Route: St Paul’s Cathedral to Westminster Abbey
Area: Central London
Date of walk: 30th January 2014
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 4 miles
Ascent: 250 feet
We were staying in London for a couple of days and on the second day we decided to visit St Paul’s Cathedral and go for a walk along the embankment. We caught the bus to St Paul’s and paid the (rather steep) entry fee, though it’s a bargain in retrospect. We climbed up to the Whispering Gallery (257 steps), then to the Stone Gallery (376 steps) and finally to the Golden Gallery (528 steps)
The views are incredible though the journey is not for anyone who suffers from claustrophobia or vertigo – there’s a very narrow winding staircase to climb and there are big drops from the galleries
After admiring the views we walked across the Millenium Bridge to Borough Market, and then along the embankment to the National Theatre where the winning entries to the Landscape Photographer of the Year were being exhibited. There were some beautiful images on show, including several of the Lake District – one of these being the winner
We continued along the embankment as far as Westminster Abbey, which was closed to visitors at the time. No matter, as we’d had a great walk full of interest all the way
Click on the icon below for the route map (subscribers to OS Maps can view detailed maps of the route, visualise it in aerial 3D, and download the GPX file. Non-subscribers will see a base map)
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
St Paul’s Cathedral
On the steps of the main entrance to the Cathedral
Photography is not allowed inside - this is The Shard from the Stone Gallery, 50 metres from the floor
The Old Bailey
Looking down from the Golden Gallery to the floor of the Cathedral, 250 feet below
A couple of tourists!
The ever growing city skyline
The Millenium Bridge from the Golden Gallery
Looking back to St Paul’s from the Millenium Bridge
The Golden Hinde
Borough Market
On the south side of the embankment, on the way to the National Theatre
Our local lake, Crummock Water - the winning exhibit in the Landscape Photographer of the Year. Congratulations to Tony Bennett
Another award winner - Catbells Sunrise by Bart Heirweg. Absolutely fantastic (my photos of the photos don’t do them proper justice)
The end of the walk - Westminster Abbey. A bit of an anti-climax as it was closed
We enter the subterranean world of the London Underground
St Pancras Station
Time to go home
