Tomorrow I'll be doing Route 6

It's been a very busy two weeks as I have baked nearly 30 cakes for MS Cake Bake. As well as having a small coffee and cake morning at home I make large cakes to sell - just two or three a day so it's manageable (mix one, bake it, mix next then sit until first is baked, repeat haha)

My friends and family are all so lovely to support this - the total I raised this year is £250 - thank you. Keep an eye on my Aimetu's Stitching blog for an update.

So back to walking - I have rested most of this week, only one swim and one gym session and today will be quite quiet too. Tomorrow Hubby and I will be tackling Route 6 which is from Millwall Dock down to the bottom of the Isle of Dogs and back up through Canary Wharf.

Route 6 

It doesn't look as far as the other straighter routes but I remember last time it was a long way from the island on the left to our finishing point (although I was quite tired by then).

As yet I have not spotted our midway break - we would like to pop into Nicolas in Canary Wharf shopping Centre but it and many other shops are closed on a Saturday, so we'll walk straight through.

Our finish point is right by the Ibis London Docklands hotel - this is very useful as our final trip to do Route 8 will be in September - actually on my birthday September 10th. We are all (Hubby, me, son, daughter, and their partners) staying in London at this hotel for the whole weekend.

We will be walking Route 8 together on Saturday morning (my birthday) to the big finish on The Mall. Afterwards we'll be celebrating somewhere but as yet we're undecided - I did want to go to the Dorchester but looking at their prices it's a dream I will miss as I cannot justify spending that amount of money when charities can do so much more with it. A real treat at night is Hubby has tickets for Party in the Park, Last Night of the Proms (with deckchairs as by then I will not be walking well at all never mind standing)

Anyway back to tomorrow and it will be good to see the hotel and work out the parking as we will drive down - huge THANK YOU again to Virgin Trains for their help with tomorrow's tickets.

Majestic Wine Docklands is also right by where we finish - it would be very rude not to pop in for a browse and although we can't purchase tomorrow we can be thinking ahead to September when we have the car !!

This is the route on a map so you can see the roads clearly.


This week I had a real surprise as a very good friend called round with a donation for Clare's Challenge 50 - it was a very large donation and given in memory of a loved one.

My friend and the family wish to remain anonymous but I wanted to add my thanks onto my blog and I was very very touched by their kindness.



The current total is £687.50 which is amazing and I really can't thank everyone enough.





Finger's crossed tomorrow is a sunny day and we will be able to walk without our coats for the first time. I'm not sure what we'll find history wise as the area has been rebuilt and much of the original dockland has gone but who knows what our slow pace will reveal.

Tower Bridge to Canary Wharf completed

The finish is even closer now as I've passed half way, although I actually feel further away than ever as Route 5 turned east to Canary Wharf. Looking on the map we are nearly level with our starting point at Blackheath - making The Mall seem a very long way away.

It was disappointing not to walk Saturday 23rd but my legs were not really up to it and the trains were full of football fans going to Wembley. I thought it would be nice to walk then as we'd be able to see some of the signs set up for the marathon, but there were still some barriers around on Saturday.

I did enjoy watching the London Marathon on tv last Sunday, what an amazing bunch of people - congratulations to everyone who completed the course and sincere condolences to David Seath's family. It is so heart warming how so many have donated since and walked their own 3.2 miles in his honour - Just Giving David Seath is the donations page set up by his comrades.

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After the recent mixed weather it was great to see sun when we got up Saturday morning. Virgin Trains have been so kind yet again providing tickets for our journey. We had added interest this time as in Nuneaton Station was an old diesel train with old carriages ready to set off up north on a tour.

87002 ROYAL SOVEREIGN on the Pines Express
heading to Manchester

Arriving in Euston we took a stroll to Euston Square to take the Underground to Towerhill. That was easier than getting the Underground from Euston and making a change - each trip and route we complete we certainly cover more than the three miles.

An amazing view greeted us as we stepped out of Towerhill Station - the Tower of London - and a little further to the right was The Shard, it's becoming quite a symbol to me.

Tower of London

The Shard

Route 4 finished north side of Tower Bridge, it was certainly a better day this time although a little cloudy the bridge did look beautiful in the sun.

Starting Route 5 

As we set off along The Highway the Royal Mint Court was on our left. It's not such an impressive building but looks official with it's large solid closed gates. Coinage was struck here back in the 13th Century with many changes since, the Royal Mint is currently at Llantrisant South Wales.

Royal Mint Court 

The Highway cuts across from Tower Hill to Limehouses in a fairly straight line, where as the Thames curves away leaving docks in between. The first of these is St Katherine's Dock, a place we've visited many times to see the array of yachts. It was quite spectacular for the Queen's Jubilee; full of sails, masts and flags. These beautiful gates, with their symbolic elephants, lead down to the dock and Ivory House built in 1852 with its impressive clock tower.

Beautiful gates to St Katherine's Dock

There are old dock buildings all along The Highway, either having been or are being converted into apartments.


The buildings are quite beautiful with their distinctive windows and cranes used for loading and unloading cargo.

Small streets and old warehouses dominate most of this area, Wapping, between the Thames and The Highway. It's had a varied past, including being bombed during the war and latterly being associated with newspapers and the press.


The Highway is an ancient thoroughfare, its age and place in history being told in

the variety of buildings including St Paul's church where Captain James Cook was amongst the congregation and John Wesley a preacher.

St Paul's Shadwell built in 1656

Air shaft for Rotherhithe Tunnel (south)

Air shaft for Rotherhithe Tunnel (north)

The Rotherhithe Tunnel passes underneath although you would not know apart from two air shafts one either side the road.


We passed the tunnel entrance on Route 4 and it felt quite strange to be now walking over the top of it going the other way.



There has been so much history on our walks, so many things we didn't know and now want to find more about. I think we will be revisiting parts of our walks again, at a slower pace and with more time as there is so much more to see. One such area being Tobacco Dock with it's events, shops and restaurants.

The Highway ends where the new Limehouse Link tunnel starts. Here the marathon route turns south following the Thames Path along Narrow Street which looks like the original continuation of The Highway. It was almost like stepping back in time with rows of warehouses with their painted signs. It's now a road of apartments, some owned by the rich and famous. Sir Ian McKellen lives in this street and is the Landlord of The Grapes, our rest stop.

Limehouse Link tunnel

Our right turn clearly signposted. 

Narrow Street

Sir Ian McKellen's pub 

The pub dates back to 1583

A small, traditional pub with its
age on display all around.

It was really good to sit a while, definitely a slow walk this time with sharp pins and needles in my feet making some steps quite painful. We decided to have a lunch, sharing a triple sandwich and a bowl of superb chips. Along the wall ran a long bench seat, the original that had evidence of the pubs visitors over time - the seat cured with a dip made from the many posteriors having perched there. I wonder if Samuel Pepys or Charles Dickens had sat in my seat - I expect those benches could tell some stories.

The Grapes is quite a narrow pub with very steep stairs to the upper floors. It sits directly on the pavement out the front and directly on the water side at the rear. There is a small wooden area built on stilts which offers amazing views up and down river - views of Route 4 on the south bank, Route 5 as walked so far and the way to go.

On the wooden deck taking a rest. W

Looking west towards Tower Bridge (Route 4 was along the left bank)

Looking east towards Canary Wharf and the final part of Route 5 

Set in the shore close to The Grapes is a statue of man on a wooden plinth, entitled Another Time (or Old Father Time depending on what you read) it was sculpted by Antony Gormley and though to have been bought by Sir Ian. It was impressive at low tide and must be quite a sight when the tides high.

Another Time on the shore of the River Thames 

Rest over we set off on the final part, along to Westferry before turning down Westferry Road past Canary Canary Wharf to our finishing point at Millwall Outer Dock. Just outside the Grapes was a small park area with an unusual sculpture - a two foot high herring gull.

This area was a hive of activity in the past with many trades. Limehouse gets it's name from the lime kilns that were here as lime was used in plaster for making wattle and daub. The road names give clues as to the trades in the area - Ropemakers Fields, Barleycorn Way, Kiln Street and Three Colt Street.

Herring Gull statue

Warehouses along Narrow Street

Turning the corner we were suddenly in back in modern London, right next to Westferry DLR station. The Docklands Light Railway runs above the road at a busy road junction with red London buses appearing every few minutes, very different from the quiet back in time Narrow Road.

The next bit was a little tricky as on marathon day the roads are closed whereas we have to go by path and pavement. Our route now involved a long flight of steps to get up to the island at Westferry Circus, not the best sight for me at this stage but I made it to the top one step at a time.

Beautiful views on what was a very sunny day. From here we could see up the Thames with Rotherhithe (Route 4) on the left and our mornings route on the right - it certainly looked a long way. Such a skyline too with The Shard dominating the left and many distinctive skyscrapers in the centre.

Looking towards Central London from Canary Wharf

Having gone up to Westferry Circus, after walking round we of course had to come down .... but there was a lift which certainly made me smile. It felt a long way down Westferry Road to our finish. Millwall Outer Dock is another example of how life used to be in this area of London, huge expanses of water that would have been busy with ships importing and exporting goods. Two large cranes still stand next to the dock but it is now mainly a residential area with Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre using the inland water.

Millwall Outer Dock looking towards Canary Wharf

Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre based at the dock

 It was lovely to get to the finish as I really was tired this time. We had planned to have a sit down and drink at Canary Wharf but the DLR station was quite a walk so we decided to hop on a bus, well slowly walk on really.

Finish of Route 5 having just walked down the
very long Westferry Road

As I was feeling tired we stopped at a pub for a drink, just sparkling water for me, no celebration wine this time. We decided to return home so I could rest and caught the train from Euston just after 5pm. A lovely day, a hard walk with so much to see.

Huge thanks to my Hubby Nick whose support in doing this has been amazing - I'm sure he'd rather walk a little faster and go a little further. Without his support, especially his arm, I certainly would not be able to do this Challenge.

Route 6 is from the Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre to the tip of the Isle of Dogs, back up to and around Canary Wharf, finishing at Aspen Way - as yet I'm unsure on a date, I need to see how my legs are - maybe end of May before our holiday or early July once we're home.

Thank you to everyone who has donated - the current total is £457.50 which is an amazing amount.

A bit of a delay

We had a busy time last weekend and busy Monday which has slowed my legs even more, however my plans to do Route 5 had not changed.

I was quite looking forward to seeing some of the route in its set up for the actual Marathon on Sunday, however it's not to be :-(

I hadn't realised that there is a big football match on at Wembley. Our station is a stop between Liverpool and London and all reservations have been taken - the train will be very busy and it would be impossible for me to stand all the way.

Virgin Trains have been so helpful in all my journeys - amazingly so and they have helped again with tickets for Saturday 30th :-)

I believe in things happening for a reason; I'm not a footie fan but in this instance I am actually grateful to the game as my legs still hurt today and the sensible option is to rest a little more.

Everyone running Sunday is amazing to have worked and trained so hard - I'll be watching - good luck to everyone in the London Marathon.

And good luck with all the fundraising - it's a huge event for many charities, big and small. I'm so pleased to be able to help my four - thank you to all who have donated - the pot is growing and is now at an amazing £457.50 !!

My four charities
Click image for donation page

Soon be walking time again

I'm so pleased to have reached half way - even if we were soaked ! All the news about Route 4 is in my previous post Over Half Way! 

April is Marathon Month - the actual London Marathon is on Sunday 24th April. We're not going down as it's a day for true athletes and people with far far more energy and drive than me.

Good luck 

to everyone taking part both in running and any fundraising you are doing 

All being well - my legs do feel strong at the moment although overall I'm still so slow - I'm hoping to do Route 5 the day before (April 23rd). We may see some of the setting up and marking for the main event and as it's St George's Day I'll be looking out for knights and dragons too. 

We'll be starting at Tower Hill / Tower Bridge junction then turning east along A1203 towards Canary Wharf - we're actually staying there next weekend as we've a mini break to see Les Mis. Visiting London always involves walking but our theatre break will certainly not be 3 miles!

Looking at the map I could have skipped a bit - it would have taken just one trip to walk through Greenwich Park to the Cutty Sark and under the Thames Tunnel to Canary Wharf which is where Route 5 finishes - of course that defeats the object and additionally we've seen so much along the way. 

Route 5 marked in red 

Start and Finish of Route 5 

I am so grateful to everyone who has donated, there are so many good causes for us to help so thank you to those who've helped me support my four chosen charities.

 

Such an amazing amount

 - thank you :)

If you'd like to donate you can click the link below 

As always I'll be taking photos along the way, looking out for my walking icon The Shard, and having that much deserved glass of something at the end, all with the amazing support of my Hubby. 

Over half way !!!

Completing Route 4 means I have now walked 13 miles - half way !! It's hard to believe we've walked this far, looking on the map I could have cut many corners and probably got to this point in just two walks - but that would be cheating !!

Half way - our walk so far

Saturday dawned quite chilly with the forecast of rain so wrapped up and with umbrellas we made our way to Nuneaton station. Virgin Trains have been absolutely amazing with their support. We would have still done my Challenge but there is no doubt that their sponsorship in providing train tickets has been a real bonus.

Arriving in Euston just a few minutes late due to engineering works we took the familiar route on the Northern Line to London Bridge and then the Jubilee line to Canada Water where we met up with our friends Dave and Agnes who were joining us to walk Route 4.

Canada Water is the opposite side of Surrey Quays to where Route 3 finished but as it was easier to get the tube than spend a lot longer on the bus the first part of our walk was retracing the very end of Route 3, with added interest on the way. Firstly a small cut of water with moorhens swimming around and a water bird we had seen before but unsure of it's name - finding out later it was a coot !

Coot with ultra bright legs (I'm not sure what was in the
water but everything looked ultra violet)

There's lots of building work happening at Surrey Quays around the old docks and canals. At one point we could see into the compound and the foundation work - such a surprise to see an old dock layout which they appear to be preserving.

Old dock being preserved as the rebuilt takes place

All this interest already and we were not even at the starting point - in fact it was a quarter of a mile to the finish point of Route 3. Nothing had changed, but then it was only a month since we'd been. Our friends kindly took the starting photo so for once you can see both of us.

Ready for Route 4 

Off we set - nothing very exciting about this area of London today but as I said before it was once a thriving dock area with many canals, shipbuilding, trade and of course dockers. The area is now known as Rotherhithe but was originally called Redriff and in Anglo Saxon times was where cattle were landed due to it being one of the ancient river crossing points.

Redriff Road curves left following the river, although we could not see the water as there are houses and flats between the road and river, changing into Slater Road passing Surrey Docks Farm although again we couldn't quite see it. The Thames path runs right along the river edge and having had so much fun doing this walk is something we may consider in the future as it would be very interesting to walk riverside.

Above the houses we could see Canary Wharf - it seemed so close, not the other side of the Thames River. Route 5 and 6 takes us round the Isle of Dogs past all the huge sky scrapers - I hope we'll get the chance to look back across the river.

Canary Wharf - incredible to think the River Thames is between the
houses and the skyscrapers.

Slater Road curves again to the left where we discovered Lavender Dock and Lavender Pond Pumping Station. It's now looked after by The Conservation Volunteers but was once a timber pond where timber was floated to stop it drying out. The Pumphouse was build to control the water levels in Surrey Docks - now it's a conservation area enjoyed by local families.

Lavender Pond and the Pumphouse

The locals enjoying the nature reserve

Round the bend even further, we were walking nearly in the opposite direct to our starting route, we passed over Surrey Water and caught a glimpse of the Bascule Bridge at the entrance to Surrey Canal. Andie Byrnes has an amazing blog - A Rotherhide Blog - all about the history of this area. So much to read with so much detail. It is certainly an area Nick and I are keen to know more about and will be reading Andie's blog to find out more.

Bascule Bridge

As you can tell from my bridge photo the weather was turning, in fact we had begun to feel spots of rain. From crossing the canal we were now in Brunel Road and although the Marathon Route continues along here until the road joins with Jamaica Road we did a very slight detour towards the riverside as my legs were ready for a break, and I'd discovered a great pub when researching our walk.

The Mayflower Pub is like stepping back into the 16th Century and was the original mooring point of the Pilgrim Fathers. The pub is superb with it's old wood, cosy rooms, leaded windows, position on the Thames, good food and wine.

Mayflower plaque

Beer costs a little bit more today !!

Leaded windows - the panes have hues of various colours

Signage inside the pub 

Perfect in such a wonderful setting

Enjoying a short rest in an amazing pub.

Just up the road from the pub we found this lovely statute of the Pilgrim Fathers, another part of history that would be interesting to find more about and it's links to this historical part of our capital city.

Pilgrim Fathers

And just outside the pub is the Brunel Museum with it's tall chimney. There is a shaft and tunnel underneath the river from this museum - it's all so interesting. The tunnel was built in 1843 and was the first one to go under the Thames, quite a novelty at the time. The shaft was built so the tunnel could be built.

Brunel Museum 

Back to Marathon walking and we had company .... rain! Not a huge downpour but that persistent rain that soon has you quite wet. Jamaica Road starts at an island - quite a busy island as it's the entrance to Rotherhithe Tunnel. The road goes down the tunnel, turns left to go under the river then turns again to go back up to road height. Why the turns instead of curves - the tunnel was built in the age of horse and cart - when the horses went under tunnel it was important they didn't see the light of the exit too soon or they would bolt. So putting in a bend preventing the horses bolting and causing accidents.

The tunnel entrance is the archway you can just see left of the lamppost 

So many cars queueing to go under the tunnel - to be honest I didn't know it was a road tunnel, I only knew about the Blackwall Tunnel so quite a surprise to discover another. Just before the island we passed the foot entrance - not sure I'd walk under looking at the number of cars queueing, all that pollution.

Foot entrance to Rotherhithe Tunnel

The rain had really started to come down, straight ahead was what is becoming my 'special landmark'. The Shard was the first London iconic building we saw on our first route and we have passed by it every journey so far - there it was again, directly in front of us giving a spot on interpretation of the weather !! It's become a bit of an encouragement sight for me and does make me smile every time I spot it - even in the rain.

The Shard - my walking landmark 

The streets were becoming more built up now with a mixture of old and new (to look old) buildings. Every so often we could see through to the river making us wish even more to return to do the Thames Path. Here's a few of the buildings and views we saw as we continued along into Tooley Street towards Tower Bridge.

Most Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church 

Shad Thames - used in the film Oliver 

Hop Studios built 1887 - previously a warehouse,
now apartments and Penthouse suite

Jamaica Wharf - Grade II listed building 

 The traffic lights on Tooley Road were a welcome sight as it meant finally a right turn - a mixed turn as the rain was now heading towards us but we were heading straight for Tower Bridge - what a view.

Who wouldn't smile with such an iconic view
 - even if it was raining

Tower Bridge is such a landmark with quite a history too. Not least the controversy in the late 1960s when an American Tycoon bought London Bridge maybe by mistake. Tower Bridge when built was the largest most sophisticated bascule bridge known, bascule is french for see-saw or balance.

Built over 120 years ago Tower Bridge is the landmark that most people associate with London and it's an important part of the London Marathon as crossing the bridge leaves the south bank behind, moves runners onto the north, business side of London and most importantly marks half way - yeah!

Our crossing of the bridge was certainly memorable - and a challenge as my legs hurt, the rain was pouring and I had photos to take !

Such a stunning structure 

Still raining

Tower Bridge through it's arches 

The views from the bridge are amazing - looking east it was a surprise to see how far we'd walked as we couldn't see the curve in the river at all. Looking west the skyline was such a mixture of old and new - oh the history. London really is a beautiful city.

Looking east back towards the starting point of Route 4

London skyline - Tower of London and the Gherkin - centuries apart

Route 4 finished just over the bridge at Tower Hill junction, this will be the start of Route 5 which turns east along East Smithfield towards Canary Wharf. 

Route 4 was another great day, very tiring and I must apologise to our friends as although it was raining I couldn't speed up. We were all still smiling though. 

Still smiling in the rain 

Hubby and I at the end of Route 4

Turning round to look back across the bridge what did I see, my special landmark of course. Disappearing in the cloud but still there at the end of Route 4.

The Shard disappearing in the cloud

To celebrate finishing another 3 miles and more importantly achieving the half marathon we headed towards All Bar One, one of my favourite red wines is Yering Station Shiraz Viognier, full of sour cherries with a kick of spice - the perfect way to sit with Hubby and friends to relax after quite a walk.

Perfect treat at the end of Route 4 

Thank you so much to Virgin Trains, our lovely friends Dave & Agnes and special thanks to my super Hubby Nick. At one stage I wondered if I could do this - even the first bit - and now have to pinch myself that I have actually got to the half marathon mark :)


This is a personal challenge as well as a fundraiser for my four great charities - THANK YOU to everyone who has donated - the total is currently £371 which is amazing!

Tired but happy on the train home 

Please share my blog and donation page Virgin Giving Clare's Challenge 

I would really like to raise £500 by the end of my walk so the more sharing the more chance of a few more donations - thank you - see you again soon for Route 5.