Charwat one

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

Couple of plotting issues identified by other reviewers. Once on the upper level, a very enjoyable walk.

A fun walk with so many things to see in such a short distance. It is very direct and extremely pedestrian oriented and almost always busy with it. The rating would be 5 stars except for 1) the intrinsic plotting issues on the northern bank and 2) broken lifts: not just the one at the south end of this bridge but both ends of the west-side twin bridge too. The good news is that the lift alternative at the Festival Hall steps worked fine, and is very handy although poorly signalled.

Westminster Council tweeted just yesterday that their lift (NW) has been closed after vandalism. At least it was working recently. Both Lambeth Council lifts seem to have been closed for some time. Or perhaps are just very frequently vandalised, sigh.

I'm slightly surprised where others have perceived the "correct" line to be on the northern bank. To me it goes down the long stairs outside Embankment station, up more steps into station, out on to Villiers St (step-free!) and continues uphill. Near to the Strand Villiers Street gets quite steep and about halfway up that steep part the route turns and cuts through the side wall into the understorey of the Charing Cross hotel (or maybe a phone repair kiosk!) to then emerge upwards through the roadway next to the Eleanor Cross. In the fully-cobbled taxis-only forecourt. Ignoring the impossible and this is the least accessible choices, with one long and two short flights of stairs plus the full steep part of V St. Plus cobbles and taxi dodging. Not ideal. Villiers Street is lively though and perhaps preferable to the passage above if it's very late, when Embankment Station may also be locked, but is easy to walk around.

The way to avoid all steps and any slope on the north bank is to stay aloft. But don't go down the escalators as one survey did, go into the station concourse and out the other side instead. Which might also be locked out of hours. And there's still the small problem of crossing the cobbles to the exact meeting point under the fifth taxi waiting position in the fast moving rank. :⁠^⁠)

If it helps there's decent no-steps-no-cobbles pedestrian access on the W side of the station forecourt, the right looking from The Strand.

Perhaps when there's good news about lifts a new route resolving both issues can go up.

I walked from Waterloo to Charing Cross.
As other reviewers have said it's hard to plot the exact route as there are so many adjacent paths beside and on top of each other. Walking North West it would be very hard to get lost. I ended up walking across Hungerford Bridge straight into the station and out the other side to the node. This was a narrow covered passage, which at night was well lit and felt safe with so many other pedestrians. The alternative would be down at street level with shops.
A good, short walk, with great views.
Steps.

Two flights of stairs at Waterloo. There is a lift at the Waterloo end, but the route needs redesigning to use it, and it doesn't look inviting. Stairs can be avoided at the Charing Cross end by staying at the bridge level and going through the station.
According to https://www.euansguide.com/venues/golden-jubilee-bridges-london-1000 this bridge is entirely accessible, but the latest review was in 2017.
The bridge itself is very scenic, and has two-way pedestrian lane markings. I would have given this 5* if it had been more accurately plotted, although I admit it would be difficult.

(original review from 8 Aug 2023):

Quick and direct, with good views east along the river. There are steps on both sides of the bridge which can be avoided by lifts, but those avoiding lines would probably be a new route. The Charing Cross end is ambiguous as there is a choice of routes on different levels.

For such a short route, there is a profusion of minor variant routes either side of the impressive pedestrian bridge over the Thames by the Charing Cross railway bridge. The shortest one crosses under the railway opposite Waterloo station and heads up steps by a cafe - there is a lift at the Queens Walk embankment but we didn't investigate how to reach it on the flat from Waterloo. At the Charing Cross end of the bridge, we chose to ignore the staircase down to Villiers Street (the GPX is not clear enough to confirm whether than choice was right) and ended up crossing the concourse of the station (past the escalators down to the tube station), and this takes us out to the station entrance without any steps.

(update 23 Nov 2024):

I walked this route again (from Charing Cross to Waterloo) yesterday as I was heading for an afternoon event near Waterloo East station, and this time I made an attempt to follow the Villiers Street interpretation at the north west end. If this is the intended route, it could be plotted much less ambiguously. There are two ways up to the bridge, one through the tube station entrance a short distance down Villiers Street (which has escalators) and a staircase from Victoria Embankment - the latter is difficult to find from the north without local knowledge - I think it passes through Embankment tube station but I retreated here and used the escalators. The high level route is easier.

Very easy and straightforward. Nice views of the river to one side but you have the train tracks on the other. Is usually very busy as well and not the most accessible.

Running eastward near the north end of Villiers Street is one of my favourite street names. It is now called York Place but the sign records the former name - "Of Alley". An explanation can be found at https://thestreetnames.com/2013/11/08/londons-shortest-street-name/.

A short direct route with some of the best views in London. There is a choice of route options at the Charing Cross end, one of which is stair free, the other not, the route as drawn doesn’t really pick a side so be aware.

As another reviewer points out, when walking from Waterloo to Charing Cross, at the end of the bridge it is unclear whether to turn right down the stairs to Embankment station and walk up Villiers St; or to continue on at high level. I always prefer to walk the high level, and continue straight through Charing Cross station. No stairs.

Coming from Charing Cross I think people are likely to route along Villiers St, through Embankment Station, and then face the long flight of stairs up to the river crossing. So be aware there is stair-free access if you walk through the station, head for the far left hand corner.

Super simple route across the Thames. Appeared to step and step free options to aid access. Stunning views at night.

Straightforward, simple, interesting, beautiful. A great walk indeed!

I should note that at the Charing Cross end of the bridge (I walked from Waterloo), I wasn't sure whether to turn right go down the stairs and pass through the Embankment tube station, or continue straight and follow the signs for the "step-free route". I did the latter and continued straight along a series of elevated walkways that paralleled the tracks. This took me to a set of escalators to get me back down to street level and continue the last bit to Charing Cross.

How else would you get from Waterloo to the Strand! Great river views, I would recommend heading through Victoria Embankment Gardens if you are heading up to Covent Gardens before you hit the northern end of this section.

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