Weekday walk #14

I didn't have my usual walking companion with me today, but instead I had C and O who have had a bonus day off school because of the teachers' strikes.  It is also my birthday today, and as a special birthday treat they agreed to come on a weekday walk with me, be cheerful and not moan once!

I wanted to do a walk from this excellent book which I received as a present this morning.  I really love this series of Ordnance Survey Pathfinder books and have loads for other parts of the country I've visited.  The walks are accurately described, interesting and varied.  There are excerpts of Ordnance Survey maps within each walk so that you don't need to carry a separate map too.

We started at Parliament Square, where the police had closed most of the roads and were setting up security barriers ready for the protest march.  This is a part of London I don't know well at all, and I loved having a good nose around while the roads were all closed to traffic.

Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament

Police horsebox in front of the Cabinet War Rooms

We headed away from Parliament Square and our walk took us on a meandering route through all the Royal Parks to Kensington.  We saw deckchairs in St James's Park and Hyde Park, and Guardsmen outside St James's Palace - trying to keep a straight face while all the tourists stood next to them and posed for photos.  Each time someone took a picture they would quickly switch their bayoneted machine gun from one shoulder to the other and make everyone jump!

We larked about under the big trees in Hyde Park and enjoyed the wide open spaces by the Serpentine as we headed for Kensington Palace.

It has been such a treat to walk with the children today.  I've got plenty more walks planned with them during the school summer holidays.  Just a few more weeks to go - I can't wait.