Tales From The Riverbank - East Enders

 Rotherhithe was a good start point for this section of the ride, or London Bridge might suit some better.  Rotherhithe is one of the old bits of London, fancily made over in parts, but still pretty good.  Take the Mayflower pub, for example.

It's a handsome old pub, the place from which the Pilgrim Fathers set off for America.  It still trades on this history, and if you can demonstrate a relationship with the Pilgrim Fathers you get a free pint and can sign a book.  It seems that about 35 million people can claim this relationship (I don't know how you do it), and while I was there some Australians were signing the book ...

Interesting to note that the Mayflower was such a fine ship that, on return to Rotherhithe, it was abandoned in the creek and left to rot.

Anyway, the pub's the real deal, and you can get a good meal there.  Sets you up for the ride.

The next few miles, down to Greenwich, are pretty, with good views over Canary Wharf and some attractive riverside scenery.

Passing the busy tourist centre that is Greenwich, after a mile or so you come to Anchor Iron Wharf, where there is another good pub - the Cutty Sark.  A bit beyond the normal tourist traffic it's a very nice place, with a grand upstairs dining room which has fine views down the river.

Tempting though it is, it is not compulsory to stop at both pubs.

Northwards now for a short distance, passing the O2, to the Millennium Milepost that Sustrans has placed on the meridian, then on to the Thames Barrier and the Woolwich Ferry.

This is the end of some of the plusher bits of the Thames, and the beginning of the more utilitarian parts.  The change is gradual, but windswept marshes, abandoned wharves, sewerage plants and refuse transfer jetties become more frequent.  The star of these must be Bazalgette's Crossness Pumping Station, which I passed.  Unfortunately it wasn't open that day, as I would have liked to go in.  Described as 'a victorian cathedral of ironwork' I will go back for a proper visit.  

One of the four huge steam engines still runs, and can be seen working on a few days of the year.

Passing Erith, which gives a pretty threadbare impression from the river, the tarmac path ends, and you're out in the marshes again, with the occasional scrap-yard in case you get lonely.  But the river's always there, sparkling on the right day, with shipping large and and small going about its business.

The track is gravel now, not too bad a surface, but a gravel bike is a better choice here.  As the Dartford Crossing becomes visible you know that the end of the ride is in sight, and the cycleway takes you all the way to Dartford station.  Given the heavy industrial traffic on the busy roads, this is a good thing.

Lots of trains to London, Freedom Pass accepted, so a very pleasant ride for a bright day in winter - about 24 miles, no hills.

Mark