The 9 Bridges Walk

Is this the last audio London Walk? If so, I have saved one of the very best for last. The starting point is the Tower of London. You can reach it on the District & Circle to Tower Hill (zone 1) or the Docklands Light Railway to Tower Gateway. The walk is about 3.7 miles. The finishing point is by the tower of Big Ben opposite Westminster Underground on the Jubilee Line (zone 1).

What is so good about this walk? Firstly, the views. Spectacular throughout its length. From the Tower of London we use the riverside on the north side of the Thames to look back at Tower Bridge. Click here for bridge opening times - if you can arrange clear weather and start your walk as the bascules lift you will enjoy this walk all the more.

The second bridge we hear about is London Bridge. The original was sold to the US. The third is Cannon Street where we pass underneath the railway terminus. Next we cross the river by Southwark Bridge and pass Shakespeare's Globe and the Tate Modern. Opposite the old bankside Power Station is the Millennium Bridge that oscillated when first opened, and was closed for almost 2 years for dampening. It is known affectionately to Londoners as the Wobbly Bridge, but at night as the Blade of Light.

On the north bank we pass under Blackfriars railway and road bridges before crossing back to the South Bank as far as the National Theatre. Waterloo Bridge offers some of the best views of London in both directions and is not to be missed. After passing through Victoria Embankment Gardens with its armillory sphere dedicated to Richard D'Oyly Carte and the strange bust of Sir Srthur Sullivan with a semi naked woman attempting to climb up it, we reach Hungerford Bridge. Once the ugliest of all bridges, two spectacular walkways have been constructed on either side. They are now called the Golden Jubilee bridges. We cross over the river once again and continue past the London Eye and the London Aquarium.

Our last bridge is Westminster where the walk finishes.