The Day David First Walked His London Tour Route

This month we celebrate World Car Free Day, and I was thinking about when I was designing my tour and exploring the city on foot. 

One thing comes to my mind that I sometimes tell my guests about, especially if they ask if we are going up any stairs. 

The first day that I did my route on my own…

I had a training session that evening with Tisha, my then tour coordinator, but I wanted to get a photo of Borough Market when it was open. So I got to the area in the afternoon instead of in the evening. I took my photo of Borough Market and then thought “what could I do with the rest of the time before my training session?”

I decided to see if I could remember my own route. So I went back to the station and then over to London Bridge standing by the river. 

Where did I go next? 

I saw some stairs, leading up to the top of the bridge. Not remembering that I went up any stairs, I went back the way that I came and turned right to go under the bridge instead. Whilst walking under the bridge, I noticed some coloured lights on the path beneath my feet.

Ah ha, now these I remembered seeing. 

So now I was going the right way. I walked past Southwark Cathedral and round to Borough Market. I then walked down Clink Street to the river and walked along the river until I came to Bear Gardens. I walked down Bear Gardens and turned left at the end. 

I passed the old sites of the theatres, Rose Theatre and Globe Theatre. 

I then found myself lost again, but looking left I saw Wagamama’s. 

Knowing that I had already passed Wagamama’s, I turned right instead. I then walked past Lucy Brown Gardens and then turned right and crossed the road. I then walked past Cross Bones Graveyard and crossed another road and found Octavia Hill’s red cross garden, the final stop on my tour. 

I had done it! I had completed my route on my own for the first time. 

I then had a couple of hours to spare and wondered what to do next. I decided to go back to the north of the river. So, I crossed London Bridge, south to north. 

Where could I go? 

I decided to cross Millennium Bridge, north to south, as I had never crossed it before. I was back on the south side. I had some time to spare and then decided to cross Tower Bridge, south to north. I noticed that I didn’t have much time left before my training session and I needed to get back on the south side again. So, I crossed Southwark bridge, north to south. Just as I was coming off Southwark Bridge, Tisha called me to say that she was ready to start my training session. So I told her where I was and said that I would be there soon. 

When I met Tisha, I told her what I had done and she said that she was going to see if I could remember my route yet. So she was pleased that I had already managed to walk it on my own. 

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