Ireland day 1365. Tuesday 24 June 2025- UK Hip Recheck 2

Today’s summary	After overnight in London, got a train from Waterloo to Southampton and a taxi to the hospital for Xrays and hip consultation with the consultant who did the original resurfacing operations. Xrays look good but need for more scans at some point because metal levels are a bit high. Train back to Gatwick via London afterwards for a 7pm flight back to Dublin, where I was met at the airport by Val.
Today’s weather	Overcast but dry. Moderate south westerly wind. Appx 22c in Southampton.

Today’s overview location (The blue mark shows the location of my route)		Close-up location (The blue line shows where I was) (No GPX today)

Commentary

While it’s quite nice to be back in London – albeit only briefly – I’d really rather I wasn’t here in order to engage with the medical profession. Still, it’s got to be done.

After spending the night in London, I caught a train from Waterloo down to Southampton for my consultation. The journey was stressful in itself as the train suddenly stopped at Clapham Junction (“because of a vehicle striking a bridge”) and we were motionless for twenty minutes while it was sorted out.

So we were late into Southampton, meaning my plans to walk to the hospital were scuppered and I took a taxi instead (not too bad at £13).

I was seen quite quickly for Xrays – they seemed to go straightforwardly but the radiographer was delphic about what they might have shown.

Eventually, I was seen for my consultation at 1:30pm. The Xrays of my “new” hips apparently looked good, but because I have slightly odd blood metal levels, I have to have some more scans in a few months time. I’ll put that joy off for as long as I can!

Once the hospital visit was out of the way, I got an Uber back to the station (just £8, so better value than a taxi – and without the 20 minute wait I’d have had if I’d used the same firm who brought me from the station). Then I took the 15:00 train to Gatwick with a change at Clapham Junction along the way. It took under 2 hours to get there so I arrived at the airport in plenty of time for my 1900 flight.

As usual, although the Ryanair flight wasn’t a luxurious affair by any means, it was punctual and efficient (although the rain which just started when I landed in Dublin couldn’t be prevented!). Even better, Val met me at the airport so we were back in the flat by about 9pm. What a day. Time now I think for a decent glass of red wine!

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)


View upstream from Waterloo Bridge this morning	Waterloo Station

Breakfast on the 10:35 to Southampton	Fascinating Freight – trundling through Platform 1 as I was making my way out

Negotiating Clapham Junction station this evening. Even though it’s supposedly one of the busiest railway stations in Britain, it’s not a patch on the labyrinthine Shinjuku in Tokyo	Delightful departures – Gatwick Airport

The BFI Imax cinema in the Waterloo Bridge roundabout. It used to be known as Cardboard City here -the area is not perfect now, but it’s an awful lot better than it was