I just came back from one of my voyages of exploration – my first proper roll this year. I don’t know why but going out in my chair seems to relax me, as I’ve written on here before. I can spend hours, literally just driving, not knowing quite where I’m going, simply seeing what there is to see. When I was living with my parents, there was a route I called the Swettenham run, which took me up into the lanes to the north of Congleton, past the centuries old Swettenham arms, along the bridal paths which extend beyond the back of the pub, and back via the main Congleton to Holmes Chapel road. The whole route must have been seven or eight miles, and took me hours.

Ever since I moved down to London, I’ve been looking for a route which is similar in length and beauty, and today I think I found it. A few days ago, my friend Chopper showed me a shortcut up to the north Greenwich Peninsular. It’s a sunny day for once, and this afternoon I fancied a look at the Thames, so, taking my new shortcut, I headed for the Anchor and Hope Lane. As I had suspected, the river looked pretty in the sun, full of ships and smaller boats going about their business. I watched them for a while, resisting the urge to get a pint in the pub which lends the lane it’s name, before pressing on along the Thames path towards the dome. This is a very industrial area, where large trucks shift dirt and coal on and off the ships. It felt a very long way from the bridal paths, country lanes and streams I used to know. Yet, with the Thames Barrier glinting in the sun, it was just as beautiful.

I headed west for a while, till I got to north Greenwich. There I turned back, having seen the dome and it’s surroundings many timed before, and, passing the pub again, headed eastwards towards the barrier. This was uncharted territory, but I knew roughly where I was going. I must admit I got slightly lost – London can be fairly labyrinthine at times – but my knowledge of geography and my nose held me in good stead. I left the river at the barrier and headed south, through an industrial area and back into residential. Part of the thrill of following one’s nose is being faintly surprised when you discover where you are, and so I was faintly surprised when I eventually found myself on the road to Woolwich. From there it was a simple journey home, stopping by at chopper’s en route.

London continues o thrill and intrigue me. It is, of course, quite different to rural Cheshire, and part of me still misses the fields and the hedges. London is chaotic and beguiling; like any city, it is, as Benjamin put it, a maelstrom. I now think I understand what he meant more fully now, not just in terms of people but in terms of geography. Roads and paths run in all directions; there are buildings of every conceivable shape and size; it is a three-dimensional cacophony of brick and tarmac. And in it people of every kind and creed go about, talking thousands of languages, doing a thousand jobs. It is truly fascinating, a little frightening, yet utterly exhilarating. Never have I felt so alive than in such a place.