It was a stereotypically grey English morning when we headed down to the River Thames at Bankside, not far from our hotel. We descended to Bankside Pier at river level where we purchased tickets for the Thame’s Clipper boat service, which would take us a few miles southwest to the Millbank Pier.
Despite the risk of rain, it seemed a more scenic way to travel than taking the Tube, and it gave us a close-up view of one of the world’s most famous rivers in all its grey-green muddy glory.
The Thames Clippers move quickly — this eastbound boat passed close to us and by the time I got my camera out it had almost disappeared under a bridge.
This service is used by some for commuting to work. We paid using our Oyster transit card, the same one we use to take the Tube, and the journey cost about £6, more expensive than the Tube but not vastly so.
Along the way we passed some brave kayakers. I know it’s cleaner than it used to be, but think I’ve read and watched enough about the history of London and the Thames that I prefer to keep my face further from the water.
After a zippy 13-minute ride we disembarked and met up with our friends Ana and Toby who had made the long journey into the city centre to join us in a wander of the Tate Britain and lunch.
Ana took a great photo of the two of us inside the galleries.
After a few hours of exploring the galleries, both modern and ancient, we crossed Vauxhall Bridge in a tremendous driving rain, getting thoroughly soaked before finding sanctuary in the Brunswick House restaurant. There we enjoyed some very tasty (but not particularly cheap) food and beers and made Toby terribly late for his return to work.
