u3a

Sidcup and District

Ramblers 2

Status:Active, open to new members
Coordinator:
Group email: Ramblers 2 group
When: On Tuesday all day
4th of month all day
Venue: To be Notified by the Leader

Why not come and join us for a walk on the 4th Tuesday of each month for health, friendship and mental wellbeing.  We are a friendly group who enjoy walking approximately 4 to 5 miles in various locations.  It could be a pavement walk in London, or along a canal tow path, on the Thames Path or locally and usually ending in a pub lunch. Anywhere we can get to using our Freedom Passes. 

Reports of recent walks can be opened by clicking on the Links on the right.

Recent Walks

Ramblers 2 –Thames Barrier to the Cutty Sark, Greenwich – 28 April 2026

On a chilly day we met up at Eltham Church and caught a bus to the Thames Barrier. We headed to the river via Barrier Gardens and climbed two flights of steps up the grassy flood defence embankment where we saw the Thames Barrier. We then descended two further flights of steps to the riverside. Turning left we walked upstream through the covered walkway marked ‘Thames Park National Trail’. Following the markers we walked under enormous chutes of the aggregate recycling plant. There were a couple of sharp turns around wharves and slipways but we were soon back on the path. We passed the Greenwich Yachting Club which stands on stilts on the water. We then arrived at the Greenwich Peninsula with the Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park on our left which looked
very sad and uncared for. There were so many more new build apartment developments since we last did the walk in June 2021! At the Peninsula was the enormous 60ft sculpture "Demon with a bowl’ by Damien Hirst who said: “It’s uplifting to see this work come home to the UK where it was made, to Greenwich Peninsula. It’s a place that has strong resonance for me: I lived here in the late 80s when it
was a wasteland. I’d collect things that were washed up on the Thames riverbank: old bottles and bits of plastic, which I’d make into collages. That process later led to my series, Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable, which is where Demon with Bowl, and my
other Peninsula artworks come from.”
As we continued on past the North Greenwich Pier the weather became very blustery as we approached the O2 Arena (I still call it the Millennium Dome). To my surprise there were quite a few people doing a guided climb over the roof! Unfortunately one of the group
started to feel unwell and it was decided to put him on a bus home. We came to the decision to end our walk and to have lunch in the O2. I was surprised how many eateries there were. In the end we stopped at Wetherspoons for an enjoyable meal and natter before
making our way home.

Big Weather Contrast in May

Ramblers 2 – 26 May 2026 – Leader Helen Salmon
We met up in Sidcup High Street on a very hot day and everyone agreed to continue on our walk, which I had shortened by a considerable distance, and made our way to Footscray Meadows. We entered by the Bexley Lane entrance and made our way to North Cray Woods which gave us some respite from the heat. On the pathway down to Five Arch Bridge I could see loads of young people jumping off the bridge even though there are signs saying not to. There were people in the lake which obviously disturbed the waterfowl. After remonstrating with some of the young people I
decided to move on. As a Friend of Footscray Meadows I get very upset because the area is a nature reserve. We continued along the path on the edge of the River Cray as it was shaded by the trees in
the woodland but had to watch out for brambles and trip hazards! At the end we crossed over the metal bridge and made our way up Water Lane. By now we were all weary and decided to have lunch in the White Cross Inn on the North Cray Road before making our way home. Well doneeveryone.

For fuller report see list of walks above.