ISE VALLEY VAGABONDS

PROBABLY THE BEST WALKING CLUB IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

 London (Hogarth) Permanent Trail BWF App No PT17

START & FINISH:  The Shaftesbury Hotel, Hogarth Road, London  SW5 0BQ

OS map 176    Grid Ref TQ256787    Distance 18km

Fee £1.00    Patch £2.00

Route last updated on 18 February 2008

This route description is valid until 31 December 2008

This walk has been established by members of the Ise Valley Vagabonds Walking Club (BWF Club No 70) and is a qualifying event in the IVV award scheme.  It can be walked at any time.  The route encompasses several facets of our capital city.  Inevitably, in such a busy centre, there is a great deal of traffic.  Please take every precaution when crossing roads.  Use pedestrian crossings or underpasses whenever possible.  Above all, enjoy the walk and come back safely and satisfied with what you have seen.  

From the entrance to the hotel turn left to the end of Hogarth Road.  Turn right into Knaresborough Place.  Turn left into Courtfield Gardens.  Turn right into Collingham Road (St Jude’s Church and Colbeck Mews on the left hand side).

Turn left into Gledhow Gardens.  (This road is Wetherby Gardens on the left hand side of the road and Gledhow Gardens on the right hand side).  After 260 metres turn right into Rosary Gardens.  Turn left into Brechin Place and turn right at the end.  Then after about 40 metres, turn left into Old Brompton Road.  After 50 metres turn right into Onslow Gardens.  At the crossroads continue ahead (still Onslow Gardens).  After 20 metres, at the end, turn right into Ensor Mews and at the end turn left.  (This is Cranley Gardens).  Ahead for 130 metres then turn left.  (This is Fulham Road).  Cross over the road.  Turn left and after 320 metres turn right into Queen’s Elm Parade and immediately left into South Parade.  Ahead for 50 metres.

 QUESTION 1.  BEFORE TURNING INTO CHELSEA SQUARE, WHAT YEAR IS ON THE RED BRICK BUILDING ON THE LEFT (ROYAL BROMPTON HOSPITAL)? 

Turn right into Chelsea Square and after 150 metres follow it round to the left.  Turn right and road becomes Manresa Road, then pass King’s College on the right and Chelsea Art College on the left.  Turn left onto King’s Road and continue for 650 metres to Royal Avenue, pausing to look at Wellington Square when you reach it.  Turn right into Royal Avenue, passing along the left hand side of the central area.  Turn left into St Leonard’s Terrace.  Turn right into Franklin’s Row, cross over Royal Hospital Road and go ahead, through the Royal Hospital grounds for 450 metres to the gate onto the Embankment.  Don’t miss the opportunity to look around while you are there.  (IF THE ENTRANCE GATE IS SHUT – turn left and then first right to reach the Embankment). 

Turn left, crossing to the river side at the first safe opportunity.  Follow the river, keeping on your right for 2.75km to Lambeth Bridge (passing Chelsea Bridge after 150 metres, Pimlico Gardens after 1.44km, Vauxhall Bridge after 1.89km and the Tate Gallery after 2.19km).  (The Embankment changes its name from Chelsea Embankment to Grosvenor Road to Millbank).  Take note of the Tate Gallery as you pass it – and look at the doors of No 9 Millbank; there are rather special!  At Lambeth Bridge, continue on Millbank but immediately after crossing the road, go down the steps into Victoria Tower Gardens.  Ahead on the perimeter path passing the Buxton Memorial and The Burghers of Calais.

 QUESTION 2.  IN VICTORIA TOWER GARDENS, BEFORE THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT AND JUST PAST LAMBETH BRIDGE, WHAT DOES THE BUXTON MEMORIAL DRINKING FOUNTAIN ERECTED BY CHARLES BUXTON COMMEMORATE? 

Exit Victoria Gardens, cross the road and turn right along Abingdon to Westminster Abbey.  Turn left between Westminster Abbey and St Margaret’s Church (look inside both if you have the time).  Continue half left across The Sanctuary (in front of the Abbey) and walk left along Victoria Street for 450 metres crossing over when safe to do so.  At the Albert Tavern, turn right into Palmer Street.  Cross Caxton Street (Caxton Hall on the right) and continue to the T-junction.  Turn right into Petty France.  Turn left into Queen Anne’s Gate.  Follow Queen Anne’s Gate round to the right. 

QUESTION 3.  WHO WAS BORN AT NUMBER 20 QUEEN ANNES GATE? 

Turn left into Dartmouth Road.  Go down Cockpit Steps on the left, and turn right for 400 metres along Birdcage Walk, then Great George Street and Parliament Square.  Turn left into Parliament Street which, after The Cenotaph becomes Whitehall.  You will pass HM Treasury, The Foreign Office, Downing Street and Horseguards.  After 660 metres you reach Trafalgar Square.  Turn left, under Admiralty Arch.

 QUESTION 4.  AFTER ADMIRALTY ARCH, WHAT IS THE FIRST STATUE ON THE RIGHT IN MEMORY OF?

 Continue along The Mall for 950 metres to reach the Queen Victoria Memorial and Buckingham Palace.  Pass to the right of the Palace, along Constitution Hill using either the road or the horse ride for 600 metres to reach Duke of Wellington Place and the Wellington Arch.  Cross the road at the lights, ahead under the arch passing to the left of the statue to the Duke of Wellington and fork right to cross the road into Hyde Park at Apsley Gate.  OR use the subway to Hyde Park.  Enter the Park and admire the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Gates, then turn away from the gates and walk along the horse riding track (Rotten Row).  After approximately 600 metres, fork right up a slight rise to emerge on the bank of The Serpentine at Fisherman’s Keep.  Turn left along the bank of the lake for 500 metres to reach The Lido (WC’s and café).  Turn left, slightly uphill, for 70 metres to rejoin Rotten Row.  Turn right, staying on the tarmac path and after 250 metres reach a road.  (This is West Carriage Drive).  Cross over the road and enter Kensington Gardens at Mount Gate.  Turn half left along the Flower Walk and after 220 metres, at the cross roads, turn left to the Albert Memorial.  Descend the steps, cross Albert Memorial Drive then cross over the road (Kensington Gore) to the Royal Albert Hall and walk around the building.  Go past the Memorial and down the steps, to the Royal College of Music.  Turn left along Prince Consort Road, passing the School of Mines. 

Turn right into Exhibition Road.  Ahead for 430 metres passing the Science Museum and turn right into Cromwell Road.  Ahead for 340 metres passing the front of the Natural History Museum.  Turn right into Queen’s Gate.  Turn left into Queen’s Gate Place.  Go ahead to Queen’s Gate Gardens and on to Cornwall Gardens.

 QUESTION 5.  WHO WAS BORN AT NUMBER 100 CORNWALL GARDENS (BLUE PLAQUE)?  (Care:  There is a number 100, at the far end after Garden House).

 Follow the left hand pavement to the end of Cornwall Gardens, then go down a little alley to Cornwall Gardens Walk and Lexham Walk.  At the black bollards, turn left along Lexham Gardens passing hotels Lexham, Park City and Easy.  Turn right into Cromwell Road and cross over immediately at the crossing.  Straight ahead into Knaresborough Place and after 50 metres, turn right into Hogarth Road and back to the hotel.

We hope you have enjoyed the walk!

The Ise Valley Vagabonds have established other Permanent Trails at Bedford (2), Chester, Daventry, Kempston, Kettering, Kings Lynn, London (Hampstead),

 Marston Moretaine (2), Oxford, Rugby, Stamford, Stratford upon Avon, Warwick and Wellingborough.

                                      Please remember to enclose:

                                  1) The correct fee.
                              2) A Stamped Addressed Envelope of a suitable size.
                                  3) Your IVV Records books, or Insert Cards.

Insert Cards can be used instead of having to send your books away by post. they must be submitted
with a normal Record card when claiming an award.
( these cards are accepted by both the AVV and the CVF.)