Monday, 29 June 2009

Coastwalk

Gravesend → Greenhithe

henleys.jpg Distance: 6.66 miles
Ascent: 29 metres
Duration: 2 hours

Too hot
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My ambitions for today's walk were much higher. I'd intended to complete the longest single day walk I've done so far, but in the end the weather stymied my plans and I ended up completing only a quarter. (My GPS recorded a temperature of 33.3 C.)

I'm walking out another ferry. This time, the Tilbury ferry at Gravesend. I'll be heading up the River Thames and will in time reach a point where I can cross on foot (maybe Woolwich, Greenwich or The City), then back along the other bank. This has the lovely side-effect of bringing another fifty miles of coastline within easy reach of my home, so my goal of completing at least on coast walk each calendar month this year may yet be attainable!

The theme of today's walk is the changing use of the riverside. At each end - Gravesend and Greenhithe - the dominant use is residential. Between the two towns the future use seems undetermined.

In Rosherville, beautiful warehouses with names like "Henley's Cable Works Research Laboratory" lie abandoned with nettles choking the footpath.

demolition.jpg

Further on at Northfleet the path made its way through the Lafarge cement works, a huge complex on the brink of demolition. (Note to future walkers: the path will be temporarily closed from 1 July 2009. At the time of my walk it was also obstructed by a locked gate which I had to persuade a worker to arrange to open for me.)

After a short section along the A226 I followed the footpath around Botany Marshes. (Careful map-reading would have helped me here; I initially turned too early and headed straight into the marsh on Lower Road, instead of staying on Manor Way.)

The land use has changed here recently: the HS1 railway line crosses the marsh before heading under the Thames, although it was out of site from the route I took.

Then finally Greenhithe and blocks of flats again. An elderly couple shouted a "hello" from their shady balcony and immediately I knew I needed to stop my walk and find a cool place of my own.

Posted by pab at 16:44 | Comments will be back later in the year. Please email me instead!