A Walk past sites of Central London, starting from Charring Cross and ending at London Bridge Station Take the train from Tonbridge to Charring Cross. This will take about 40 mins. As you exit the station you will see the Charring Cross directly in front of you. Charring Cross is officially regarded as the centre of London. Cross the main road in front of the station, and then take a left down the side street which runs alongside the large church called St Martin in the Fields.
This will bring you out onto Trafalgar Square. Trafalgar Square is normally buzzing with activity.on your right is the National Gallery, and outside the gallery there are more informal pavement artists. There are often buskers and performances going on. In the past it was popular to buy bird seed to feed the pigeons, but this has recently been discouraged on health grounds. The centre piece of Trafalgar Square is Nelsons column, celebrating a famous victory in battle against the French. The column is surrounded by fountains and the statues of 4 seated lions, over which children love to climb!
Cross the road at the opposite end of Trafalgar Square from the National Gallery and an arch over a road to the right leads you through into the Mall. You can walk all along the Mall, with St James Park on your left until you reach Buckingham Palace. I expect that my readers already know that this is the home of Queen Elizabeth 11.
After viewing the palace, you can walk back through St James Park to Horse Guards Parade. The park is a nice green space with many types of birds around the lake. There is a café and public toilets. C At the far end of the park cross the small road into Horse Guard s Parade. Cross the parade ground and through an archway at the other side, through which you will walk to reach Whitehall.
On the Whitehall side of the arch there are always 2 guards on horseback, and visitors taking photographs. Turn right down Whitehall. A little further on you will pass Downing Street, where the prime minister lives, on your right. It is guarded by police. Then you pass the cenotaph, commemorating the war dead, in the middle of the road. This is where Poppy Day services take place every November 11 th at 11am.
At the end of Whitehall you arrive at Parliament Square. Westminster Abbey is straight in front, and the Houses of Parliament to the left. Cross the road at the traffic lights to walk on across Westminster Bridge. As you cross the bridge you will get a great view down the Thames to the London Eye (big wheel) and beyond, in the direction you will soon be walking.
On the other side of the bridge you must turn left down some steps to the path beside the river. The path will take you past the old County Hall, (now London Aquarium, Mc Donalds and the London Dungeon), the London Eye, and then the concrete 60s built Hayward gallery, Royal Festival Hall and British Film Institute. There is usually a lot going on in this area buskers, cafes, markets, people strolling by the river, and people skateboarding underneath the concrete buildings.
Further along, at low tide, you may even see people on the beach creating sand art (but nobody would consider trying to swim here!) As you walk on, the modern landmarks of London come into view these office blocks are known as the cheese grater and the razor. The tall glass building poking above the other buildings in the right of the picture is the Shard.
You will pass underneath Blackfriars Bridge and come out close to Tate Modern Art Gallery and the Millennium Bridge. You may like to stop for a coffee in the café on the top floor of Tate Modern from where there is a lovely view. You may also wish to make a detour across the pedestrian Millennium Bridge to visit St Pauls Cathedral. (It is possible to take a train back to Tonbridge from Cannon Street station close to St Pauls)
From the Millennium Bridge you will be able to see Tower Bridge in the distance. Walk a little further on and you will pass the reconstruction of Shakespeare s Globe Theatre. You then pass under Southwark Bridge and come out into an area of little narrow streets. You will pass the reconstruction of the Elizabethan ship Golden Hinde which circumnavigated the world, before coming out close to Southwark Cathedral.
At Southwark Cathedral there is a crossroads. To the right is Borough Market. You should follow the road to the left to pass the cathedral and continue along the river path. The path passes under London Bridge, where you will hear piped music of the old nursery rhyme. When you come to the sign below turn left and this will bring you back to the river path. At the river turn right along the stretch known as the Queens Walk. You will pass an old World War 2 warship called HMS Belfast, and you will have increasing views of Tower Bridge
Keep following the path and you will come out near the modern City Hall. It is an interestingly shaped building on a plaza with fantastic views across the river to the Tower of London and London Bridge. Children love to play in the water features here which spurt up from the floor in a random unexpected pattern.
If you want to visit the famous Tower of London, which was founded in 1066, and has seen many gruesome scenes throughout English history, you should go up the steps which lead you up to Tower Bridge. Otherwise, retrace your steps back along the Queens Walk to Hayes Galleria. Look across the river to the Tower, and you will see the entrance to Traitors Gate, through which prisoners were rowed down the river and into the tower.
Hayes Galleria is a covered upmarket shopping area before London Bridge. The entrance is just after a modern riverside pub. The centrepiece of Hayes Galleria is a large artwork called The Navigator, which starts moving every half hour. Walk right through Hayes Galleria until you come out onto a road. Here you must turn right It is then only a very short distance to an escalator which brings you up to London Bridge station. There are direct trains back to Tonbridge from here, usually leaving from platform 5.