Erith to Dartford and DONE!

I walked the four-mile final segment of the Thames Path yesterday, from Erith to the River Darent. I've now completed the full 80-mile route along both the north and south banks of the river -- after 11 months! Now I'll have to find another walking challenge, which shouldn't be hard. Britain is a walker's paradise.

The first stretch of my walk yesterday took me through a gritty and frankly unpleasant section of Erith, along a heavily-traveled roadway full of trucks and equipment. There were some colorful scenes, like the one above with wildflowers and a discarded orange glove, but it wasn't a particularly photogenic area.

Soon, though, the path turned into a grassland on a bluff overlooking the river. That's looking back toward Erith, above.

I brought my big camera because I was pretty sure I'd see some wildlife and I wanted my zoom and macro lenses. And it's a good thing I did. As I walked I saw what looked like some old tires down on the mud flats...

...only they weren't tires. They were seals! This is not a complete surprise, I must admit, because I saw seals lounging in this exact spot the last time I walked this route. (This segment of the Thames Path is also part of the London Loop, which I walked several years ago.)

I loved watching them bask in the sun. Every once in a while they'd lazily stretch or roll over, which reminded me so much of Olga sunbathing in the garden!

There were lots of smaller critters, too. I saw this lone cinnabar moth caterpillar munching on some ragwort...

...and a couple of amorous shield bugs. Also lots of butterflies, but it was very windy up on those grassy bluffs and the butterflies didn't seem to want to settle for a photo.

At the mouth of the muddy River Darent is a flood-control structure meant to prevent the Thames from invading upriver communities like Dartford and Crayford during periods of high water. Beyond the dam you can see the Queen Elizabeth II bridge, also known as the Dartford Crossing, which carries the M25 over the Thames. The M25 is a major highway that runs all the way around London.

The path turned inland to follow the Darent, and finally brought me to a narrow footpath leading to the Slade Green rail station. ("A gorgeous green tunnel," the map romantically called the path, though it was very shady.) I passed this horse in a field along the way, trying to pass itself off as a stylish zebra with a braided tail.

That was the end of the Thames Path, but not the end of my day. I caught the train at Slade Green and went one stop southeast to Dartford, because I'd just read that new sculptures were unveiled there honoring two of the town's most famous sons: Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones.

The sculptures were easy to find, right in the center of the main shopping district, and attracted a steady stream of fans while I was there. I sat at a cafe across the street and ate lunch, which gave me an excellent view of selfie-takers like this guy -- in his Aerosmith t-shirt, dramatically dragging from a cigarette (at least I assume that's a cigarette).

After I finished my grilled cheese and tomato sandwich, I walked through town, bought a couple of vases at a thrift store (like I need more vases!) and then headed home. Mission accomplished!