Walking without crossing a road

[kake]

How far can you walk from Trafalgar Square without crossing a road?

A couple of years ago, as a test of the walkability of London, I set out from Trafalgar Square — the official centre of the town — one Sunday morning to see how far I could get without crossing a road or going over the same place twice. It was almost 17 miles before I ended up going round in a circle.

The author also says: I know of no other capital city where it is possible to do this. That sounds like a challenge to me! flaneurs, do you think this would work in your city?

Comments

[kake]

That would be one way to do it!

I have pondered at some point doing a holiday where I follow the Thames. I think I even have a guidebook somewhere that gives hints on doing so.

Worcester (from the TI walking map)

[spiralsheep]

General info for anyone who wanted to attempt this in Worcester (because I enjoyed the map-reading exercise).

Starting in the pedestrianised part of the city centre appears to be a quick bust. Beginning at the historic/symbolic "centre" of the Glover's Needle (@ geograph), the ex-spire of the demolished St Andrew's Church*, allows one to walk out of Worcester along the River Severn. One could also walk a loop using footpaths on each side of the Severn in turn (clockwise or anti-clockwise) and crossing at the Diglis footbridge; or a hypothetical larger loop along the main A-roads (A44, A449, A4440, A38) with minor diversions west from the A38 through housing, a loop through ex-industrial canalside Diglis, and lastly a small loop in the vicinity of King's School and the Cathedral, although I'm not sure the A-roads have pavement/footpath all the way and I don't fancy walking them anyway.

Attempts to divert along the Worcester and Birmingham Canal would, iirc be turned around near the city centre at either Tallow Hill (I know the towpath crosses the canal here but I can't remember how it crosses the road) or at Lowesmoor where iirc the separate towpath disappears (@ geograph) (current end of towpath at Lowesmoor @ geograph) and shares a route with a very minor road that has no pavement for a short distance. It might be possible to break the Lowesmoor loop but I don't remember and the map isn't detailed enough to help without actually walking it.

* One could follow much the same route from the Cathedral but afaik most locals don't think of it as central (either materially or spiritually, heh). Of course, this is the same population who still occasionally refer to St John's as "the Welsh side" so....

Re: Worcester (from the TI walking map)

[spiralsheep]

It appears my memory was correct and there's no pavement/towpath at Lowesmoor but LO_OK at the SPANDREL on that VIADUCT... PHWOAR!!1!! (@ geograph) ;-)