Some cities ignore their river settings, and some don't. London, happily, takes very good care of the River Thames and provides gorgeous views and peaceful promenades along much of its length. With the cooperation of the national government, it also maintains lovely vistas and a serene ambiance outside the capital area, particularly to the west. And it's clean, too, with one critic claiming it to be "the cleanest urban river in the world."
After you've seen the historical, cultural and artistic highlights of London, you should take in the countryside. But if you don't have much time, a good substitute for the bucolic hills and vales of England is right at your doorstep in London, along the Thames.
Events
From July 4 to 8, 2007, the annual Henley Royal Regatta is run, with crews from several nations competing for five days (think Oxford, Harvard, etc.), and lots of champagne drunk and strawberries eaten in tents erected along the way. Look up details at www.hrr.co.uk.
On September 15 and 16, 2007, the Great River Race sees oars and paddles flashing along the 22 miles from Richmond to Greenwich and through the heart of London. About 300 craft take part, including dragon boats, Hawaiian war canoes, Viking longboats, rowboats, whatever. This goes along with the Mayor's Thames Festival, held for two weekend days, with the South Bank from Tooley Street to Waterloo featuring street artists, dancing, masqueraders at a night carnival, and a finale of fireworks. And there's plenty to eat at the gaily-decorated night street market. More at www.thamesfestival.org.
Boating on the Thames
Year-round commuter services offer the most convenient way of getting from place to place along the river, with leisurely cruises coming a close second. London River Services provide both commuter and leisure runs, the business divided up among several companies, mostly on a geographical basis.
Between Hampton Court to the west and Woolwich to the east, there are 24 piers where you can board -- most of them close to Underground stations and buses, a few near railway stations. Transport for London (TfL) provides an excellent guide to River Thames Boat Services twice a year (Spring & Summer, Fall & Winter issues) with more information at tel. 020/7222-1234 or at www.tfl.gov.uk.
Dozens of must-see spots are within easy walking distance of the piers, from Westminster Abbey and the London Eye through St. Paul's Cathedral to the Tower of London and Maritime Greenwich, to name only a few. Some operators offer half off normal fare for Freedom Pass Holders and a third off for Travelcard Holders, both available from Transport for London.
Commuter boats are operated by Thames Clippers (www.thamesclippers.com) and by Thames Executive Charters (www.thamesexecutivecharters.com). Sample fares: on the eastern stretch (Savoy to Woolwich) range from £2.70 to £6.10 one way ($5.07 to $11.47), £4.30 to £9.75 round-trip ($8.08 to $18.33).
Leisure cruises are run by Turks Launches (tel. 020/8546-2434; www.turks.co.uk), Westminster Passenger Services Association (tel. 020/7930-2062; www.wpsa.co.uk), Crown River Cruises (tel. 020/7936-2033; www.crownriver.com), City Cruises (tel. 020/7740-0400; www.citycruises.com), Thames River Services (tel. 020/7930-4097; www.westminsterpier.co.uk), Catamaran Cruisers (tel. 020/7987-1185; www.catamarancruisers.co.uk), with one-way prices running from £2.15 to £12 ($4.04 to $22.56).
As a sample, City Cruises offers regular eastward sailings daily (except December 25) from these piers: Westminster, London Eye, Tower, and Greenwich, with departures every 45 minutes or so. One-way tickets are £6 or £7 ($11.28 or $13.16), roundtrip £7 to £9 ($13.16 to $16.92). The WPSA, also mentioned earlier and operating as Thames River Boats, run their craft to Kew, Richmond and Hampton Court, all to the west of Westminster, taking about three hours each way to Hampton Court. April through October. The cost is £13.50 one way, £19.50 round trip ($25.38 to $36.66).
One bus tour company, The Original Tour, offers a free Catamaran Cruisers boat trip (subject to availability) when you buy their 24-hour sightseeing ticket. Check it out at www.theoriginaltour.com.
You can also hire your own boat for cruising on the Thames (all west of Westminster), by getting a copy of the Environment Agency's booklet, River Thames: Hiring a Boat. They say you can hire a rowboat from about £8 per hour or £40 a day ($15.04 or $75.20), and a motor launch from about £20 per hour or £100 per day ($37.60 or $188). A boat for four people for a week in low season they say, will cost about £450 and in high season £800 ($846 to $1504), which means a cost from £16 to £30 per person per night ($30.08 to 56.40). Many boats are electric, so quiet, and there are charging points along the river. I can attest to the pleasure of a noiseless cruise, especially around Henley. Check it out at www.environment-agency.gov.uk.
River Walks
For the hardy, consider trekking along the Thames Path National Trail or a part of it. Running from the river's source in the Cotswolds in the west, it follows the water continuously for 184 miles, all the way to Crayford Ness, about 14 miles east of London's Borough of Greenwich. It's divided into four manageable parts, however, each described in excellent brochures available from Transport for London (TfL) or through tourist information offices:
1. From the source to the Albert Bridge in Chelsea, London's Rural Thames. This is far too long a walk to be notated here completely, but just from Windsor Castle and Windsor Park to the Albert Bridge, you will encounter these highlights along the river: Windsor town, Windsor Castle (admission £6.50, $12.22) and Windsor Park are all full of interesting spots, as is Eton (just across the bridge from Windsor, admission to Eton College £4, $7.52), Hampton Court Palace itself (a glorious place where you can easily spend several hours), and Kew Gardens.
Kew Palace, the former home of George III, is now open to the public after a ten-year restoration, which it needed after being used by his 15 children and their retinue. You can see life as it was at the time of the death of Queen Charlotte in 1818. It's open from late April to September 30 annually, admission £11.75 to Kew Gardens required before admission to the palace at £5 ($22.09 plus $9.40). Inside Kew Gardens (nearest tube Kew Gardens). Contact them at tel. 0870/751-5179 or at www.hrp.org.uk.
2. From Albert Bridge to Tower Bridge, The Heart of London's River Thames. This will undoubtedly prove to be the highlight of your walking tour. You can choose either the north side or the south side, as both are well marked with Thames Path signs and occasional information boards pointing out historical sites and providing plenty of information on what you are seeing. You can also crisscross the river, using the many bridges or riverboat services available, with plenty of buses and trains to get you back to base whenever you wish.
On the North Bank, highlights include the elegant Chelsea residential area, the splendid Royal Hospital Chelsea (a home for retired soldiers, designed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1681), Tate Britain (British art since Tudor times, think Whistler and Turner), the Palace of Westminster (commonly known as Houses of Parliament), Big Ben, St. Margaret's Church, Westminster Abbey, the Victoria Embankment, St. Paul's Cathedral, London Bridge, The Tower of London and Tower Bridge. The people who devised the path say this should take about 2 hours and 30 minutes, provided you don't actually stop to explore any of the sites mentioned.
On the South Bank, also walking eastward, highlights include the immense Battersea Power Station (now being developed as an entertainment complex), New Covent Garden (go before 11 AM or 10 on Saturdays to this spot where the food depot moved from Old Covent Garden), the headquarters of MI6 (Britain's CIA), the Museum of Garden History, the Florence Nightingale Museum, the London Aquarium, the Saatchi Gallery (think pigs in formaldehyde), the British Airways London Eye, the South Bank Centre (especially Hayward Gallery), the Tate Modern Art Gallery, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, the London Dungeon, the HMS Belfast, and London's new City Hall, an impressive glass sphere by Sir Norman Foster. The path creators say this will take three hours, without stopping.
3. From Tower Bridge to Greenwich and the Thames Barrier, Explore Seafaring London. Ten miles total. On the North Bank, highlights include St. Katharine Docks (1828), Wapping High Street, Captain Kidd's Pub, the Prospect of Whitby (another pub, and the spot from which both Turner and Whistler painted their most famous river scenes), Limehouse Basin & Marina, the Grapes pub (popularized by Dickens in Our Mutual Friend), Canary Wharf on the Isle of Dogs, The Museum in Docklands, the Greenwich Foot Tunnel and Greenwich itself. Total time 2 hours, they say.
On the South Bank, here are the most important highlights: Conrans' Design Museum, the Mayflower Pub (from here, the ship left for the Netherlands and, finally, PlymouthÂ?you can see the passenger list and Last Will & Testament of the crew), the fabulous Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site (the National Maritime Museum, Royal Observatory, Queen's House, Cutty Sark, etc.), the weird-looking O2 dome (a boondoggle built for the Millennium celebrations and perhaps to be used in the 2012 Olympic if it doesn't become an American-managed casino first), and the Thames Barrier, a marvel of modern engineering (1982). Total elapsed time is four hours, 25 minutes.
4. From the Thames Barrier to Crayford Ness, Exploring London's Working River. This 9.5-mile stretch (five hours and ten minutes) is for the hardiest, as the path's developers note that "some parts of the path may be subject to flooding at high tide." You're east of the Barrier, after all, which was designed to prevent this sort of thing westward.
You've only one choice here, the South Bank, as the North Bank is eaten up by London City Airport and two huge docks, the King George V and the Royal Albert, though you can make a brief detour there by ferry or foot tunnel if you so desire (see below).
Highlights along the path here include the Thames Barrier, designed to keep high tides from flooding London (as they did back in 1953, killing more than 300 people), the Woolwich Dockyard and Royal Arsenal, and the Thames Water Crossness Works (for its unbelievable Victorian-era engineering, described as "a cathedral of ironwork"). Beyond this point, the path continues past a sewage disposal plant and other unattractive options, so the only reason to take it is for the hike itself or to watch birds, some 130 species having been recorded here, they say. At Woolwich, by the way, you could cross the river by either free ferry or foot tunnel to see the Old Station Museum adjacent to the North Woolwich railway terminal. The Thames Barrier Information Centre is on the South Bank (Eastmoor Street, Charlton) open from10:30 to 4:30 between April and September, from 11 to 3:30 the rest of the year, "small admission charge." The easiest way to get here is by riverboat (tel. 020/7930-4097). The center's phone is tel. 020/8305-4188, website www.environment-agency.gov.uk.
The Southeast London Green Chain
If you want more hiking, consider this 40-mile network of footpaths, starting from three points on the Thames (The Thames Barrier, Woolwich Ferry & Foot Tunnel, and Crossway Park) and threading their way down a 16.5 miles corridor to Crystal Palace Park, halfway between Westminster and the suburb of Croydon. You can picnic, visit historical spots such as Eltham Palace and Charlton House, or watch for animals and birds. (There are said to be foxes, woodpeckers and jays, among others.) You can get a pack of ten weatherproof route cards for £3.50 ($6.58). More information at tel. 020/8921-5028 or at www.greenchain.com.
Lodging
Among the newest hotels along the Thames (planed opening October, 2006) is the Hilton London Tower Bridge, a Hilton-owned (not franchised) property with 245 rooms, right in the center of the trendy Southwark borough and with gorgeous views of the river and the North Bank (think St. Paul's). Madly modern, but pleasing, interiors, convenient location (nearest Underground, London Bridge on the Jubilee Line). Rates start from £169 ($317.72), and facilities include business center, restaurant and bar, concierge, high speed Internet access, etc. Tooley Street, near the HMS Belfast. Contact them at tel. 020/3002-4300 or at www.hilton.co.uk/towerbridge.
Express by Holiday Inn London Limehouse has 150 rooms in this strategically located spot next to the Limehouse DLR (Docklands Light Railway) station in Wapping. Rooms start at £118.50 ($222.78). Contact them at tel. 020/7791-3850, website www.exhi-limehouse.co.uk.
Dining Out
In addition to countless pubs and outdoor areas such as the splendid (but pricey) Hays Galleria on the South Bank near the new City Hall, you might want to splurge at one of the following river view restaurants: The Oxo Tower on the South Bank with three restaurants within (The Restaurant with a prix fixe 3-course lunch at £29.50 ($55.46), the Brasserie main lunch courses from £14, $26.32, the Bar, cheaper, (tel. 020/7803-3888; www.harveynichols.com) or The Gun in Canary Wharf, on the river and opposite the )2 or Millennium Dome. It's over 200 years old, but pricing for their Sunday brunch is modern enough, with either lemon sole or roast beef at £14 ($26.32). (tel. 020/7515-5222; www.thegundocklands.co.uk).
More Contacts
For complete information on the Thames Path National Trail, phone tel. 01865/810-224 (in the UK) or visit www.nationaltrail.co.uk.
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