I was in a cafe in Leather Lane..... nearest river is the Fleet, and that's buried ten foot under Farringdon Road! Never seen one away from water before.
To the point:
Um. Geoff old lad, don't want to seem to be contradicting you but go more than three quarters of a mile south from Leather Lane and expect to get your feet wet. Little thing called the Thames
Don't ever remember seeing any Kingfishers there or thereabouts tho. Although the banks are confined by the embankment and lots of metal pilings I am sure there are enough little chinks and holes for a nest or two. Hope so. 'twould be nice to think of them in Temple gardens and thereabouts.
And now Windy rambles on....
And although the last time I fished it is now more than 15 years ago the Thames at Blackfriars bridge was very very well populated by all sorts of fish ! When the tide is going out you get freshwater coarse fish in abundance, Roach, dace, Perch etc. When it starts coming back in you get flatfish and eels added in to the equation.
Anyone wanting to try it then there are old water steps down to the gravel just past the Founders Arms pub on the south bank, and on the north bank hidden under south side of the bridge behind the Mermaid theatre. Hard to find but they are there !
Just two words of warning: the fine mud down there is very very intrusive and adhesive. Wellies at least, thigh waders better, and a nice clean box to sit on all help.
Secondly DON'T get caught out by the tide. Once it turns and starts to rise it does so deceptively quickly. And very dangerously.
The power of the flow of the Thames at that point is not something to take lightly at all. If you walk any distance away from the bottom of the water steps keep an eye on the bank between you and there. It is easy to find yourself on a rapidly shrinking piece of shingle with water in between you and the steps.
It is at this point that the choice of thigh waders over wellies make even more sense and secondly you will have a real chance to appreciate the strength of the current as you try and walk back against it....
Not good, I had a nasty and uncomfortably close to my maker moment there once - and once only. Thereafter tide tables carefully consulted at all material times. Start just after high tide as it turns and finish no later than an hour after low tide has turned....