Abbeywalks: Off we go again + the extra miles fairy

Monday 14 July

We set off on the train at 10am, back to London to continue where we had left off on the previous Thursday evening, arriving after 2pm. The weather as we left the station concourse was to remain hot and very humid throughout the day.

We had planned to walk to Greenwich where there was a campsite that we had our eye on. Little did I realise that I had dropped a big clanger with the expected distance.

The walk was a very pleasant experience, initially making our way down to the River and then to follow the Thames path. It’s when you have all the time in the world you realise and see so much of what would otherwise just pass you by. Following the River we passed most of London’s sights, the Millennium Bridge, a giant blue Amazonian dead parrot on it’s back ( indication that Monty Python was performing nearby ), The Globe Theatre, The Shard, Tower Bridge to name a few delights. It is also refreshing to see some of the old warehouses, narrow streets and original wharfs that have been given new leases of life.

Soon we were out of the city and into the sprawling mix of new and old apartment buildings that now line the majority of the embankments. I remember the days when these would have been referred to as flats…………lol.

At around 5 pm it became clear that with still 13 miles to go ( !! ) before arriving at the campsite, we would not reach it that evening. It seemed that the ‘extra miles fairy’ had visited. With no accommodation planned or booked in our immediate vicinity Rachel started twitching…..lots. She comforted herself with an impromptu visit to Waitrose ( oh the luxury ) whilst I scoured the internet for budget last minute accommodation in Greenwich ( ! ? )

After an hour of searching, and much ‘ how could you miss so many miles’? ‘how could you let this happen’? ‘ why don’t you just book the Travel Lodge - the price was fine’ assistance from Rachel, we headed to a part of town where there was an Ibis, Travel Lodge and a.n.other similar style hotel. Rachel stood outside the Travel Lodge entrance refusing to go any further, whilst I bounded across the road to check if the other options were perhaps cheaper. They were either booked or cost more, so I sneakily booked the Travel Lodge on-line on the street in order to get a better price than just turning up at the reception desk - boom !

I treated Rachel to a pint of fresh semi-skilled milk ( for her tea in the room of course ), and a gooseberry fool from Tescos next door. I think I was back in her good books.

We had a very comfortable night in a proper double bed and a hot shower too…………..