A walk down the South Bank
Doing the tourist shuffle
(Photos/words © urban75, April 2007)

On a glorious April Sunday, I decided to cycle into central London on my trusty folding Dahon Jetstream bike and check out a Reclaim The Beach-esque party I'd heard about.

I started off at Westminster Bridge and walked/cycled/pushed my bike eastwards as far as Blackfriars Bridge, crossed over the bridge and then pedalled back to Westminster Bridge. It's a lovely and dead easy little ride!


Designed by Ralph Knott and opened in 1922 by King George V, the old home of the Greater London Council looks out on to the London Eye and counts the Dali Universe exhibition, the London Aquarium and the Saatchi gallery as its tenants.


Helped by the London Eye, parts of the South Bank have become a hugely popular tourist attraction.


Looking up.




I'll never understand why people:
(a) want to dress up in a ridiculous costume and stand still all day and
(b) want to give them money for doing so
...but the hot weather had brought out a whole non-moving parade of these (ahem) 'performers.'


This guy appears to have modelled his look on a leprachaun Yul Brynner in Westworld.


You couldn't knock the effort this couple must have put into their bizarre look.




None more gold!


and here's a close up of his golden missus.


This one's really odd. What's he supposed to be? And what's that weird dog-sized Unicorn thing all about?


Bare chested bloke and our curious static chum.





Whoops! It looks like I'd arrived a bit early for the Reclaim the Beach party! The tide had only began to recede, with the organisers stacking the speakers in readiness.


Pavement artist deluxe under Hungerford Bridge.


Looking up to one of the two Hungerford Bridges. Named after the Farleigh Castle Hungerfords of Somersetshire, the original Hungerford Market was located on the north side of the bridge.

The original foot crossing ran alongside the railway bridge.




Buskers on the South Bank. We saw some buskers here last year that we liked so much we booked them for our Brixton club night.


Browsers at the book fair underneath Waterloo Bridge.
» See 360º panorama




Skate park under the Festival Hall.




Graffiti on the Festival Hall skate park.




The disused pier of the LBSCR railway bridge close to the Tate Modern.



Tourist tat-tastic scene on the Victoria Embankment.





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