Walking with Keilyn: Richmond to Kingston Vale... and beyond

Sunday February 22, 2026. 

Light rain changing to clear skies, with winds up to 5 mph, 13°C (55°F).

An unplanned trip to London resulted in an epic excursion with various modes of transport used.

As there were engineering works on the Metropolitan line, resulting in trains not going further north than Harrow-on-the-Hill, a rail replacement bus service was in place. Deciding against this we took a taxi to Watford High Street station.

At Watford High street station we waited for a train to Euston. As it pulled into the station Keilyn gave the driver a wave, which he responded to with a wave and a 'toot' from the train horn. The Lioness line train whisked us off to Willesden Junction, where we changed to a Richmond-bound Mildmay line train, which took us through Acton and across the River Thames.

On leaving Richmond station we grabbed a hot drink from Costa and began our walk. 

The Quadrant brought us onto The Square and then Sheen Road. We followed this road, passing wonderful architecture and some remarkable almshouses, all the while aeroplanes flew lower as they began their approach to Heathrow Airport.

We continued heading west until we reached East Sheen Cemetery. This cemetery is home to many Commonwealth War Graves, actors, such as Roy Kinnear, along with ordinary people. The cemetery is also the last resting place of William Ellsworth Robinson (1861-1918), who the world knew as Chung Ling Soo.

'National Firefighters Memorial' by John W. Mills

The concept for this memorial was the brainchild of Cyril Demarne, who had been a firefighter and had served in London throughout the Blitz.

This memorial was commissioned by the Firefighters Memorial Charitable Trust, which was set up in 1990, and was designed by John W. Mills. The Memorial depicts three wartime firefighters, cast in bronze, was originally called ‘Blitz’. It was dedicated to the men and women of the Fire Service, in London, who lost their lives as a result of their duties during this period of history. It was unveiled by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother on May 4, 1991, in Old Change Court.

Walking with Keilyn: Victoria to Chelsea... and beyond

Tuesday February 17, 2026: Sunny with winds at 2 mph, 7°C (44.6°F)

Another day and another trip to London with Keilyn. This time Keilyn wanted our trip and what we would visit to be a surprise, so I planned a route in secrecy,

A taxi dropped Emma, Keilyn and myself at Watford Metropolitan station, while Erin remained at home as she was going out with her friends, later in the day. Emma, meanwhile, was off to see her parents in Chesham, so left the train at Moor Park, leaving Keilyn and I travelling onward.

We boarded a Jubilee line train, at Finchley Road, and took it to Green Park, where we changed to a Victoria line train to Victoria.

On exiting the station we headed southwest, along Buckingham Palace Road, passing Victoria coach station, the National Audit Office and the offices of the British Transport Police, before turning up Pimlico Road. 

A beautiful drinking fountain, a sculpture of St George and the Dragon and a wonderful statue of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart were spotted as we made our way ever westward. 

Pimlico Road brought us onto Royal Hospital Road, with the Margaret Thatcher Infirmary and Cemetery to our left, followed by the Royal Hospital Chelsea. As Keilyn is now a fully fledged Army cadet I had decided that I would take her to the building next to the Royal Hospital... The National Army Museum.

After the obligatory photo with the Challenger 2 tank, which stands outside of the museum, we headed inside to begin our exploration. 

York Square Gardens: The Inspiration for Albert Square, Walford

York Square Gardens, the inspiration for Albert Square, Walford.

In the Limehouse area of London's East End, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, is York Square Gardens. This square, which is similar to many other residential squares in the East End, has a unique claim to fame.

Back in 1984, following a lot of scouting for suitable locations, York Square Gardens and the surrounding streets were chosen as the inspiration for 'Albert Square', Walford, in a new soap opera that the BBC were going to broadcast.

EastEnders first aired on BBC One 41 years ago today, on February 19, 1985.

The Queen's Head, the inspiration for The Queen Victoria pub in EastEnders.

York Square Gardens is much larger than its television counterpart, but the similarities are quite easy to spot.

Both have terraced houses surrounding a green square, with roads surrounding the open space. While the fictional 'Albert Square' has 'The Queen Victoria' pub, York Square Gardens has two: 'The Old Ship' and 'The Queen's Head', the latter of which is the inspiration for 'The Queen Victoria'.

Walking with friends: London Bridge to Rotherhithe... and beyond

Monday February 16, 2026: Sunny spells with light showers, winds at 4 mph, 10°C (50°F)

I made my way to London, via the Metropolitan and then Jubilee line, and arrived at London Bridge station, where I met up with my friend Ashley. It had been a long time since we had seen each other, let alone made a walk together, so I was excited for this one.

Our walk began by visiting the King's College London Guy's Campus, where we saw one of the few remaining pedestrian alcoves from the old London Bridge. We left the campus and made our way along Newcomen Street, where I pointed out the coat of arms affixed to the wall above the door of 'The Kings Arms' pub. This massive coat of arms was once above the entrance to the southern entrance to the old London Bridge. From here we made our way up Borough High Street towards London Bridge, where we joined The Queen's Walk, heading east.

We stopped for a drink at 'The Vault 1894' , which is situated beneath the southern approach of Tower Bridge. The window offers a unique perspective of the River Thames and Tower Bridge. Suitably refreshed we began our walk.

We made our way along Shad Thames, which was empty of people, before we made our way onto the waterfront walk by Butler's Wharf. Relics of the history of the wharves are placed at irregular spots along this pedestrianised thoroughfare, that include propellers, anchors and the such. There are also a few pieces of public art, like 'Exotic Cargo' by Peter Randall-Page.