Thames Crossings - Thames Clipper - Masthouse Terrace Pier to Woolwich - Friday 10th October 2014

Oh well British Summer Time's almost over and I won't be able to take many photos of my walks home shortly. Even now its too dark by 18:00 to take any decent shoots. Well at least the video works pretty well in the dark and I must say I'm pretty pleased with my speeded up video of the trip on the Thames Clipper from Masthouse Terrace Pier to Woolwich. The trip actually took just under 20 minutes whilst my speeded up version is a little under three minutes, I even think the music fits well!

So what happened onto days trip, as normal not a lot. I made sure I left on the spot at 17:00 tonight as I was not sure if the trip would take longer than usual given the extended trip on the Thames Clipper. As it is I was home by 20:00 which is 20 minutes earlier than the regular walk.

I left by the back entrance, out via the tradesman's entrance and then it was the normal direct route, past Spitalfields, across Brick Lane.

Spitalfields

Brick Lane

I crossed Whitechapel Road, across Commercial Road, and into Watney Street market, still busy at 17:30.

Watney Street Market

Past Shadwell left into Cable Street then into Narrow Street and long the River front, with a good sunset developing. Then its all along the Thames path apart from the short road walk between Sir John Dougall Gardens and Docklands Sailing Club.

Thames Barge

I was quite surprised to find myself arriving at Masthouse Terrace Pier just across from Greenwich in time to catch the 18:26 Thames Clipper, if I was in time given the need to take photos, purchase a ticket and get the video camera out!

Sunset over the Pepy's Estate Deptford

Here comes the boat, but no ticket, but I did get the sunset over the Pepy's estate in Deptford, and the boat arriving but no video footage. The boat docked, people got off and the crew lifted the gangway, 'Hang on, I won't to get on' shouted the other passenger 'Only joking replied' the crew, I bet!

Thames Clipper arriving

I purchased my ticket on board, which cost £4.50 with a travelcard discount, I do feel the pricing of the service is a little steep compared to a tube or a train, but the view is far more spectacular! By the time I had completed the transaction we were arriving at Greenwich. I will need to remember this when I do that crossing and ensure I get my ticket first otherwise I will not be able to film!

Canary Wharf

I spent the journey filming, catching the sunset and the fading lights of Canary Wharf and then I concentrated on the river front at Greenwich and the Greenwich Peninsula. At the O2 or North Greenwich as the stop is called most passengers got off, mainly the "beautiful young people" obviously heading for a themed meal in one of the many high street chained restaurant or the cinema. Well I guess it beats paying £20 to park in the car park. Personally I don't like the O2 as a venue of choice for a night out, it was bad enough when I went there for the cinema, and don't get me going about the Tooting Car Moon exhibition in 2007!

Canary Wharf again!

On the final leg of the trip, I concentrated on the north bank and my favourite location Tate & Lyle. We slowed down to go between the Thames Barrier which was impressive all lit up and soon we arrived at Woolwich, and with a a final shot of the City I disembarked for the remaining 3 mile walk home, but not before taking some photos of the metal men in the Arsenal.

Assembly - Woolwich Arsenal

The walk home was quick, somehow I managed to walk through Woolwich and in particular Powis Street which meant I walking back on myself!

As I entered Academy Road it started to rain slightly but nothing to bad, and when I got home I had a lovely Bottle of German Weisse Beer!

A very good trip, the Thames Clipper at night is highly recommended!


View my video of the Thames Clipper Trip here!

Eastbourne to Hasting a walk hopefully! - 30th September 2014

A few weeks ago we went down to Seaford and walked across the Seven Sisters to Eastbourne. We thought it would be a good idea to go back and see how far we could walk towards Hastings. Its 16 miles around the coast, 13 if you can walk on water!

I purchased a couple of Southern Rover tickets which gives you unlimited travel on the entire Southern network for £15 each. During the week this is after 10am whilst at weekends and Bank Holidays this is all day. There are also restrictions for boarding trains at Victoria, London Bridge and Clapham Junction in the evening rush hour, but not travelling into these stations.

The £15 each is cheaper than a day return and also give you the flexibility to jump off and jump on. Our train departed for Eastbourne at 10:17 from Victoria so we used our season tickets to get us to Victoria. Once again Flosi was joining us and she acted like a little girl all the way to Eastbourne, wanting to look out the windows and walking about, very much like me really!

We arrived at Eastbourne just before 12noon and the first thing we did was eat our lunch down on the sea front by the pier. The amusement dome at the front end of the pier was recently damaged by fire and it was good to see that work has already started on repairing the damage or even removing the damage, time will tell.

Eastbourne Pier

This is a nice easy walk no hills no rough ground only long stretches of walking on pebbles, where we tended to revert to the road along the beach. Eastbourne was busy and was living up to its label as the retirement town of choice in the South East, plenty of mobility scooters and walking sticks!

The route took us out of Eastbourne, where most things were closed and the public toilets were about to join them as 30th September sees them close down until May 2015, hard luck if you get caught short.

Eastbourne from afar

Once out of Eastbourne you walk through Sovereign Harbour which is a marina with a huge development of apartments some with sea views some without, I think they look quite nice and some of the occupiers had made a really good effort in doing up their small gardens / patios.

Sovereign Harbour

Once past the Harbour it is along the beach, tough on your feet and no doubt Flosi found it tough going. There are a number of houses facing the beach as you approach Pevensey (where William the Conquerer landed in 1066, obviously just known as Duke William in those days). Some had been done up really nicely some were a little ramshackle, but I nice spot to live. There are a large number of Martello towers along this part of the coast, no doubt Henry VIII had learnt from the William experience a few hundred years earlier. Some of these have been converted into residences but without any windows.

A Martello Tower

Once at Pevensey we thought about a drink but for some reason we gave it a miss, maybe too early. We passed Sandcastles a really nice seafront Art Deco building, I think it might have been a hotel once and I believe Edward and Mrs Simpson stayed there.

Sandcastles

Once past Pevensey the next stop was Norman's Bay and this really was a stop as my foot was playing me up. I had tripped a few weeks ago Whilst walking home and its still not better. As we are going away to the Forest of Dean shortly I did not want to aggravate further so we decided to stop here after a mere 7.5 miles. This was as good as place as anywhere as Normans Bay station was just a few hundred yards away, and we only had a few minutes to wait for the train for St Leonards Warrior Square.

Flosi waiting for the train

At St Leonards we walked down to the sea front visited the Warrior Square, a big park and then back to the Station stopping off for tea and cake.

We caught the 16:58 back to Victoria, this was pretty busy but did not seem to bother Flosi who was laid flat out all the way home. Beverley has suggested that come back and finish off, good idea.

20 years on the Central Line at Ongar - 28th September 2014

On the 30th September 1994 the last underground train ran between Ongar and Epping on the Central Line. Service that day had been provided by the 1960 3 car unit Craven stock, which had been providing the motive power since the line had been reduced to a peak hour shuttle service only.

However on the weekend of 26th, 27th and 28th September the same Craven 1960 stock made a return visit to the now Epping and Ongar Railway for an 'End of Tube' remembrance. Of course the Epping & Ongar railway is no longer electrified and therefore the tube train had to be push/pulled by a Schoma Diesel unit or a number of them.

But from the right direction you could believe the Tube was being self propelled. The other downside was that the Tube doors had to be manually opened and closed and I believe there were no lights either!

Also in attendance was Met 1, the first Steam Train on the Metropolitan Underground, unfortunately that had problems on the Sunday and had to be withdrawn.

In addition there were numerous buses of all type and colours (well Green and Red with a silver one as well). These provided shuttle services between Epping, North Weald, Ongar and Shenfield and a very colourful sight they made too. My favourite was the 160A which used to travel to Falconwood, my old bus service before being replaced by the B16.