The Waterloo and City line is the fastest way between Waterloo and Bank... but it's not the only way to make the journey without crossing a road.
Here's a puzzle to test your London knowledge. How is it possible to walk from Bank tube station all the way to Waterloo tube station without setting foot on a road?
Have a little think, and then check out the solution below, as well as a bonus extension to Southwark tube.
There are only three rules
1. You can use any bridge or underpass, so long as you never step directly onto a carriageway.
2. You can pass through ticket barriers, but you can't board a train (or any other vehicle).
3. Common sense: you can only use routes that are generally open to the public. So no sewers, service tunnels or walking along tracks!
Scroll down for the solution...
How to walk from Bank to Waterloo
1. Head into Bank station and follow the subterranean route through to Monument station (well signposted). Emerge at the Fish Street Hill exit.
2. Follow the pedestrianised area past the Monument itself until you reach the bollards of Pudding Lane.
3. Glance right and you'll see a set of steps leading up. This raised walkway crosses over Thames Street, past St Magnus the Martyr church, and back down onto the Thames Path. (See article here about this little-known shortcut.)
4. Thanks to a recently opened bit of Thames Path, it's now possible to walk west from here along the riverside to Millennium Bridge.
5. Cross the bridge.
6. Follow Bankside and the South Bank all the way to Waterloo Bridge. You'll pass under several bridges, but never have to set foot on tarmac.
7. Climb the steps of the eastern side of Waterloo Bridge and then follow the path south towards the IMAX.
8. Shortly before you reach the roundabout, part of the path dives down into a subway. This leads to the base of the IMAX. Follow the curve round to the right (the route is officially called Charlie Chaplin Walk — who knew?).
9. You're looking for the exit that takes you up to Tenison Way — you'll emerge on the pedestrian area just north of the railway viaduct, where buses stop. This is the exit 👇
10. Walk east (straight ahead as seen in the image above). Carry on until you're directly opposite St John's Church. The arch on your right then contains a set of steps. These lead down into a passage and eventually up into Waterloo Station via escalators. Hooray, you've made it!
But wait, we can go further
From Waterloo, you could continue out the back, or the Sidings, to reach the Leake Street art tunnel, still without crossing the road. But if you're a bit crafty, it's possible to progress on to another tube station, one stop along the Jubilee. To do this, head up the escalators to reach Waterloo East station. It's not especially well known, but Waterloo East has a second exit, right down the other (eastern) end of the platforms. This leads out into Southwark tube station, and eventually up to Blackfriars Road. You'll have to go through four sets of ticket barriers to do this, so make sure you're appropriately ticketed. And that's as far as you can go with this particular wheeze.
It is, of course, possible to walk much further without crossing a road if you stick to the Thames Path (all the way to Greenwich, potentially), but there's something a bit quirkier about getting between the well-inland stations of Bank and Waterloo/Southwark without crossing a road.
Can anyone think of similar tarmac-dodging odysseys across the capital? Let us know in the comments below.
