Stage 2: Woolwich to Canary Wharf

Dear Bertie,

Today you are 17 weeks old and completed stage 2 of our Thames walk. We headed back to Woolwich Arsenal and I had a delicious bacon brioche in the pub while you guzzled milk and did an enormous projectile poo while I changed you. 

Heading on to the path it was rather grey and blustery with clouds threatening rain! This part of London near Greenwich is more familiar now as it where Daddy and I have come to see gigs at the O2 and drink beer at the Meantime Brewery, our wedding beer! We pass so many landmarks on the way and I tell you stories about all of them.

The O2 where we once watched Britney Spears with our friends Anna and Kimmers. 

Cutty Sark where we had a boozy night out with the Royal Navy once.  Mummy got very drunk on jugs of gin before demanding that Byron serve us burgers after closing time.  They refused!

You woke up in Greenwich and looked at all the beautiful old naval buildings, you had a quick feed in a traditional pub down a rainy cobbled street.

And then for the most exciting part - The Greenwich Foot Tunnel. We took a big old wooden lift deep below the river and walked underneath the Thames.  It smelt old and dusty and there was an echo at which you looked around very perplexed.

Our final leg along the North side of the Thames took us to the tall buildings and sparkling lights of Canary Wharf, where lots of people wearing suits work in the banks.  We ended up in All Bar One for a nappy change - (no facilities, done on the toilet floor!) - and a feed with bemused city workers looking on.

You then joined the queues of commuters lined up very neatly on the Jubilee Line platform, (this is the only station in London which is organised in this way!), before heading back on the train for bedtime.

TOTAL DISTANCE: 17.01 KM
Breastfeeding stops: 3
Nappy changes: 3
Crying episodes: 0, yah!

GPS Link: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37898146

Strava link: https://www.strava.com/activities/1986061165

Logistics:
Home to Woolwich journey time: 1hr 10 
0830 leave home, Bertie naps in carrier 1.5hrs 
0850 Train CLJ to Waterloo - walk to Waterloo East 
0915 Train to Woolwich (bound Dartford) 
0945 Arrive Woolwich, walk to pub on river 
1000 feed Bertie 
1100 start walk from Woolwich to Canary wharf: 13.5k, 3hrs 
1400 arrive Canary Wharf, feed Bertie 
1600 Jubilee Line/ Waterloo to CLJ home, Bertie naps en route - 1hr 
1700 Home for feed

Feeding stops:

Guard House, Woolwich: https://www.theguardhousewoolwich.co.uk

All Bar One, Canary Wharf: https://www.allbarone.co.uk/national-search/london/all-bar-one-canary-wharf

Stage 1: Erith to Woolwich

Dear Bertie.

Today you were 15 weeks old, and it was the first day of our 'Walking the Thames' adventure - a 184 mile journey, broken into 23 stages spread over the next few months before I return to work. Stage 1 saw us head far East to Erith near Dartford, and the sun shone for our grand depart!

After using various means of transport, we arrived in Erith to bright autumn sunshine and blue skies. (Strictly speaking Crayford Ness is the mouth of the Thames, but I couldn't get a train there so here is our start!) After a quick pit stop in Costa for your second breakfast (milk) and mine (strong coffee), we headed out to join the path. 

Having never walked further than Tower Bridge, I am surprised to see how industrial it is this end of the Thames. There are no tourists, and only a few locals and workmen along the path. We see the Ford Factory where they make cars, and lots of building plants with bricks, cement, steel and some huge boats carrying building supplies going past. You are fascinated by the workmen in high vis re-surfacing the path in digging machines.

Around 13.00 you kick off, squirming and screaming rather loudly in my ear.  Feeding time! Finding a grassy spot beside the river, we set up camp for a quick feed. Some local birdwatchers are bemused by this and look the other way through their binoculars! 

We approach the end of the stage at Woolwich Arsenal, which carried out armaments manufacture, ammunition proofing and explosives research for the British armed forces. There are lots of old cannons and you sit on a big one and look bemused!

We find a cosy pub and settle into a lovely leather sofa next to a cosy fire for our lunch before taking the train/tube/ bus home in time for your bedtime!

TOTAL DISTANCE: 13.04 KM

Breastfeeding stops: 3
Nappy changes: 3
Crying episodes: 1

GPS Link: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37791624

Strava Link: https://www.strava.com/activities/1964353405 

Logistics:
Home to Erith: 1hr 25 
0830 77 bus to Waterloo East 
0915 train to Erith (dartford)
0955 Arrive, walk to Erith shopping centre 
1000 Feed Bertie in Costa
Walk to start location = 15 minutes 
1130 start walk from Erith to Woolwich: 2 hrs 15, 11km 
1400 feed Bertie in Woolwich
1500 Woolwich to Waterloo (CX) 
1531 77 bus home or train to CLJ 
Home by 1700 for feed!

Feeding stops:

Costa in Erith - Riverwise shopping centre, 21A Town Sq, London DA8 1SE

The Dial Arch Pub in Woolwich - comfy sofas for feeding, baby change, good lunch menu: https://www.dialarch.com/

Walking the River Thames - the route

So Bertie - here is our big challenge ahead - walking the Thames Path. 

We will be going from the Thames mouth in London to the source in Cirencester, 184 miles, which is the length of over 3000 football pitches! - 

Here are some of the lovely landmarks and nature we will see along our way - 

And here is the elevation of the route. We will be going from sea level up to 160m above sea level.

Let's do it!

The inspiration behind walking the Thames London Bridges

In December 2017, the Frenchman and I were thrilled and terrified when we discovered there was a mini growing inside me. 9 months of vomiting then ensued and I was desperate to find a sport which would keep me healthy and happy through pregnancy. Swimming didn't work due to acid reflux, road cycling stopped after some near misses with ubers, and my back is still buggered from running, so I turned to walking.

Not one to saunter round the park, I needed a challenge to keep me focused as my belly grew so in my research I read about a 48km London Bridges walk - crossing every pedestrian friendly bridge of London from Hampton Court to Tower Bridge - written by Bex Band 'The Ordinary Adventurer' - and was inspired!

https://www.theordinaryadventurer.com/adventure/thames-london-bridge-challenge/

My friend Charlotte agreed to join me in this challenge, and wrote a blog post about our training and the big walk, so over to you Charlotte...


https://charlottecrowesweb.blogspot.com/2018/04/microadventure-4-london-bridges.html

Sunday, 15 April 2018

Microadventure #4 - London Bridges Challenge

Unlike my night in a bothy (January), cold water swim (February) and weeknight wild camping (March), this month's microadventure required a bit of training.

When my friend Naomi suggested we do a 48km (30 mile) walk along the River Thames, I scoffed at her suggestion of a training plan. It's walking - how hard could it be?! 

Fast forward to our first 20km training walk together (in the snow) and I realised that I'd underestimated the effort of putting one foot in front of the other and repeating it for a 3-4 hour period. The following week I battled with a strange twinge in the muscle on top of one of my feet, sore hip flexors and shin splints. So a training plan it would have to be. Fortunately for me, Naomi is a TV producer and LOVES planning!

Over the next 4 weeks, we both incorporated walking into our work commutes and did a longer walk together at the weekends, increasing the distance by 5km every week. Slowly my legs got used to the different range of motion to running and cycling. And with a bit of stretching and foam roller-ing, 4 weekends on from that snowy 20km we were at Hampton Court train station, ready to begin our walk crossing the 26 pedestrian bridges that span the River Thames from Hampton Court to Tower Bridge. There are actually 33 in total, but 7 are railway bridges, so we didn't think they were a very sensible option to get ourselves to Tower Bridge in one piece.

The twists and turns of the River Thames - including the 'Chiswick cleavage'

Here are all 26 bridges in order:

1.   Hampton Court Bridge

2.   Kingston Bridge

3.   Teddington Lock Footbridge

4.   Richmond Bridge

5.   Twickenham Bridge

6.   Richmond Lock Footbridge

7.   Kew Bridge

8.   Chiswick Bridge

9.   Barnes Bridge

10. Hammersmith Bridge

11. Putney Bridge

12. Fulham Bridge

13. Wandsworth Bridge

14. Battersea Bridge

15. Albert Bridge

16. Chelsea Bridge

17. Vauxhall Bridge

18. Lambeth Bridge

19. Westminster Bridge

20. Hungerford/Golden Jubilee Bridge

21. Waterloo Brdige

22. Blackfriars Bridge

23. Millenium Bridge

24. Southwark Bridge

25. London Bridge

26. Tower Bridge

I should probably add, just to add to the adventure, Naomi is 5 months pregnant. WHAT A TROOPER! So to balance us out and to make things fairer, I carried her backpack on my front most of the way. A sort of externally positioned foetus full of sandwiches, soup, water and snacks.

7am and we're off!

Being a doofus in Bushy Park

Bacon sarnies in baguettes homemade by Nico (Naomi's husband)

Charlotte standard 'Ta daaa' pose in front of Richmond Lock Bridge

Standard dog stop (me, not Naomi)

Stretching on Kew Bridge

Saying hello to the geese (with an irrational fear of geese and swans)

Running out of bridge poses

By the time we got towards lunchtime, my "let's cross that bridge when we come to it" jokes were wearing thin and hunger was setting in. So THANK GOODNESS for bumping into fellow Clapham Chaser Gabby near Barnes and Carluccios in Putney.

Bumping into Gabby along the river

Pasta in Putney

The afternoon was mostly about playing games like "What's your favourite..." (covering just about every possible topic) and "Would you rather X or Y" (to which Naomi would normally say one, change her mind then say both). Part of the fun of walking rather than running or cycling is you really can have a proper conversation. But even good friends run out of regular chat so the games were a fun way to get to know each other even better.

Outside Carluccios in front of Putney Bridge

Fulham Rail/Pedestrian Bridge

In Battersea Park we were met by Nico and did a bit of leg elevation by Albert Bridge before heading more central where, after being quite sparse for the most of the way, the bridges came thick and fast.

Leg elevating in Battersea Park

The baguette chef himself!

'Pretending to hitch-hike' pose on Chelsea Bridge

Chelsea Bridge

Lambeth Bridge BUMP

Westminster Bridge

Hungerford/Golden Jubilee Bridge

Millenium Bridge Selfie (St Pauls Cathedral in background)

Special treeeeeat rest before London Bridge

We arrived at Tower Bridge at about 7:30pm, abour 12 hours after we started. And then walked all the way home.

Kidding. 

We got an Uber.

Obvs.