III(d) - Doing something the same

[squirmelia]

For the June Challenge with the theme of Doing Something Different, I used the instructions for III.(d), but with modifications. I decided to start at the very centre of London, and to take the first left, and then the first right, as opposed to the second.

I got to the roundabout near Charing Cross that is supposedly the centre of London. (Or at least, where distances are measured from.) There was a statue of a man on a horse there - King Charles I. Bagpipes were being played nearby. It seemed chaotic, tourists in every direction. Which was the first left? I didn't know. I walked around in circles, around the statue, at least three times.


King Charles I:



Eventually I chose Whitehall as my first left. Big Ben was in the distance. It was so busy and full of people that I already started regretting this walk even though it had just started. I passed the horse guards and hundreds more people.

I then reached the first right and found it was Downing Street and thus couldn't go down it. Bother! Foiled by the Prime Minister!

I take the next right and then go past the statue of Clive and down the steps.

Arch:



Then left pass the long queue for the Cabinet War Rooms, and then past HM Treasury and past the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. I pass police who seem to be blocking the way straight on. Due to the Prime Minster's earlier interference with the challenge, I was contemplating going back to the original rules of 1st left, 2nd right, but the police put a stop to that one.

I continue and then take the first right down Birdcage Walk, past the Ministry of Justice and past a Jeremy Bentham plaque.



Then I'm at St James' Park station and turn right down Petty France.

Left down Palace Street, right down Caxton, left down Brewer's Green (on old maps it shows there was a brewery here.) Right down Spenser.

This is the area I work in, so am disappointed that my attempt at a challenge with the theme of doing something different has ended up more like doing things the same.

Left past a wall of grass and underneath a colourful roof:



Right past Westminster City Hall, and then immediately left up Wilcox and I get to a sculpture.

Right up Howick Place and left down Thirleby and I'm on the route I normally take home from work. This walk isn't turning out as I had hoped at all.

Right down Francis Street and I feel drops of rain. Left down Windsor Place / Coburg Close. Right down Greencoat Place and the rain is heavier.

Left down Stillington, right down somewhere I can't see the name of, left down Walcot, right down Hatherley.

Left down Vauxhall Bridge Road, right down Chatwood. (My handwriting is illegible here.)

Left down Tachbrook and there are men sitting outside a pub. "Do you think he's going to dump you before you dump him?" a man asks.

Right down Moreton, left down Belgrave / St George Square. Right down Lupus. Left down St George's Square (again?) Right down Chichester. (Will this lead to Chichester?)

Then left down somewhere unnamed and probably private and then right for a bit and an hour is up, so I stop. A pretty dull walk, I think. It is then, while I am standing there still, trying to figure out the best route home, that hundreds of naked cyclists ride by and I smile.

Map of my route.

Comments

[spiralsheep]

I'm sad you had a frustrating walk. I keep looking at III.(d) and being tempted but I'm not sure it would work in places without the older mazier streets of London or York or wherever. I'm glad something appeared to cheer you up at the end though.

[squirmelia]

Ah, but I didn't mention what I did before this walk: I went to Somerset House and then visited a Roman bath! And went to the Museum of Water! Both were excellent and so I didn't mind too much really that the walk itself was disappointing.

I have done Alternating Travel, as it's known in the Lonely Planet guide to Experimental Travel, many times now and sometimes it has worked well and sometimes not. It's one I use often when I just want to go for a walk and don't have a destination in mind. I've used it in Southampton, Melbourne, and other places too.

[spiralsheep]

I actually had to google Somerset House to find out what it is now. The museum of Water sounds fascinating.

I enjoy introducing randomness into my walks, but my preferred method is the derive as a form of reality surfing. I've never got on as well using arbitrary rules to generate randomness, although the flaneurs railway following and straight line walks have worked well for me. I have one more challenge report to post and was hoping to squeeze in a last rules-based walk before the end of the month. I was considering a nice easy local council trail but maybe I'll manage to try an alternating walk to for a brief wander. I'm still not brave enough for June challenge bus flanage, other than getting off at the first interesting sight, but I think I might have found a bus flan to do another time.

Is that Lonely Planet guide useful?

[secretlondon]

I actually like the rules. Walking like a robot is quite fun - silly and playful.

[spiralsheep]

Yes, I understand they work well for some people. :-) I did a much more structured walk than usual yesterday and enjoyed it very much but that was an exception to my more usual personal experience. But I like reading everyone's reports here and am glad this com is open to and encourages multiple forms and styles of flanage.