About the route
The 13 Bridges Challenge follows the banks of the River Thames, criss-crossing the river thirteen times using the eponymous thirteen bridges!
Read on to find out more about the route we will be taking, the sites you can see on the way, and useful information like where our water and toilet stops will be located.
Route map
Route itinerary
We've broken the route down into 14 stages, with details of what you will see along the way!
The Start
Participants will meet at Trinity Square Gardens for registrtaion and to recieve their participation pack, which will include the route map, emergency contact information and details of our photography competition and other fun actitivites you can take part in.
1) Tower Bridge
The first bridge we will cross is Tower Bridge - built in 1894 - an iconic piece of Victorian engineering, that uses hydraulic power to open up, allowing tall ships access to the Pool of London docks. Participants will then head along the south bank, past the Old London City Hall, designed by world-famous architect Norman Foster, and the World War 2-era Crusier, and now museum ship, HMS Belfast.
2) London Bridge
Our second bridge is the famous London Bridge. Though now a 1970's concrete structure, it stands on the spot first bridged by the Romans in 40AD. Many bridges have stood here over the centuries, connecting the City of London with the town and borough of Southwark. On the south side you will pass under the shadow of the Shard, Britain's tallest building, whilst on the north bank you will be able to see the Monument that was erected to commemorate the 1666 Great Fire of London.
3) Southwark Bridge
Southwark Bridge is next on our route, and is over 100 years old, construction having started in 1913, but the project was delayed by the outbreak of World War 1, only completed in 1921. On the north side of the bridge is Vinter's Hall, home of one of the great Livery Companies that dominated Medieval London's economy. South of the bridge is the Globe Theatre, an oak and thatch replica of the original home of Shakespeare's plays.
4) Millennium Bridge
Millennium Bridge is the first pedestrian-only bridge that we'll cross, that takes us from the gardens of the Tate Modern art museum on the south bank towards a fantastic view of St Paul's Cathedral, a classic part of the London skyline, completed in 1710, and which became a symbol of London's resistance during "the Blitz" when London withstood heavy German bombing during the Second World War.
Snack Stop #1:There will be an opportunity on the north bank to stop for a snack at the City of London School.
5) Blackfriars Bridge
Blackfriars is named after the Dominican Friars who once had a priory on the north side of the river, and was where the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V stayed when he came to visit London in 1522. The Bridge itself was completed in 1869, and opened by Queen Victoria. The pillars of the bridge were designed to look like a church's pulpits, in recognition of the now-gone Dominican priory.
6) Waterloo Bridge
Our sixth bridge is Waterloo Bridge, named after the famous battle in Belgium which saw the final defeat of the French Emperor Napoleon. Before reaching the bridge we will walk along the first part of the Southbank, a renowned entertainment district of London, that includes the National Theatre, where we will be able to get a water re-fill should we need one. When we cross the bridge look out downstream to see HMS Wellington, a Second World War convoy escort sloop.
7) Golden Jubilee Bridges
Two bridges for the price of one! At the Golden Jubilee foot bridges we will cross both ways, "south" then back "north". At this point the Thames itself has turned south, meaning the bridge actually crosses from the Embankment in the west, to the Royal Festival Hall in the east. Once we have made the double crossing, we will follow the Embankment past the Ministry of Defence headquarters, and the Royal Air Force Memorial, and towards the City of Westminster.
8) Westminster Bridge
Westminster Bridge is the oldest of the bridges we will cross, connecting Westminster Palace - the Houses of Parliament and the world famous 'Big Ben' clock tower - with the Borough of Lambeth. Westminster Bridge is painted in green, in recognition of the heart of British democracy, the House of Commons (whose leather seats are also in green).
9) Lambeth Bridge
Once we have crossed into Lambeth we will follow the river south, past the National Covid Memorial and Lambeth Palace - the historic seat of power of the Archbishop of Canterbury. We will then cross over on Lambeth Bridge, with it's pine-cone-topped obelisks (perhaps a Masonic mystery, or an ancient symbol of hospitality) and its red-painted sides (the red in recognition of the seat colour of the House of Lords).
