Introduction
Start the tour in the shadows of one of London’s most iconic bridges and its oldest fortress, and discover the history of the docksides, alleyways and watering holes of dockers, sailors, pirates and some famous artists and authors over the centuries for yourselves. Some very famous and notorious people have supped ale here – can you work out who they are?
Print your Walk here
You can follow your walk online on this web page or print out the directions from the below link.
Best times for the route
Please check each of the suggested taverns for their opening hours as they may not be open all day. The streets are all well -lit so this would be suitable to do at night-time, however, we do not recommend venturing down the alleyways to the river and accessing the stairways and steps after dark. Please check any pubs/taverns you wish to call at on route are open. Most are open from 12 noon, but this may vary.
Public Transport:
The tour starts in St Katharine’s Docks, next to the Tower of London. The starting point can be reached via Tower Hill tube station (Circle and District Line) and it is close to Tower Gateway DLR station and Fenchurch Street mainline station, Bus numbers 15, 42, 78, 100, 343. The tour ends at the “Prospect of Whitby” pub in Wapping, close to Wapping mainline train station.
Please take care when crossing all roads – look and listen and don’t get buried in the walking instructions… or in the middle of the road! Wherever possible main roads are crossed at a Pedestrian Crossing, so wait for the green man. You are responsible for your own safety.
For some of the questions you’ll find the answer or information relating to the answer along the route. These are shown with the sign of an eye next to the question. If you do miss a hidden clue, you may be able to find some answers with the help of an internet search, but it will be tougher. All questions without an eye symbol can be answered at any time as the answers are not hidden along the route. You may want to access the internet to help you.
Some people may wish to go down the ancient stairways to the river bank and we advise extreme care doing this and it would not be suitable for those with mobility issues.
Some of the public houses we include in the tour are also very old and do not include lifts. We have included the contact details for each tavern, and we suggest that you contact the venue direct if you have any concerns or wish to address specific questions on access.
Before you start the tour you may want asign the following roles to help you complete the tour.
The Map Reader
The Google Operator
The Clue Reader
The Road Safety Officer
The Photographer
