Journey's end

Whenever I've had the chance over the past three months I've been walking sections of the Thames Path through London, aiming to complete an anti-clockwise circuit along the river from the Thames Barrier to Chelsea Bridge and back along the south bank to Woolwich. I had a free afternoon today and managed to finish the last leg by walking from Greenwich, past the O2, through Charlton to Woolwich dockyard. Construction works take you away from the river at various points but this was one of my favourite stretches. You soon leave the tourist trail and cityscape behind and start to appreciate the Thames as a working river particularly when you wind your way under the clanking conveyor belts of the riverside sand and gravel works. Thick cloud cover and bursts of heavy rain all added to the sense of desolation.