Many moons ago you might recall some amphibious tourist vessels that would launch from the side of MI6 in Vauxhall and then transform from car to boat. So small were they that we often mistook them for a very large person out for a swim or a caravan that toppled into the Thames. But just what became of them? Well the slipway from which it embarked was taken over by Thames water in 2017 and the little boats became a thing of the past. But with work now complete they’re making a comeback in early 2026!

The press release states that the landlord of the slipway is the Duchy of Cornwall, aka Prince William, and he’s apparently ‘given his blessing’ for the cruises to return. We can easily see Wills calling up Big Duck Tours and saying something like ‘is this Big Duck? Well, they’re done with the turd tunnel now so you can bring the boats back. Bye’. While on the ground be busses cover most of the big sites before heading down the Vauxhall riviera to float down the Thames to St. Pauls. And by no means do you have to be a tourist to undertake this fun activity even if it does look like you’re about to sink to a watery grave.

If you have nothing better to do, the new space in front of MI6 has been dubbed the ‘Isle of Effra’ and was created to cover the source of the Thames supersewer. The crowning achievement of said turd tunnel are several very clever benches made to look like toilets. And the tunnel under Vauxhall Bridge is now open. For many years we would end our nightly monthly runs from Battersea to Waterloo at Vauxhall because the subway was closed and we maintained the flimsy/whimsical excuse that it was too dangerous to cross the road. Progress comes at a cost.