[1] Leaving The Albany, turn left onto Douglas Way and continue until you meet Deptford High Street.  Turn left along Deptford High Street and continue walking towards Deptford Station (possibly the oldest in London) and the railway bridge that crosses the High Street, until you reach the zebra crossing. Use this to cross the High Street and continue on the other side into Crossfield Street and then left into Coffey Street.  Pass St Paul’s Church on your left.

(A) If you wish, take a detour through the church grounds and visit the church, if it is open. Crossfield Street gave its name to a prison, where convicts were detained or released without reference to the sentences of the courts. Such rough justice did not impress the convicts, who once murdered their governor.

[2] At the end of Coffey Street, turn right briefly to use the zebra crossing to cross  Deptford Church Street towards the street sign for Bronze Street.  Walk to the left of the sign, heading for the entrance to the Sue Godfrey Nature Reserve.

[3] Enter the Nature Reserve and follow the path, walking towards a modern building with an exterior of blue, green and mauve high-performance plastic panels, and past a small section of a wall in the centre (remains of the pottery works). Continue walking through the children’s play park with the dome shelter, Ferranti Park.

(B) The striking modern building in front of Ferranti Park is the Laban Centre, a contemporary dance school which has a café (and toilets) open to the public.

[4] Turn left after Ferranti Park into Creekside and walk to the end of the road. Turn left, walk to the traffic-light-controlled pedestrian crossing and cross the busy Creek Road towards an orange and cream building, the McMillan Student Village. Turn right and then left into Gonson Street. Cross this road and turn right at the end into Stowage. Walk towards wooden bollards at the end of Stowage.

[5] At the end of the road, turn left into Glaisher Street.  Continue through the new housing area of Millennium Quay, along Glaisher Street until the road curves round to the left. Cross over here, and take the road on the right towards the Thames.  At the end, turn left and join the path along the river Thames.

You join the Thames Path just at the point where Deptford Creek joins the river.  At low tide you may see flocks of black-headed gulls feeding in the fresh water of the Creek, as well as ducks and swans.