Thames Path – Day Three – The London Eye to Putney Bridge

Slightly delayed due to train strikes earlier in the week today we were back on the Thames Path for the next leg. Starting from where we left off last time at Westminster heading on to Putney Bridge some eight miles further upstream.

Where are all the people?

I have written about this phenomenon before but once again you didn’t need to get very far away from the action for it to become quiet. The area around South Bank/County Hall/Westminster was heaving with tourists all trying to get that perfect shot for their Instagram but pretty much nobody was heading along the Southbank towards Putney. This meant the pavements were empty which was nice.

Almost immediately after setting off, we came across a wall covered in red hearts with names and messages written on them. Turned out that this was the National Covid Memorial Wall. It went on for as far as the eye could see which was quite sobering as each heart represented someone who died during the pandemic.

We walked on and past a number of recognisable sights such as MI6 building which I thought had been destroyed during at least two James Bond films! There were also a couple of very nice parks. I love the number of green spaces that London has.

Where are all the signs?

What I loved less was all the work that was going on that meant a detour away from the Thames Path. I mean I don’t really mind being taken away from the route for a short period but the diversion signage was, frankly, bloody awful. One recurring blocker was the 15-mile super sewer that is being built beneath London. I guess that London has been in continual change since it was first habited and so this is just a continuation of that process.

This was still obviously London but it is becoming quieter and it will be interesting to see how the landscape changes over the next few legs.