Walking with Linda: 4 or 7 mile Wapping to London Bridge walk and The Great River Race.

Join Linda on this 4 or 7 mile Wapping to London Bridge walk and The Great River Race.

Please meet inside or outside the café beside Wapping Tube Station by 09:50 ready for a prompt 10:00 start.

We'll walk alongside the River Thames and around St. Katherine's Docks to Tower Bridge where we will watch the first boats in the annual, Great River Race pass beneath us.  

The Great River Race is London’s River Marathon. It’s a spectacular boat race covering 21.6 miles from Millwall in the east to Richmond in the west, travelling under 28 of London’s famous bridges. It started in 1988 with 61 boats crewed enthusiasts ranging from young scouts to hardened offshore rowing veterans coming from diverse organisations such as rowing clubs, pubs, schools, boating societies and the armed services. It now has around 300 crews taking part and is an international event with competitors from America, Australia, and many European countries.

Once we have watched some of the early rowers in their fancy dress attire pass under Tower Bridge, we'll walk on to London Bridge to watch some later teams row beneath us. By this time, there will still be over 100 teams waiting to depart the Millwall start line!

By the time we have then walked on to Southwark Bridge, yet another batch of rowing boat teams will be passing beneath us.  

When we reach Blackfriars Bridge, we will stop for a pub lunch beside the River Thames (at your own expense) at about 12:30 where you can also continue to watch the competing boat crews pass by if you wish. Or if you prefer, you can bring a picnic to have beside the River.

If a 4 mile walk, the excitement of watching The Great River Race and a pub lunch is enough for you, you can opt to go home from Blackfriars railway station. 

After lunch, we will continue walking west and cross over Waterloo Bridge to walk back to London Bridge on north and south sections of the Thames riverside that we did not walk in the morning and via a part of Roman London.

We'll visit one of our favourite cafés to treat ourselves to a cup of tea before catching our trains home from London Bridge railway station or you can opt to go directly home if you prefer.

Please bring drinking water, money to buy lunch and any other drinks and snacks you may want.

Please dress for the weather on the day (and you might like to bring a golfing umbrella if it is expected to rain!).

Please check your transport times, and for any engineering works, at least the day before the walk and allow some contingency time for delays. The walk needs to depart on time for the comfort and enjoyment of those who have arrived on time. Thank you.

Physical exercise and social interaction is said to regulate our nervous system and sharpen our focus. Movement stimulates the release of brain-devised neurotrophic factor (BDNF) 'brain fertiliser' apparently, so please join us for a day of collective social health and welfare! (Plus a pub lunch, tea, and perhaps a piece of cake which I believe is also good for us!).