Run by Numbers
Craft beer is a big thing right now. London has its fair share of breweries. One of these is Brew by Numbers. They are based alongside the Thames at Morden Wharf on the Greenwich Peninsula.
An idea emerged. Why not compare two hobbies; drinking and running? The result was Run by Numbers. Seven of us met at Hither Green train station and then ran to the brewery along an 8.5 mile route. There, we shared a beer and then a couple of us ran home too.
Our route took us up to Blackheath. We passed through the village and then across the heath itself.
From there we followed the roads through Vanbrugh Park to Charlton Park. Here we had a quick detour into Gilbert's pit. According to Wikipedia:
Gilbert's Pit is an important Paleogene site, displaying one of the most complete sequences of sediments in Greater London. The Paleocene Thanet and Woolwich Formations date to around 55 million years ago. Some of the beds yield many fossils of plants, sponges, molluscs, fish and reptiles. The site has been studied for over 120 years and is the subject of a substantial literature.
This led us to Maryon Park which seemed to be locked. All the gates were chained except one so we were able to escape. The only other option was to climb a wheelie bin and jump which thankfully never happened. I didn't fancy a trip to A & E. We crossed the A206 and spent a moment admiring the Thames Barrier.
Turning westward along the Thames Path with the river on our right, we endured the industrial aggregates plants before arriving at the Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park.
The last few miles is scattered with works of art including; Damien Hirst's Hydra & Kali sculpture, Anthony Gormley's Quantum Cloud and a number of other pieces including a slice of ship and the famous Here sign.
We crossed the Prime Meridian line and then arrived at our destination.
The pints were pulled, although some did have a third of a pint as their beer was 11% proof.
Five took the bus home and Matt and I ran back over the heath with just a quick stop for a photo at the Cutty Sark and a burger at the famous Blackheath Tea Hut.
