We were lucky enough to be rewarded with sunshine and glorious views of London on our walk which took us along the northern bank of the Thames and then via Greenwich foot tunnel  to Greenwich Observatory and Point Hill one of London’s best but least known viewpoints.

Nineteen Polyramblers met at Limehouse station, I was particularly pleased to see walk members who had been too busy to participate in more recent walks. The cold weather prevented a lot of runners and tourists crowding the Thames Path, enabling us to enjoy the views largely uninterrupted.

We arrived in Greenwich, making our first stop St Alfege Church completed in 1714 by the architect Nicholas Hawksmoor. The interior contained some excellent wood carvings and included a cross made from medieval nails from Coventry Cathedral. We were treated to a piano recital which added to the enjoyment of the visit.

Following lunch in various cafes we made our way to the Observatory to enjoy the unrivalled views of London’s landmarks. We continued our walk along the broad pavement of Black Heath Avenue to enter the flower garden winding our way between flower beds and graceful cedar trees and past a massive Sweet Chestnut tree, passing a lake to arrive at Blackheath gate.

We continued alongside the perimeter wall to discover Queen Caroline’s bath and the Rangers House, an English Heritage building containing the Wherner collection of over 700 works of art. We continued through the rose garden which will look splendid during the summer months.

Finally, we reached the highlight of our walk via a pretty cobbled street to arrive at ‘The Point’ one of London’s best but least known  viewpoints. We completed our walk finishing at Greenwich station I couldn’t resist pointing out one of my favourite shops ‘The Junk Shop’ on the way! We enjoyed the DLR train back with great views of Canary Wharf.

Hilary

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