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September 29, 2025 – I’ve written a lot lately about preparing for my last-August 134-mile hike on the Canterbury Trail. More recently I covered my last day in London, after finishing and before flying home. (The technique “starting with the ending and mapping out your screenplay in reverse… This approach ensures your script is tightly focused, structurally sound, and steers clear of plot holes or unresolved threads.”) Then came my first day in London, August 6.
That post talked about the days before meeting up with my hiking companion and taking the train down to Winchester. That first-day post talked about flying into Heathrow airport, then getting to my hotel, the Chelsea Guest House. (After hiking with full pack the four miles down from Paddington Station.) From there I explored the area around Wandsworth and Queenstown Roads. That led me to find The Nott, an unpretentious neighborhood pub “tucked opposite Nine Elms Underground.” There, over the next few days, I went back often enough to “develop a nodding acquaintance with several ‘laid-back locals nursing pints.’ That gave me a warm feeling of home.” This post will tell what else I did during the few days after that.
On Thursday, August 7, I hiked over to the Wandsworth Road Overground Station. (Something I’d never heard of.) Unlike the usual underground Tube, the Overground was more of an above-ground monorail. And provided a great view of southeast London, past Brixton, Peckham and across the Thames. From Wapping Station a seven-minute walk up the Thames Path got me to Prospect of Whitby, an “historic public house on the northern bank of the River Thames.” In the East End, it “lays claim to being on the site of the oldest riverside tavern, dating from around 1520.” For lunch there I had a “Great British Cheese Toastie;” melted cheddar with a “béchamel sauce, in sourdough served with a rocket & pickled red onion side salad and HP brown sauce.”
That was the cheapest thing on the menu, very messy but quite filling. I enjoyed it on the second-floor deck, out where it gave a great sun-lit view of busy Thames boat traffic, and happily sipped my pint of Estrella while trying not to get drippy-melted cheddar all over. (The place was justifiably “highly recommended” by a friend back home.) I scribbled in my pocket notebook that a “Catch as Catch Can” afternoon would follow, as indeed it did.
I took the Number 15 bus intending to go back to Trafalgar Square, but on the way I saw a sign for the Royal Courts of Justice, “on the Strand within the City of Westminster.” As a retired public defender I found it fascinating, “but no photos allowed.” Interesting to me but boring to you, so after that I hiked down the Strand and through the Essex Court Chambers, a “set of barristers’ chambers, specialising in commercial and financial litigation, arbitration, public law and public international law.” I remembered the Strand from Don McLean’s Mountains of Mourne:
You remember young Denny McClaren, of course
But he’s over here working with the rest of the force
I saw him one day as he stood on The Strand
And he stopped all the traffic with a wave of his hand…
After hiking down The Strand I headed over to the Thames Path, then west to Waterloo Bridge. Once across the river I took the 77 bus from Waterloo Station down to Nine Elms. Heading home I stopped at The Nott for a pint and nodded to a now-familiar local or two.
Then came Friday morning, August 8. The first thing I did was move from Chelsea Guest House to the Premier Inn, “638-640 Wandsworth Road, Clapham.” That happened because back home I booked two nights at the Chelsea instead of the three nights I needed. (A foul-up at the “click on dates.”) But it turned out to be a great move. For one thing, unlike Chelsea Guest House, the bathroom had a toilet. (Which came in handy.) And it had a great dining area that included a Happy Hour from 5:00 to 7:00, two beers for nine GBP. (A great price in London.) Plus it was catty-corner from the apartment Tom rented for August 9 and 10, at 7a Lavender Hill. (Next to the Caffe Nero I spent time at and across the intersection from Sainsbury’s Local market.)
Later that day I ended up at The Clarence Whitehall, “An elegant and indeed damn fine traditional British pub with a historic charm. The Clarence embodies all that’s great about British hospitality.” I’d agree with that, or as I wrote in my notebook after finding the place:
Oy vey! A sea of tranquility after going through mobs of flocking tourists. Which is being interpreted… I took the 77 bus up from Wandsworth Road, got off and hiked across Lambeth Bridge and up to Parliament, and the first of the flocking mobs. Crossed into Parliament Square by Westminster Abbey, more mobs, wangled up and over to the back of #10 Downing Street, well guarded, through the gate to where two Horse Guards sat mounted, surrounded by more flocking mobs… And out onto Whitehall. And found Clarence’s pub. From here a hop, skip and jump to Trafalgar Square and more tranquility. The National Gallery or National Portrait Gallery, but for now, back to my London Original and tomato basil soup.
To explain: I took the bus up to Waterloo Station, then crossed Lambeth Bridge to Parliament. “Very disappointing. Closed down and too many dang tourists.” The whole complex was surrounded by chain link fence. From there I hiked past Westminster Abbey; same story, packed with tourists. I headed up to the Churchill War Rooms on Horse Guards Road, then saw on my phone that it cost 33 GBP, so “Hell no!” From there to the big open parade ground that backs onto 10 Downing Street and up past the Household Cavalry Museum, also packed. From there through the gate with two stone-faced Horse Guards – “surrounded by more flocking mobs” – and finally finding that island of tranquility inside The Clarence.
In plain words, London is not a great place to visit in August. It’s too filled with all those “flocking tourists.” (It was much better in May when I did a two-week pre-hike reconnaissance.) One place I remembered fondly from last May was the National Portrait Gallery, so I went back there to calm my nerves. But first I wandered around Piccadilly Circus and saw the Lord Shaftsbury statue, then took pictures of the giant horse statues at the Hard Rock Cafe at the corner of Coventry Street and Haymarker, between the two entrances. Then visited the NPG.
After mellowing out at the National Portrait Gallery – back up past The Strand and across Trafalgar Square – I headed back on the #87 bus to “The Chase (Stop H),” a two minute walk to my Premier Inn. Tomorrow, Saturday August 9, I’d meet up with Tom and settle into the apartment across the intersection with Queenstown Road, where Wandsworth Road magically becomes Lavender Hill. But I’d worked up a thirst, and there lay a problem.
I was now a good half-hour walk from The Nott, much farther away than from Chelsea Guest House. But I’d done my research and seen that a mere 10-minute, half-mile walk up Queenstown Road stood The Victoria Battersea. (A “traditional British pub that has been serving the local community for decades. Known for its warm and inviting atmosphere, it offers patrons a blend of classic pub charm and modern amenities.”) So I decided to check it out.
My verdict? “Trendier, more young people, including lots of ladies, but the beer is more expensive. 7-something compared to 4.90 at The Nott. (Also vegan friendly.) The Nott is more of a true local working-man’s bar, but now farther away.” I noted that I could have ridden there on the bus in 13 minutes for 1.75 GBP, “but there goes your savings on beer.”
Ah, the travails of exploring exotic places and reporting your findings back home. Meanwhile, I was a mere three days from starting that arduous 134-mile hike from Winchester to Canterbury, carrying all my worldly goods in a 16-pound pack weighing heavily on my back.
But also looking ahead to finding more English pubs to review.
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The upper image is courtesy of Prospect Of Whitby Pub – Image Results. The Page caption: “‘The Prospect of Whitby #1’ is a photograph by Raymond Hill which was uploaded on April 22nd, 2021.”
Re: Mountains of Mourne. I edited the lyrics as I remembered from my Don McLean CD, including capitalizing “strand.”
Re: Thames Path, “a long distance walking trail, following England’s best known river for 185.2miles (298 km) as it meanders from its source in the Cotswolds through several rural counties and on into the heart of London. On its way the Trail passes peaceful water meadows rich in wildlife, historic towns and cities and many lovely villages, finishing in Woolwich just a few miles from the sea.” National Trails. (Woolwich is a market town in southeast London, “within the Royal Borough of Greenwich.”) So far I’ve only hiked some of the London sections, but that could change in the future.
The official name for my August 8 lodging was London Clapham hotel – Premier Inn.
The lower image is courtesy of The Victoria Battersea, 166 Queenstown Road – Image Results. See also The Victoria Battersea – Pub in London. THE VICTORIA, London – 166 Queenstown Rd, Battersea adds:
The Victoria in Battersea has remained true to its origins: a community-centered local. The best of real ales and beers, an extensive wine list, cocktails and spirits are complemented by some truly excellent food. We have a large sports following as we have three screens and televise a wide range of sports. On the sporting note we have a games room with a Table Tennis table & Pool table.
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