Wednesday, July 12, 2017

My Guide To Walking From Bank To Monument to Tower Bridge on The River Thames.

Problem
Where to walk to the Thames?

Answers

Where to Meet And Start
You can take the train to the old City of London as I did. I started from Euston. Euston station is a busy place. Shops include branches of Smiths and Marks and Spencer so you can stock up on food and drink. The statues include one of a mapmaker and his cat.
The Euston station Cat statue. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.



 Skyscraper The Shard, seen looking across the river Thames and London Bridge. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.


Map signs show you where you are and what you can see.


You can pick a riverside walk avoiding steps. Directions show you which way and to find your way to The Monument, Bank station, The Tower of London and Tower Bridge and Exhibition. The directions even tell you how long it will take.

You can see the red London buses will take you across the London Bridge to The Shard. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.


Walk along the Thames Path or sit and rest by the river. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.




Beyond the London Bridge, more bridges and steps up London Bridge Staircase. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.




A plaque tells you about the London Bridge Staircase which opened in 2016. Photo by Angela Lansbury.




London Bridge information. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.


The history of London and London Bridge. The famous song, London Bridge is Falling Down. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Notes on what lives in the water.
 The river may look misty and murky, but there's life down there. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Here are the bridges across London's River Thames. You are here by London Bridge. Fifty million vehicles a year cross the bridges. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.


Station Choices
From Euston it is five stops on the Northern line to Bank.

Stations
At the stations look for a handy map of the stations. Other interesting leaflets include one on art on the underground.

You could start from Bank station, near the Bank of England. Or do what I did and start from Monument station near The Monument.

Stories
Confession: We took the wrong branch of the Northern line and detoured a very long route via Embankment and changed onto the District and Circle line. The friend we were meeting for lunch at The Don restaurant was delayed so we had time to kill.

I was not impressed by the Northern line's Charing Cross on the underground section, nor the District and Circle line at this end.

Some of the stations are being rebuilt. I think it they look dismal. No colour, no pictures of local history. London has some wonderful colourful stations and dramatic statues. However, when I got out at Monument,  my depression disappeared and my whole day transformed into delight.

If you wish, dine in The Don, an upmarket, expensive, olde worlde restaurant in a courtyard off St Swithin's . (See previous posts.)

If you are looking for something cheaper, opposite The Don is the Travelodge which has a bar. On my way walking from Monument station along Cannon Street I also passed several more options such as a Juice place.

On the other side of Cannon Street you can see down the Arthur Street to the river.


Down by the riverside you can sit and read or watch the boats going up and down the river.

You can see the tall triangle of the Shard, Tower Bridge, and tour boats going up and down.

Walking back uphill you can pass The Monument. It commemorates the great fire of London.  In London, history is all around you.
The Monument to the great fire of London. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Tips
If you are meeting friends who are flying into London from overseas, for example from the USA, into Heathrow Airport, they will probably know the royal blue Piccadilly underground train line from Heathrow airport.

Anybody flying into London from Europe might know the DLR, Docklands Light Railway from London City Airport station.

Your visitors from Europe taking the train might also be familiar with Victoria station on the Circle and District line.

Many cheap hotels are in the Notting Hill Gate area on the red central line which goes to Bank station.

USEFUL WEBSITES
https://tfl.gov.uk
https://art.tfl.gov.uk/projects/permanent-commission-by-daniel-buren/
www.visitlondon.com
www.visitlondonpass.com
www.visitbritain.org

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have other posts on London, England and trips worldwide. Please share links to your favourite posts.

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