Transport for LondonRoute details
Jubilee Walkway
| Walk facts | Details |
|---|---|
| Distance: | 8.9 miles (14.4 km) |
| Location: | Westminster, Lambeth, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, City of London, Camden |
| Start: | Leicester Square (GR 298-808) Get there with Journey Planner |
| Finish: | Leicester Square (GR 298-808) |
| Factor: | Jubilee Walkway |
| Recommended direction: | Either direction |
| Terrain and surface: | Almost completely level, with one short gentle hill. Entirely on hard surfaces |
| Points of Interest: | See text |
| Signage: | Silvery metal discs approximately 30cm (1ft) in diameter, set in ground, bearing crown surrounded by text 'Jubilee Walkway'. Some original 'Silver Jubilee Walkway 1977' may remain in places |
| Temporary Diversions: | |
| Refreshments and toilets: | Many opportunities |
| Public transport and breakpoints: | Many opportunities. The official start/finish point is close to both Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus tube stations |
| Links with other walks: | Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk, Thames Path National Trail |
| How to get the map: | Download it from www.walklondon.org.uk or call 0870 240 6094 |
| Principal promoters: | Jubilee Walkway Trust |
Walk details:
- A network of heritage walking routes connecting many of central London's best-known landmarks and attractions, using parks, squares, streets and sections of the Thames Path, marked by pavement plaques and interpretation boards.
- Originally proposed by Queen Elizabeth II as part of her Silver Jubilee celebrations in 1977, the Walkway has been improved and re-marketed to mark the Golden Jubilee.
- This is a grand tour on foot of London's leading attractions, so good you walk it twice! It is really two routes in one, as it can easily be done at night, when most of the sights are lit up and present a glorious and completely different experience from the one you see in daylight.
- (Note that St James's Park, Victoria Tower Gardens and some other places through which the route passes are closed at night, but alternative parallel routes are obvious.) The Millennium Bridge will form part of the route, providing an opportunity for additional loops.
- Nearly every household name in London's tourist circuit is there (and free, at least for the exterior views): Leicester Square, National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, Nelson's Column, The Mall, St James's Park, Parliament Square, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, 'Old Father Thames', former County Hall, British Airways' London Eye (the 'Millennium Wheel'), Royal Festival Hall, Royal National Theatre, Shakespeare's Globe, Tate Modern, Millennium Bridge, London Bridge, HMS Belfast, Tower Bridge, Tower of London, Bank of England, Mansion House, St Paul's Cathedral and Covent Garden (opera house and piazza).
- For a short distance in St James's Park the route runs very close to the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk, and the whole route along the South Bank is shared with the Thames Path National Trail.
- Then there are lots of places that are not particularly (or at all) famous, but are nonetheless well worth seeing, such as Victoria Tower Gardens, Lambeth Palace, Museum of Garden History, St Thomas' Hospital, National Film Theatre, Gabriel's Wharf, Oxo Tower, Clink Museum, Golden Hinde replica, Hay's Galleria, St Katharine Docks, Peter's Hill, City Art Gallery, Lincoln's Inn Fields, Soane Museum and some fascinating alleys off Fleet Street and in Covent Garden.
- A City loop from the Mansion House partly follows the highwalks of the 1970s Barbican estate, with fascinating views of hidden churches, gardens and remains of the ancient London Wall.
- It goes through the Guildhall precinct and passes the Museum of London, returning to the main circuit at St Paul's Cathedral.
- A Bloomsbury/Euston loop from Chancery Lane goes through the district's historic streets and squares, passes the British Library and actually cuts through the British Museum.
- You pass Senate House (impressive headquarters of the University of London), and have good views of the Telecom Tower, returning to the main circuit at Kingsway.
- A spur from St James's Park takes you along Birdcage Walk right up to Buckingham Palace, where a panoramic panel is to be installed.
