About 30 at the station, with one or two turning up later. So let’s say 32 on a fine dry slightly chilly day. Touches of frost, no mud (due to the walk being on proper paths). Like all large unstable compounds, the group soon fragmented. The group I was in numbered about 10 but, after a couple of circuits of Greenwich Park, and a whirlwind tour through the Observatory, we managed to whittle that down to about 5. The Plume of Feathers was chocka. Some of SWC's royalty had managed to get a table but the rest of us, the humble 5, made our way to the Old Brewery pub after a cultured foray into the Queens House and the chapel. That pub was chocka too so we sat in its garden, myself nursing an ICE COLD pint of Winter Warmer (served by an oxymoron). Then off past the Cutty Sark, under the Thames by foot tunnel, arriving eventually at Canary Wharf. It was still light when we started our tour of Winter Lights (by now just 2 of us – where did they all go?) and the first couple of installations were less than whelming. As it got darker, though, they got better. The Squiggles in Jubilee Park were worthy of mention as were the multi coloured trees. As well as getting darker we was getting colder and tireder so we left without seeing everything.

Just to add that, if this combination were to be repeated next year, it would probably benefit from a designated tea or pub stop so our forces can regroup and await darkness before exploring the lights

And just to mention, if walkers haven't had enough walking when they arrive Canary wharf, they may stroll along the Thames Path to Limehouse Basin (and catch a DLR) or continue up the Regents Canal to Mile End and catch a Central or District Line Tube there.

13 met at the station arriving by almost as many different routes as Blackheath seems to be very easily accessible.
The weather started grey but changed in the afternoon to bright sunshine. A lovely parkland walk for a bleak winters day with numerous points to pique ones interest including Caroline's bath and the barrows causing a lot of discussion and wondering, (both checked out on Wiki later to much amusement) and wandering.
Greenwich park is also famous for birdlife ( one said that they saw an owl though nobody else confirmed it ) and red and fallow deer seen by all and a rose garden that would be better in the summer months.
Lunch was a somewhat long and relaxed affair primarily due to some sort of upset in the kitchen ( maybe the cook had a hissy fit at 10 of us arriving at once ) but it did mean that lunch lasted something like 80 minutes at The Plume of Feathers but the food was very nice and reasonable.
After lunch the group broke up with us now being only 7, others having left early or staying on.
This was a cultural tour in that we also visited the Queens House, Royal Observatory ( free part ) and some other bits.The chapel was magnificent in it's decoration and splendour ( lots of discussion about how the balconies were supported something IKEA does today with discreet fixings but not on this scale which would hold a third of the congregation )
The painted hall was closed for renovation and will reopen in April. (At that time the scaffolding will remain for a while allowing visitors with a head for heights to get within 8 foot of the ceiling).
Hopefully this walk will be reposted with a view to view the painted ceiling and rose garden splendour.
The 7 of us walked through the foot tunnel (with a busker strumming "Stand by Me" the old Ben E King classic though everybody seemed to 'Walk on by') before emerging into Island Gardens where another 4 deserted the group I was one of them and now they were 3 though rumour has it that all 3 actually finished the walk.
Amazing no mud all day thus dry boots and no slipping over and no need for poles one day all walks will be this good.

Two who left the lunch pub before the main group, having ordered sandwiches which arrived quite quickly, also completed this interesting and enjoyable walk. We caught the tube from Canary Wharf after a coffee at Smollenskys.

Very enjoyable walk on a beautiful sunny spring like day with plenty of culture thrown in.

I would like to see more of these shorter walks of 7 9 miles for those of us who are not getting any younger! There were 13 people on the walk so there is definitely a call for this.
Thank you Sean

reluctantly have to agree with Jennifer on the mileage, and say shorter distances also good for some of us who aren't v.fit

On a sunny day 7 walkers enjoyed the autumn colours without venturing too far from the Greenwich Meridian. Watches were synchronised with GMT when the time ball fell at 1pm. It wasn't quite warm enough to have lunch outdoors at the Plume of Feathers but we did anyway (one in T shirt, the others shivering in multiple layers of clothing). With plenty of little detours for sightseeing we didn't get to Canary Wharf until about 4.30pm, where at least one enjoyed the second half of the rugby.