Notes on the final stretch from Westminster to The Thames Barrier

I had planned to complete the final 12 mile stretch (24 miles total for the both ways that I hike) on two consecutive days (7th and 8th August). The 7th would have seen me hike from the Thames Barrier to Westminster along the South Bank and the 8th making the return trip along the North Bank to complete my ‘Photohiking The Thames Path’ project. And in one final post here I planned to record those two days. But after the first day on the 7th I concluded that my poor feet wouldn’t take kindly to another 15 miles. Although the distance is nominally about 12 miles each way, after all of the minor detours and too-ing and fro-ing it’s actually around 15 miles. So on the 8th I hiked just a short section from Westminster to Tower Bridge. Ironically this short stretch turned out to be very slow due to its being highly productive of photographs … and it would have made a return all the way to finish at The Thames Barrier a very long day. So, I still have one final day’s hike from Tower Bridge to The Thames Barrier which I’ll complete in the next week or two. After this post there will be four more - one for each of the three hiking days, and a final one summarising the whole trip. And maybe in a few weeks just one further entry, if, that is, my planned self published photography book “Photohiking The Thames Path - Kemble to Kemble via London” looks good enough. The post from the 7th and 8th will appear within a day or two.

Day 27 - 15th July 2015 - Wandsworth Bridge to Westminster

After a short delay whilst I’ve been getting over a strained back I’m now eager to complete this project. Throughout the day I felt somewhat disheartened about the images I was finding - to the point where at the end I imagined that I had nothing to show for the day’s hike. It’s an uncomfortable feeling when I’d anticipated from the start nearly 2 years ago that I’d find something to show for every single day that I hiked. I anticipated a hard time when I uploaded my files to my iMac. So, I was more than pleased that as I looked through and then worked on the images of the day I found, much to surprise - and huge relief - that I had several that I am very pleased with. I even have one where there are people within the frame … something that almost never happens for me! Two more days will see me through to the end of the project when I reach the Thames Barrier.

Click on any image to see full size views of the day's set of images.

Swan Bench

Eroded Steps

Houses of Parliament, Post Office Tower, and Sturgeon

Underpass

?

Water on Marble

Angelica

Plywood

Pigeon Netting

Way Out

Day 26 - 23rd June 2015 - Chiswick Bridge to Wandsworth Bridge

My images from along this stretch of the Thames were all taken with a new 70-200mm zoom. Something of a departure for me as most of my work for the last several years has been with wide angle lenses. I now have the tools to home in on smaller areas of detail like the ‘Mud Mountain Range’ below which would not have been possible for me until now.

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Railings

Mud Mountain Range

Spit

Felled

Steel Apartments

Y Bark

Day 25 - 6th June 2015 - Richmond upon Thames to Chiswick Bridge

The Thames from here on is tidal so today I hiked throughout the period from low to high tide. After all of this time hiking the path it seems odd to see the Thames flowing the 'wrong way'. From here to the end the Thames path ceases to be on just one bank of the Thames. It is now designated on both sides - so, for the remainder of the hike I've decided each day to hike out on one side then back on the other side. My previous comments about reducing inspiration still hold though I did find a few images. I've yet to draw a blank.

Click on any image to see full size views of the day's set of images.

Keep Out

Turmoil

Shoal

Low Tide - Chiswick Bridge

Richmond Railway Bridge

X

Today's Symmetrograph

Day 24 - 30th April 2015 - Hampton Court Palace to Richmond upon Thames

Another 8 mile stretch in benign spring weather taking me as far as Richmond upon Thames - just 30 miles to the end at Thames Barrier. Similar thoughts to those on the previous stretch about decreasing inspiration.

Click on any image to see full size views of the day's set of images. 

Felled

Wake & Ripples

10 Boats

Railings

Bushy Park Sunset

Today's Symmetrograph

Day 23 - 22nd April 2015 - Chertsey to Hampton Court Palace

Today’s 8 mile stretch of the Thames Path took me to Hampton Court Palace; and the end of the route in the first of the two ‘Official National Trail Guides’ for The Thames Path - ‘In the Country’. The second - ‘In London’ - is a book of the same size but covering just the remaining 38 of the 184 miles to the Thames Barrier at Woolwich … plus a 9 mile extension to Crayford Ness. More detail and larger scale mapping in the second. Most of the 23 sections I’ve hiked to date have produced several images with which I have been pleased. But whilst today’s hiking was most enjoyable, it was singularly unproductive as far as my photography was concerned. Day 23 produced the smallest number of ok-ish images from the whole hike so far. Unsure of the reason for this but as I progress London-wards the river is widening and becoming increasingly urban making for less and less of interest to me. But, I mustn’t make excuses - I’ve often said that good images can be found anywhere and everywhere, if only you look hard enough!

Click on any image to see full size views of the day's set of images.

 

Moored - but Sunk

Wall Flower

No Way

Railing

Day 22 - 6th April 2015 - Runneymede to Chertsey

My early start to avoid the bank holiday traffic and crowds was a good idea but I still wasn't early enough to catch the early morning mist on the river. It had all but dispersed by the time I started hiking. I seem to be becoming obsessed with photography under some of the bridges, judging by the number of pictures I'm taking. They do offer very graphic images often with beautifully reflected and dappled light on their undersides. The amazingly warm and sunny Easter Monday weather was almost unprecedented. And no more mud!

Click on any image to see full size views of the day's set of images.

Under the A30 & M25

Classic Cumulus

Mind Your Head

Dappled Girders

M3

Spring Willow