Walking with family: London Bridge to Bermondsey... and beyond
Sunday April 26, 2026.
A sunny day with occasional clouds 20°C (68°F) with light winds of 6.8 mph (11 km/h).
The weather was promising to make for the perfect for a walk in London, so off we all set.
A taxi to Watford Underground station, where we boarded a busy train to Finchley Road, with many of the passengers disembarking at Wembley Park for the football at Wembley Stadium. The Jubilee line train, which would take us to London Bridge, was just as busy, this time with people holding placards ready to support family and friends running in the London Marathon.
Our walk was to follow the route of London's first passenger dedicated steam railway, The London and Greenwich Railway. The walk would take us from London's oldest train terminus to London's oldest continually used station.
Alighting from the train at London Bridge we made our way out to Tooley Street, where the streets were busy with people heading for Tower Bridge. So, we went along Stainer Street, where Erin played a short piece on a Victorian pipe organ, which was installed in 2022.
From here it was on to St Thomas Street. Here the paths and roads were fairly clear, so we began our walk eastwards. Keilyn stopped at 'Greggs' to grab herself an ice-cold drink and a pizza slice, before our walk began in earnest.
St Thomas Street brought us onto Crucifix Lane, below the mainline south out of London Bridge, and onto Druid Street. We followed Druid Street, crossing Tower Bridge Road, which was sealed off as this was part of the Marathon route. Erin, meanwhile, was checking the progress of her school form tutor, Miss Talbot, who was running her second London Marathon. Erin would continue to check her progress throughout the day. Further along Druid Street there was a 'car meet', with all sorts of vehicles in attendance, many with furry wolf masks sitting on many of the bonnets.
Here we headed through one of the railway arches, of which there were 878 when the viaduct was constructed, and walked through Malty Street Market. This is a wonderful little market offering food and drinks from around the world, all at reasonable prices. We meandered our way through the growing crowds and found ourselves on Millstream Road, which we followed, back beneath the railway, back onto Druid Street.
We then turned up Abbey Street, where Erin and I went to see some of the marathon runners on Jamaica Road, while Emma and Keilyn sat in the shade. Having seen some of the runners, with a few in costumes, we rejoined Emma and Keilyn and headed along Old Jamaica Road until we reached Marine Street. Going under the railway, again, brought us to Enid Street and onto Spa Road, which took us back beneath the railway to Thurland Road and onto Dockley Road.
Here I could see the arches and the location of the temporary Spa Road station, which opened on February 8, 1836 and closed on December 14, 1836, when the new terminus at Tooley Street, now London Bridge station, opened.
From here we joined St James's Road, which took us beneath the railway to Blue Anchor Lane, we sat on benches for a short respite from the heat. We followed Blue Anchor Lane to Southwark Park Road, where we visited a charity shop, with Erin purchasing some denim shorts and I bought a white shirt, before we visited a convenience store for some drinks and snacks. Back on Southwark Park Road we headed back through the arches of the railway viaduct and joined Raymouth Road.
It was here that Erin, Keilyn and I popped into 'Furniturama', one of the many businesses that call the arches of the viaduct home. The space was filled with furniture, both modern and vintage with some retro pieces for good measure. Rugs, lamps, garden pots and more were all there to be perused. Having seen enough we headed outside and rejoined Emma, before continuing along Raymouth Road. Soon we were crossing Rotherhithe New Road and joining Corbett's Lane, which brought us onto Silwood Street. Reaching the end of Silwood Street we had a choice to make as there was now a railway line crossing our path. We could turn left, use the footbridge and join Trundleys Road, or, turn right, passing Millwall Football Club, and join Surrey Canal Road. The latter was chosen.
Surrey Canal Road brought us to Trundleys Road and Folkestone Gardens. On entering the park we noticed a heron perched at the top of a tree, while ducks and their young families swam in the cool water of the pond, below. While Erin and Keilyn explored the swings, sandpit, slides, seesaw and other activities, Emma and I sat and enjoyed the weather.
On leaving Folkestone Gardens we joined Rolt Street, once more walked below the railway, and joined Childers Street, which took us through Evelyn Green and onto Edward Place, then Ffinch Street and, finally, Deptford High Street.
Our first stop was at Deptford Market Yard, where Keilyn purchased some scented marker pens, before we all began looking at the abundance of food outlets, trying to decide on what to eat. Although Emma and I were happy with the selection, Erin and Keilyn were being fussy, so we decided to walk along Deptford High Street in search of somewhere that we would all be satisfied with.
It didn't take long for us to find 'Café Bianca', which we knew would please everyone. We entered and were immediately met with a menu that would make the fussiest eater happy. It was no surprise that Erin ordered a cheese burger and chips, while Keilyn ordered a full English breakfast. I, too, had the full English, with Emma ordering a chicken salad baguette with chips. The food was amazing with everything being devoured, although Keilyn and I had to help Erin finish off the last of her chips.
On leaving the Café Bianca, we headed south, along Deptford High Street, perusing all of the shop fronts, before crossing the road and doing the same on the opposite side, as we followed the high street north. A few more shops were perused, before Emma and Keilyn sat in Deptford Market Yard, leaving Erin and myself to explore the rest of the shops. Sometime in the 1530s, King Henry VIII ate a full English on the site that is now the corner of Frankham Street and Deptford High Street.
Passing below the mainline, once again, we eventually found ourselves at St Paul's Courtyard and, next to that, Crossfield Open Space (Deptford Church Street), another of London's newest public realms that has been created with the completion of the Tideway Tunnel Project.
Having explored all we could we rejoined Deptford High Street and made our way back to Deptford station, where Emma and Keilyn were waiting for us. We then made our way up to Platform 1, where we didn't have to wait too long for a train to London Bridge. Erin was still tracking her form tutor, via the app, who was about to complete her second London Marathon. When she crossed the line a massive smile spread across Erin's face as she beamed with pride for her teacher.
Having just missed the Thameslink service, we had to wait for the next train, which happened to be a Southeastern service. Soon we were being whisked back to London Bridge along the same route that we had walked, but taking just a fraction of the time.
Arriving at London Bridge we slowly made our way though the ticket barriers, descending into the depths to the Jubilee line platforms, which were swarming with people. Many of the people awaiting trains were marathon runners, their medals proudly worn, waiting to get home to rest.
The first train to arrive was so full that we decided to await the next one. However, this didn't stop others trying to squeeze aboard, resulting in the doors being jammed which delayed the train. Fortunately, the next train, although still busy, we were able to board for the few stops to Baker Street. Many of the passengers left the train at Green Park, heading to meet runners who completed the marathon.
Baker Street, by contrast, was much the same as we would expect on a Sunday afternoon. Tamta, who makes the best coffee, was at her Starbucks Kiosk, so we ordered drinks, before Emma headed off to the 'Treats' kiosk to purchase some snacks for the journey home.
Then, as has become usual, we were informed that our train would now be leaving from Platform 4, instead of Platform1. So, up the stairs we clambered, across the ticket hall, down more stairs and boarded the waiting train and took our seats.
The journey was uneventful as we zipped through northwest London, through Metro-land and out into the Hertfordshire countryside. A taxi was ordered and we were soon home, where shoes were taken off, showers had and we all relaxed.
It was a great day out, made more enjoyable because we all went together.
What a fab walk. How did Erin's teacher do?
ReplyDeleteAnd Henry VIII had a cooked breakfast, did he .....
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