London 2

Next day I walked by the river Wandle from Wimbledon to the Thames, where I took this shot of Chelsea Harbour, I then continued along the river into the West End, where I got a tube to Rowan's flat in Islington where I spent the next four nights.

That London

Down to London last week to have a wake for Rob. The funeral parlour was called Exit Here which was a nice touch.

I stayed with Mark and Mandy. Also in the picture is Rob's daughter Lily, who was fantastic in keeping it all ticking over, and Danny who was in Red Dwarf.

The Rhythm Section

Peter and Robert looking solid.

Stroll 54c

 

I got the train back from Prudhoe, by which time the Tyne had turned from industrial artery into a most beautiful rural river.

Stroll 54b

 

This is one of the always-welcome Sustrans marker signposts on the cycle network. It is a fantastic achievement, to create an alternative way of getting around, all over the country.

Stroll 54a

 I arrived at Newcastle expecting to get the train to complete the Middlesbrough to Sunderland route. The train was cancelled. So a quick ponder, and I decided to head east along the Tyne. It is a great path, a Sustrans cycle route right by the river for the most part. The weather was beautiful and all was well. The path drops down steeply from the station to the Tyne gorge, where the path goes under a couple of the Tyne bridges.

Stroll 53 pt3

The path reached Horden, which was in the paper the other week as an example of a village that was built for its pit, but the pit is long gone, and the people are not. Walking to the station was a pretty grim experience. So different from Seaham where I started. Both used to depend on coal, one has moved on to be a desirable place to live, one has not.