Rotherhithe Short Walk

Parks and waterways on the Rotherhithe peninsula

History

This is a list of previous times this walk has been done by the club (since Jan 2010). For more recent events (since April 2015), full details are shown.

Date Option Post # Weather
Fri, 29-Nov-24 a Evening Walk - Xmas has come early...The brand-new Canada Water Boardwalk, 2 Scandinavian Xmas Markets and a riverside pub crawl to the Winter by the River festivities: Canada Water to London Bridge (or Rotherhithe or Bermondsey) 9 dry and clear
Thu, 22-Feb-24 Evening Walk: Rotherhithe Walk (in reverse) omitting Southwark Park 3 dry after a wet day
Thu, 21-Sep-23 Evening Walk - Rotherhithe (Southwark Park, Russia Docks Woodland, Stave Hill viewpoint and much else) 5 blue skies with distant rolling thunder
Fri, 25-Nov-22 Friday Special: Rotherhithe, Finnish Christmas Fair and Beermondsey 15 initially bright sunshine followed by clear night skies
Thu, 30-Jun-22 Evening Walk - Rotherhithe (away from the river) [New Walk] 16 warm and windy with occasional spittle

Friday 29-Nov-24

Length: up to 4.5 km
Ascent: negligible
Net Walking Time: up to 1 hour (not including time spent at fairs and markets)
Meet: Canada Water Station (Library Exit at street level!!!) at 17.00 hours (Jubilee Line and Overground, Zone 2).
Finish is at Rotherhithe Overground (1.6 km), Bermondsey Underground (3.1 km) or London Bridge Mainline and Underground stations. All are in Zone 2 or 1. Bus stops are never far away.
Meet at the Library Exit and walk the brand-spanking new Canada Water Boardwalk, then circle around the Water back to the station and pick up SWC Short Walk Rotherhithe (away from the river) for a very short stretch. At Albion Street, turn left to the Norsk Sjømanskirken/Norwegian Seaman’s Church for their Julebasar (Christmas Market), which closes at 18.00. Then walk two doors down back along the road to the Suomen Merimieskirrko/Finnish Church’s equivalent Christmas Fair, which closes at 20.00.
From there cross the Rotherhithe Tunnel towards the Overground Station (1.6 km into the walk), then pass through the historic Rotherhithe village, passing some famous pubs and continuing along the Thames through North Bermondsey and Shad Thames to Tower Bridge and the now empty former Town Hall and on to London Bridge Station. On this last stretch we venture through the Winter by the River fair, which closes at 22.00.
Eat/Drink: Some legendary London riverside pubs en route and many food stalls, pubs and restaurants near the end. T=short.54.a
  • Fri, 29-Nov-24

    7 walkers met at the library exit as posted, although as the walk poster I have to admit that it isn't actually signed as such when emerging from the station (mea culpa). Those 7 included 1 early-days-of-the-SWC walker that hadn't been on a group walk for a very long time.

    After the usual 5 minutes grace period we got started across the rather magnificent 'boardwalk' over Canada Water (well done, British Land and Southwark Council), where we were caught up by an 8th walker.

    At the Norwegian Xmas market we met number 9 who had gotten delayed en route by troubles on the 'Windrush Line' (formerly known as the Overground).

    Here and at the subsequent Finnish Xmas Fair, we purchased this and that and consumed this and that, before moving on through Rotherhithe Village. 1 had to leave though for a pre-booked evening entertainment.

    We did stop at The Angel for a drink on the terrace overhanging The Thames. 2 then left to go home (the SWC Rotherhithe couple).

    The remaining 6 strode on through Bermondsey and Shad Thames to 'More London' as we are supposed to call it these days, where dozens of huts selling street food or Xmas knick-knacks were lined up, accompanied by a glasshouse or two, one a drink and music establishment, the other a curling pitch (!).

    2 then departed home, while the remaining 4 headed for The Market Porter in Borough Market, partly in memoriam of a recently departed SWC walker.

    dry and clear

Thursday 22-Feb-24

Rotherhithe Walk (in reverse) omitting Southwark Park

Distance: Approximately 3 miles or 5 km for those more metrically minded

Difficulty: 1 out of 10

Meet: Exit of Bermondsey Tube Station (Jubilee Line) at 18:30.

End: Surrey Quays (London Overground) or a short walk back to Canada Water (Jubilee Line)

We are doing this fascinating walk through Rotherhithe in reverse because Southwark Park closes at dusk at this time of year.....The route will initially follow the Thames before turning inland exploring various interesting features of Rotherhithe, including historic docklands and Stave Hill, one of the finest low high points in SE London!

More information about the walk route can be found here.

Enjoy the walk!

t=short.54

  • Thu, 22-Feb-24

    The constant rain of the day only stopped about 15 minutes before the start of the walk, maybe that is why only 3 turned up for it? We proceeded at a fair pace as 1 of us had a ticket for a concert and wasn't going to linger for drinks or other stops en route. The moon was kind of out, fighting to be seen through the last of the cloud remnants drifting across, views were good and crystal clear, with all dust having been thoroughly washed out of the air.

    To Stave Hill then, and as much as one can be critical of the boom in high rises going up everywhere in London, on a clear evening with all the lights on, it is a magnificent sight from any highpoint such as Stave Hill.

    At Greenland Dock, 2 then stopped at The Moby Dick (Fuller's) for a meal before walking on to Surrey Docks (aka Quays) while the concert goer marched on immediately. dry after a wet day

Thursday 21-Sep-23

Length: up to 7.3 km
Ascent: negligible
Net Walking Time: up to 1 ¾ hours
Meet: Bermondsey Underground at 18.30 hours (Jubilee Line, Zone 2).
Finish is at Canada Water Underground, Rotherhithe Overground or Bermondsey Underground stations. All are in Zone 2.
Sunset is at 19.00, leaving light for walking to 19.30. So, we should be through Southwark Park and Russia
Docks Woodland, before it gets dark. The rest of the route is then along lit paths or streets.
This varied route explores parks and waterways on the Rotherhithe peninsula rarely seen by occasional visitors, who tend to follow the Thames Path.
Start from Bermondsey tube near the boundary with Rotherhithe, following a meandering route through the well-kept Southwark Park, then cut across to Greenland Dock, one of the few remnants of the once ubiquitous ponds and water channels of the Surrey Commercial Docks, used mainly for timber and grain trading, before walking along the spine of the peninsula through the enchanting Russia Dock Woodland, an infilled dock with plenty of visible reminders of its past.
A short loop through the Stave Hill Ecology Park leads up to one the finest low viewpoints in town: Stave Hill, a 9-metre artificial mound with surround views to the Olympic Park, Canary Wharf, the City of London, Westminster and most high points in South East London.
You then skirt around Surrey Water and follow the well-maintained Albion Channel (more remains of the former docks and quays) to Canada Water, currently one of London’s largest regeneration sites, before a final loop through the historic Rotherhithe village and – for a short stretch – along the Thames River, passing some famous pubs and ending back in Bermondsey.
Eat/Drink: Many cafes and pubs en route and near the end, check the webpage or the pdf for details.
For walk directions , map, photos, and gpx/kml files click here. T=short.54
  • Thu, 21-Sep-23

    Plenty of rain had been falling in SE1 and SE 16 all afternoon, but on approach to the meeting time, it seemed to have subsided. I arrived early at the meet to then witness an almighty thunderstorm moving across from North of the river, dropping enormous amounts of rain right on cue at 18.30, the meeting time. Unable to move out of the station for fear of being washed away, the two of us waited. 2 others arrived and we decided to 'walk' the route in reverse once the heaviest rain had stopped and stop at the first pub, a full 3 minutes away and call it a day.

    Then the rain stopped, and stopped completely. And we started to walk, in the prescribed direction. And the sky turned blue. And no more rain fell.

    We got to Stave Hill at 19.30, ie in the last twitchings of dusk, and all the high buildings of London looked magnificent. On then along the route, but when we hit the Thames, we shunned the left turn to The Mayflower, as it's always full, and turned right to check out The Salt Quay. A large GK pub, it was busy and getting busier. Only a table outside was available and there was no heater, and the food took some time to arrive (but was pretty good when it did arrive).

    A 5th walker in the meantime had done a mini-pub crawl and was awaiting us at The Mayflower, but was buzzed to decamp to The Salt Quay.

    4 then walked to Rotherhithe Station, 1 took the bus from around the corner.

    5 blue skies with distant rolling thunder

Friday 25-Nov-22

Friday Afternoon/Evening Walk: Rotherhithe Walk (in reverse) via Finnish Christmas Fair and Bermondsey Beer Mile

Distance: Approximately 4.5 miles or 7.3 km for those more metrically minded

Difficulty: 1 out of 10

Meet: Exit of Bermondsey Tube Station (Jubilee Line) at 3:00pm sharp!

End: Bermondsey Tube or London Bridge

This is a special combination outing to take advantage of the seasonal Finnish Church Christmas Fair in Rotherhithe. We will set off on the Rotherhithe walk in reverse which will soon bring us within a stone's throw of the Finnish Church where we will make a diversion and explore the Christmas fair. We will then continue following the walk route in reverse eventually coming to Southwark Park -- hopefully before 5pm when it closes!

In the southwest corner of the park, for those who wish, we will make another diversion to Fourpure located near the South Bermondsey Rail station. This coincidently is the start/end of the Bermondsey Beer Mile and we will spend the evening exploring craft ales....

For anyone unable to join us in the afternoon on the walk, please meet us at Fourpure. We will aim to stay there until about 18:15 before moving on to another venue on the beer mile route.

More information about the walk route can be found here.

Enjoy the walk and the beer...am already getting thirsty just thinking about it!

t=short.54

  • Sun, 27-Nov-22

    As it happens, 9 people promptly met at Bermondsey tube on Friday afternoon (I guess Friday is the new Saturday for some anyway) for this seasonal special. We were fortunate to have the walk author with us, so doing the route in reverse was not a problem. Shortly after passing the Mayflower pub, we made a short diversion to the Finnish Church where we had a 15 minute stop to explore the goods available. I think most bought something...mulled wine, licorice, open face salmon sandwich, biscuits.....After pulling ourselves away, we continued the route enjoying a nice sunset view from Stave Hill. We managed to make it to Southwark Park before it closed and had a nice stroll in it in the dark..One peeled off at Surrey Quays and 3 took the main route through the park to the Angel pub on the Thames -- leaving 5 to make the diversion to Fourpure, the first stop on the Bermondsey Beer Mile, to quench their thirst. Arriving about 17:15, we spent some time sampling their craft ales while waiting for others to meet us...we were eventually joined by another 6 people, making for a total of 15 for some portion of this outing. Eventually, we managed to pull people away from our comfortable spot and headed to Partizan the next craft brewery for a brief visit before heading on to the Outback where we ended up settling in for the night with 2 generously going out to get us pizza while we rest of us sampled some interesting craft ales while watching a football game from a cozy couch...A fun afternoon and evening in initially bright sunshine followed by clear night skies .

Thursday 30-Jun-22

Length: up to 7.3 km
Ascent: negligible
Net Walking Time: up to 1 ¾ hours

Meet: Bermondsey Underground at 18.45 hours (Jubilee Line, Zone 2).
Finish is at Canada Water Underground, Rotherhithe Overground or Bermondsey Underground stations. All are in Zone 2.
This varied route explores parks and waterways on the Rotherhithe peninsula rarely seen by occasional visitors, who tend to follow the Thames Path.
Start from Bermondsey tube near the boundary with Rotherhithe, following a meandering route through the well-kept Southwark Park, then cut across to Greenland Dock, one of the few remnants of the once ubiquitous ponds and water channels of the Surrey Commercial Docks, used mainly for timber and grain trading, before walking along the spine of the peninsula through the enchanting Russia Dock Woodland, an infilled dock with plenty of visible reminders of its past.
A short loop through the Stave Hill Ecology Park leads up to one the finest low viewpoints in town: Stave Hill, a 9-metre artificial mound with surround views to the Olympic Park, Canary Wharf, the City of London, Westminster and most high points in South East London.
You then skirt around Surrey Water and follow the well-maintained Albion Channel (more remains of the former docks and quays) to Canada Water, currently one of London’s largest regeneration sites, before a final loop through the historic Rotherhithe village and – for a short stretch – along the Thames River, passing some famous pubs and ending back in Bermondsey.
Eat/Drink: Many cafes and pubs en route and near the end, check the webpage or the pdf for details.
For walk directions , map, photos, and gpx/kml files click here . T=short.54
  • Thu, 30-Jun-22

    14 met up on time, with 1 latecomer catching up quickly and 1 other joining at Surrey Quays Overground, so we were 16 on a warm and windy with occasional spittle evening. A handful of locals amongst the group kind of knew most/all of the route, but for the others it was all terra incognita. Info panels were studied, vistas enjoyed. All in, it took us 2 hours to get around.

    4 peeled off at Canada Water for a meal or the tube back home, 1 other turned back home once we got through Rotherhithe Village, and the rest walked past The Mayflower to have a meal at The Angel, only to realise that they had stopped taking food orders.

    On then to Bermondsey tube, where most headed to The Gregorian for a drink, and 4 others to Maltby Street for a meal at Bar Tozino.