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This Week's Walks - Archive

Please see the Saturday Walker's Club This Week's Walks page.

This is an archive of walks done by the Saturday Walker's Club. You should only need to use this page if the SWC website is down.

Thursday, 3 August 2023

Evening Walk - The most fascinating stretch of the Thames Path: Maritime Greenwich, the Peninsula, Charlton, Thames Barrier, Royal Woolwich Arsenal

Length: 11.0 km (6.8 mi) [Shorter and slightly longer walks possible, see below]
Ascent/Descent: negligible
Net Walking Time: ca. 2 ½ hours
 
Take the 18.24 train from Cannon Street via London Bridge (18.28) & Deptford Fun City (18.34), arrives Greenwich 18.36. This is a Kent Loop Line service back to Cannon Street, probably showing as ‘Dartford via Slade Green’. 
You can also get to Greenwich with the DLR (from Bank via Canary Wharf; Lewisham train). 
Note: check the walk directions pdf for the start point of the walk! We will not wait…
 
Return trains: five per hour (xx.11, xx.27, xx.35, xx.41, xx.57), all via London Bridge, then either to Cannon Street or via Central London Thameslink stations. 
Plus: Crossrail through Central London (every 7 ½ minutes).
Greenwich is in Zone 2, Woolwich Arsenal in Zone 4.
 
Follow quiet lanes from Greenwich Station to the Thames by the Cutty Sark and turn right downstream along this extremely fascinating stretch of London’s main river along Maritime Greenwich and around the rapidly changing Greenwich Peninsula with the O2-Dome and the IFS Cloud-cable car as well as its views across the river to Canary Wharf, the Mouth of the River Lea and the Royal Victoria Dock, before walking past Charlton and the Thames Barrier, with Silvertown and its Tate & Lyle Sugar Refinery opposite, and on to the finish at the former Royal Arsenal site in Woolwich.
 
You pass reminders of Britain’s great maritime past, many historic pubs, the imposing Greenwich Power Station, some new housing developments as well as some long-established industrial sites (including some spectacular Aggregates Businesses), some large outdoor artworks, an Ecology Park, Woolwich Dockyard and the refurbished Royal Arsenal site with its mixture of historic buildings, new and old housing, food & drink establishments and an Arts Centre (in development). 
 
Walk Options:  
Alternative Starts are possible from various points along the route (from 680m to 7.1 km into the walk). For details see the start of the Main Walk Directions. 
Earlier Finishes: For details see the webpage. 
 
Refreshments en route: positively plenty, see the webpage or the walk directions pdf for details. 
Tea at the end: six establishments to choose from - between café, boulangerie, pub, bistro, restaurant. See the webpage or the walk directions pdf for details. 
 
For walk directions, maps, height profiles, photos and gpx/kml files click here. T=short.42

2 comments:

Thomas G said...

Just 2 walkers starting at Greenwich, later joined by 1 other at North Greenwich, late from after-work drinks. n=3
Weatherwise it was perfect, especially after weeks of autumnal weather. Warm-ish with a faint breeze, the passing clouds producing some magnificent cloudscapes and those then leading to a superlative pre-sunset and sunset. w=fine-summer-evening
After a short stop at The Enderby for a drink, we then went non-stop to Woolwich, arriving just after 9 and settling at The Guard House for a meal.

Gavin said...

I was in 4 minds as to whether to come along. I was pretty tired etc, and knowing number of regulars are away at the mo. Thought, after yesterday's Fav/Whit walk, no one might turn up. And living in the opposite end of London, tangentally, it was a longish way to go.