Our march started on Platform 18 at Waterloo station at 11:35am. Two trains full to bursting with demonstrators arrived at the same time and just getting onto the main station concourse was a feat in itself.

Our plan was to cross the Hungerford footbridge to join Embankment at the start of the march, but the police had closed it. Moments later, it became clear why. The whole South Bank was heaving with protesters who were simply on the wrong side of the river to start the march. Far too many for this small bridge!

Waterloo Bridge was the next logical crossing point to approach, however the police had also closed several of the accesses to it, and others were jammed solid with demonstrators. We found a suitably safe way up on the approach to the National Theatre and joined the lengthy queue of demonstrators waiting to get up onto the bridge.

The first part of the bridge crossing was moving freely, however, as we approached the Embankment side we ground to a halt in a huge sea of protestors. Progress from this point was stop-start nearly all the way.

Eventually we got down the stairways onto Embankment itself and were able to set off down the route of the march. A while later we arrived at the official start of the route, at the north end of the Hungerford Bridge, by Embankment tube station.

We got our first glimpse of Westminster Clock at just about 1:35pm as we approached the Ministry of War. The density of the crowd was almost overwhelming and scarcely a policeman in sight.

An hour and a half later we had passed the Ministry of War and made it to the Houses of Parliament. Yes, those 500 metres really did take 90 minutes!

Once on Whitehall, the pace quickened and flowed well through Trafalgar Square. On Regent Street, the march slowed right down again and by now it was approaching 4:00pm.

At about 4:45pm we reached Green Park tube station on Piccadilly. By this time, there were demonstrators coming in the opposite direction having clearly been to Hyde Park, listened to the speeches and left. It would have taken us at least until 5:30pm to reach Hyde Park Corner at the rate we were moving, and with our two very patient young sons finally starting to get cranky, we left the march and took the tube back to Waterloo.

Given that there was standing room only for so much of the route and that Hyde Park was full (and emptying) before we ever got there, the number of demonstrators was truly awesome.

Tony Blair had better take note and he underestimates the numbers present and those who could not make it at his peril - the British electorate's votes are up for grabs and unless he changes his stance, they won't be going his way again.