Rotherhithe Tunnel - Walking Home on a Friday - Thursday 17 April 2014

Every Friday since 3rd January I have walked home from work in EC2 to SE9, it's generally just over 9 miles and takes anything between 2.5 and 3 hours, normally the latter, and I vary my route each time.

A couple of weeks ago I decided that I would walk home using every crossing between and including Tower Bridge and the QEII Bridge at Dartford (how I'm going to walk to the Dartford Bridge is still a bit of a mystery to me, as the bus that crosses the QEII bridge finishes at 20:00), I've worked out that there are 22 ways to cross the Thames between these two points.

1. Tower Bridge - completed 4th April
2. Wapping to Rotherhithe (Overground Railway) - completed 11th April
3. Rotherhithe Road Tunnel - completed 17th April
4. Canada Water to Canary Wharf (Jubilee Line)
5. Hilton Docks to Canary Wharf Ferry
6. Greenland Pier Ferry to Masthouse Pier (Thames Clipper)
7. Masthouse Pier Ferry to Greenwich Pier Ferry (Thames Clipper)
8. Island Gardens to Cutty Sark (DLR)
9. Greenwich Foot Tunnel
10. Canary Wharf to North Greenwich (Jubilee Line)
11. Greenwich Pier to North Greenwich Pier (Thames Clipper)
12. Blackwell to Greenwich (Road Tunnel)
13. Greenwich to Blackwell (Road Tunnel)
14. Canning Town to North Greenwich (Jubilee Line)
15. Excel to O2 Cable Car
16. North Greenwich Pier t the Royal Arsenal Woolwich Pier (Thames Clipper)
17. Woolwich Ferry
18. Woolwich Tunnel
19. King George V to Woolwich Arsenal (DLR)
20. Dartford to Purfleet (Dartford Tunnel - Bore 1)
21. Dartford to Purfleet (Dartford Tunnel - Bore 2)
22. Purfleet to Dartford (QEII Bridge)

Tower Bridge from Rotherhithe

Wapping Tunnel - its a single bore tunnel

So on Thursday 17th April it was the turn of the Rotherhithe Tunnel, ok it was a Thursday, but given the 18th was Good Friday I think this is acceptable!

I left work at 16:50 and made for the north side of the Tunnel. I had previously worked out that although its slightly longer walk this way as I walk back on myself it would be easier and I can then walk directly home via New Cross, Deptford Creek DLR, Blackheath Hill and Shooters Hill.

Most probably choosing the day before the Easter Break was not the best day to walk through the tunnel as I expect it was busier than normal as people pack their bags and make a get away from the Big City for the Easter Break.

There are no restrictions to walking or cycling through the tunnel, although I had read that it's best to walk in the direction of the traffic and keep close to the wall as cyclists tend to use the pavement, this proved to be correct and at one point a cyclist went past me so close he brushed against me and almost immediately nearly collided with a car.

There's a long approach road down into the Tunnel a throw back to when horses used the tunnel, it then levels out and heads for the other side with a number of bends, apparently this was to prevent the horses bolting if they saw the light at the end of the tunnel.

There are a number of access points as you walk through the tunnel with steps to the surface so the tunnel must be underground as opposed to under river for longer than I expected.

So what's it like walking through the tunnel, frankly awful I would not recommend it to anyone, how cyclists and motorbikers do it regularly I don't know, its disgusting, fumes, fumes and more fumes. I took the precaution of wearing a mask around my mouth, but it was not a very good idea for someone who suffers from Asthma! But it had to be done!

Apparently its 3,689 feet long (1,125 metres) and was opened in 1908 by the Prince of Wales. I'm not the only fool to walk through the tunnel as Caroline's Miscellany and El Director! will prove!