Walking with Keilyn: Greenwich Peninsula to Woolwich Foot Tunnel... and beyond

Our starting point for the day.

Friday June 3, 2022.

Having been to London, as a family, the previous day, Keilyn decided that she hadn't seen enough and wanted another walk. So, following an early start we made our way to North Greenwich, from where our walk eastward was to begin.

We made our way from the station to The Tide, a raised walkway that allows for great views over Peninsula Square and leads you to Olympian Way beside the River Thames.

The Mermaid by Damien Hirst.

The first sculpture we saw was 'The Mermaid' by Damien Hirst, quickly followed by Anthony Gormley's 'Quantum Cloud'.

The riverside has changed a lot, since I last walked along it. With its landscaped gardens, seating and barbeque areas it has become a nice place to relax on a summer's evening.

Thames Pathway.

Keilyn takes a rest.

We followed Olympian Way towards the Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park, spotting the 'Hydra & kira' sculpture enroute.

Hydra and Kali by Damien Hirst.

After we passed the Greenwich Yacht Club the area became more industrial and unkept, harking back to this areas commercial and manufacturing past.

Tarmac Charlton Concrete Plant.

Moving on to Riverside the sun had begun to beat down on us and the breeze, which had kept us cool earlier, had now disappeared. 

Woolwich Foot Tunnel

 

The south entrance to the Woolwich foot tunnel.

Of the roughly 40 tunnels beneath the River Thames, the majority of which carry utilities, railway lines and motor vehicles, only three allow pedestrians to use them: The Greenwich foot tunnel, the Woolwich foot tunnel and the Rotherhithe tunnel, although the latter is not advisable, unless you want to look like a chimney sweep and breathe in noxious fumes.

Friday June 3, 2022

I finally managed to get myself to Woolwich, so that I could walk through the foot tunnel, leaving only the Rotherhithe Tunnel for me to walk through.

It was a beautiful morning as Keilyn and I made our way along the Thames Path from North Greenwich to Woolwich, taking in the sights and atmosphere of the four-day Jubilee weekend.

With lots of building work going on along the River Thames, at Woolwich, the entrance to the foot tunnel was difficult to locate, at first, being sited behind the Waterfront Leisure Centre.

Once we discovered the entrance, which is the oldest remaining building in the riverside area, we made our way down the 94 steps of the spiral staircase to the tunnel itself.

The lift shaft in the south entrance.

Once we reached the tunnel we began the walk towards the north bank. There were few pedestrians using the tunnel, but there were plenty of cyclists, disobeying the rules by cycling through the tunnel. 

Looking back towards the south entrance.

Platinum Jubilee Flypast

Thursday June 2, 2022

Our plan to watch the flypast from Green Park was scuppered by the sheer volume of people that had descended on London, so we headed to Waterloo Bridge. 

This vantage point offered us an unobstructed view of the flypast as it approached Westminster from the east.

Below are some photos of the 70 aircraft that took part.

A Wildcat and two Merlin.

A Wildcat and three Apache.

A Wildcat and three Merlin.

Three Puma and three Chinook.

A Lancaster, two Spitfire and two Hurricane (Battle of Britain Memorial Flight).

'The Ferry House'

The Ferry House

Monday May 16, 2022

For the second time in a matter of weeks I found myself back on the Isle of Dogs and back inside The Ferry House pub. This historic pub has been continuously occupied since 1722 and is the oldest on the island and sits on the corner of Ferry Street, from where the ferry to Greenwich departed from the slipway opposite.

Looking out onto the decking and beer garden.

Inside the pub is tastefully decorated and the two bars - saloon and public - that were norm until fairly recently, have been turned into just a single bar. Small rooms with comfy sofas and a large garden make this pub a wonderful place to stop for refreshments.

Greenwich Foot Tunnel

The entrance to the Greenwich foot tunnel at Greenwich.

Of the roughly 40 tunnels beneath the River Thames, the majority of which carry utilities, railway lines and motor vehicles, only three allow pedestrians to use them: The Greenwich Foot tunnel, the Woolwich Foot tunnel and the Rotherhithe tunnel, although the latter is not advisable, unless you want to look like a chimney sweep and breathe in noxious fumes. 

The Greenwich foot tunnel, which I have traversed on numerous occasions, is the oldest pedestrian foot tunnel in London, linking Greenwich with Island Gardens on the Isle of Dogs.

The south entrance is located in front of the Cutty Sark, while the north entrance is situated in Island Gardens.

You have the option of descending the stairs or wait for the lift to be free. I always take the stairs, which spiral down to the white-tiled tunnel.

Running in a straight line, it takes roughly 8 minutes to traverse. 

The Greenwich foot tunnel.

The northern end has some thick concrete and steel lining, which covers bomb damage from World War II, that does narrow the interior of the tunnel for a short distance.

Plaque.

Bomb damage repairs.