got some touring activities planned for Friday and Saturday in the city. I’m looking forward to slowing down and taking in at least some of the wonders of London with Tara.

Arriving at Tower Bridge on Thursday around 2:30 PM, my feet were tired and sore. Walking the 3 miles from Tower Bridge to Victoria station, I ended up at Buckingham Palace. Initially I planned to walk to the front of the Palace, but my attention was drawn to band music coming from across the park next to the Palace. Making my way toward the sound, I discovered the Queen’s Guard band practicing outside for the special Remembrance Day ceremonies happening over the weekend. It was thrilling getting to hear them play. I recorded live video of the practice, which is posted on Facebook for anyone interested in the spectacle.

After 13 legs, I have completed 175 miles of my 185 mile ramble. My plan is to complete my Thames River Ramble next Tuesday, ending my journey at the Thames Barrier, the official end of the path. Given the potential for heavy rains on Tuesday, I may push my final leg to Thursday. The end is near. Something I’ve been pondering as I get closer to the conclusion of this ramble: is it possible for an ACU Study Abroad student to do this ramble? My teaching load this semester has been lighter than normal, so I’ve had ample time on my off days to hike. Is it conceivable that an inspired student who is taking a full load of courses could do this journey? I may be overly naïve here when I say this, but I think it is possible, though it would require a level of commitment that may be hard to sustain given the other possibilities that a Study Abroad semester offers. If a student were to choose to ramble on free weekends instead of traveling to far-off destination, (s)he could definitely complete the ramble by the end of the semester. I’m thinking of writing a future blog post that can given practical guidance to students who may be interested in doing some or all of the Path as part of their semester abroad. The challenge is totally worth it.

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