On a gloriously warm Summer's evening, Area Activator Simon met up with 21 students at the London School of Economics outside the Saw Swee Hock Building on Holborn for another sightseeing run around Central London.

We began our session with a full dynamic warm up in Lincoln's Inn Fields, opposite the Student's Union. From here, we set off down Bell Yard and the Bream's Buildings estate towards Fetter Lane and Fleet Street. Fleet Street is best known as the hub for the UK press, publishing and printing and the home for British newspapers since the start of the 16th Century. We also passed by the Olde Cheshire Cheese, one of London's oldest public houses, that was rebuilt in 1667 after the Great Fire of London, as reported by Fleet Street resident Samuel Pepys.

We then crossed Ludgate Circus, down the lovely Carter Lane (formerly known as Shoemaker's Lane in the 12th Century) and towards St Paul's Cathedral. Paul the Apostle first formed a church in this spot in 604 AD, and the structure has assumed the position as the original diocese within London. The 2nd largest cathedral in the UK, only surpassed by Liverpool Cathedral.

We then crossed the Millennium Bridge towards the Tate Modern, and over to the South of the river.

Here is a fun anecdote about the Millennium Bridge from the Wikipedia page:

Londoners nicknamed it the "Wobbly Bridge" after pedestrians experienced an alarming swaying motion on its opening day. The bridge was closed later that day and, after two days of limited access, it was closed again for almost two years so that modifications and repairs could be made to keep the bridge stable and stop the swaying motion. It reopened in February 2002.

Tate Modern is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the world, and the majority of the main collection is free for the general public to view! We continued our run along the Jubilee Walkway, following The River Thames (check out the full route for a substantial hike on the Transport for London website: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/walking/jubilee-walkway ). We passed Gabriel's Wharf and Waterloo Bridge to make our way to The Royal Festival Hall, The British Film Institute and The London Eye near Waterloo Station.

From here, we scaled the stairs up to Golden Jubilee Foot Bridge, and walked over to The Embankment back on the North of the river. The descending stairwell took us to the gorgeous Victoria Embankment Gardens (by Charing Cross station), which were full of office workers and families enjoying the sun. Our final stop lead us to the theatre district between Aldwych and Covent Garden, one of the most prominent locations for live performance. 2 streets of the broadway, and we arrived on Portugal Street, back at the Saw Swee Hock centre.

Wonderful running everyone. We will be back again next week, same time, next week, new route!

Strava link to our route tonight:

https://strava.app.link/JNyQQ03BDrb