Friday October 10, 2025.
Keilyn and I had worked out that we hadn't visited London, together, in quite a few weeks, which was a shock.
So, as soon as I had finished work and Keilyn had got home from school, we both got changed, grabbed some snacks and took a taxi to Watford Metropolitan underground station. An Aldgate-bound train was waiting at platform 2, which we hurriedly boarded, grabbing seats near the centre of the train. Within minutes we were on our way.
Pulling into Harrow-on-the-Hill station we were informed, by our driver, that the train pulling in beside us would be leaving first. So, a mass exodus of travellers, including us, crossed the platform and boarded the other train. A ridiculous thing to do, really, as this would only shave a few minutes from our journey time. Sure enough, though, we were soon moving again.
We exited Aldgate station and headed west, turning down Fenchurch Street until we reached Fen Court, where we stopped to look at the 'Gilt of Cain', which is a sculpture that commemorates the abolition of the slave trade.
It is a remarkable piece. Composed of a granite podium, with steps, and columns that are shaped like sugar cane acting as a congregation. Each column is etched with lines from the poem 'Gilt of Cain', by Lemn Sissay.
We then made our way towards Fenchurch Street station, where we purchased some hot food, which we ate on the benches on Fenchurch Place.
Suitably filled with energy we made our way back to Fenchurch Street and turned down St Katherine's Row and through French Ordinary Court. This eventually brought us out onto Crutched Friars and, then, Savage Gardens which brought us to Trinity Square. I do love the City of London's street names.
Crossing Tower Hill we stopped to take some photos of His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, spotting some of the poppy installation flowing down the wall of the Medieval castle.
From here we headed down to the River Thames and onto Three Quays Walk. The light was fading as we reached the river, making Tower Bridge really stand out, with its lights illuminating its profile. Sugar Quay Jetty offered the perfect place to grab some photos of the bridge, HMS Belfast and The Shard.
Approaching Grant's Quay Wharf we noticed that the top of The Shard had lights running up its uppermost levels, signalling the time was now 19:00.
London Bridge, like the rest of the bridges we would see, was illuminated with coloured lights, reflecting off the turbulent waters of the outgoing tide.
From here we followed the Thames Path, with Fishmonger's Hall Wharf leading to Oystergate Walk and Hanseatic Walk. We continued, ever westward, passing the Little Ship Club and the spot where the River Walbrook joins the River Thames, until we reached Queenhithe Dock and Wharf.
This brought us to 'Globe View', where we discovered artwork and poems, adorning the wall, inspired by mudlarking, wildlife of the river and buildings that can be seen from this spot. The poems all began with the line "Might heart, mighty London" and then all took on different themes. The artworks were created in a layered fashion, with the backgrounds painted by children. Then students from another school drew the buildings, while the wildlife were drawn by artists, residents and locals. It is quite cool to see.
Paul's Walk brought us to the London MillenniuM Footbridge, which was illuminated with a lighting system that had flashes of white light zipping back and forth. We passed below Blackfriars Railway Bridge and the point where London's most famous 'Lost River', the Fleet, empties into the River Thames, before climbing the steps to cross Blackfriars Bridge. This minor detour, away from the Thames Path, was due to work still being carried out on the new Bazalgette Embankment.
Soon, though, we found ourselves on Victoria Embankment, opposite OXO Tower and Gabriel's Wharf. Even from across the river we could see and hear the revellers on the south bank, enjoying the unseasonably warm evening. Music and conversations travelling towards us on the slight breeze. In contrast, with the exception of traffic, the north bank was quite deserted. The busiest our walk had been was back at the castle.
Continuing our walk we left the City of London and entered the City of Westminster, where we took the obligatory photo of the London Eye, before we turned up Northumberland Avenue, heading towards Trafalgar Square. To our disappointment the whole of Trafalgar Square was sealed off, with fencing blocking views of this famous square. Tents and gazebos had been erected, too, ready for 'Diwali on the Square, 2025', which is taking place on Sunday October 12.
So, we decided to head along Cockspur Street and then onto Pall Mall, stopping to grab some refreshments from one of the convenience shops. We continued on until we reached St James's Palace, before turning up St James's Street where we stopped, so that I could show Keilyn Pickering Place.
Pickering Place may not seem all that impressive, but this small square packs a lot of history. It was home to the Texan Republic’s embassy, until they joined the United States in 1845. It is also the last place, in London, where a duel was fought. It also happens to be the smallest square in Great Britain!
We then continued up St James's Street until we reached Piccadilly, along which we headed, passing The Ritz, until we reached Green Park station. Within minutes we were travelling down escalators to the Jubilee line platforms, where we caught a train for the two stops to Baker Street. More escalators and stairs brought us up to Platform 1, where our train was ready to depart. However, we needed drinks and snacks, so we purchased those, missing our train, and sat patiently, waiting 12 minutes for the next train.
Soon, we were relaxing on our train, rushing through the outskirts of London, into the suburbs, where buildings gave way to woods and greenery, now cloaked in artificial light.
Arriving at Watford we walked the short distance to home.
Yet another great afternoon/evening, which Keilyn and I are going to try and do every month.
Distance travelled:
- Bus - 0.0 miles
- Cable Car - 0.0 miles
- Car - 0.0 miles
- DLR - 0.0 miles
- Ferry - 0.0 miles
- Overground - 0.0 miles
- River Boat - 0.0 miles
- Taxi - 0.7 miles
- Train - 0.0 miles
- Underground - 40.3 miles
- Walking - 4.8 miles
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