Early February presented us with the
opportunity for another London-based weekend. As far as the Sunday went, we had
made arrangements to visit the Destinations travel show at Olympia, to meet
with friends and divine inspiration for future trips. A quick count-back
revealed it was 16 years since we had last attended such a show, so maybe it
was time for another visit.
Anyway, that left a full day on the Saturday to
continue with our Capital Ring project, picking up from Hackney Wick where we
left off last time, round east London, to the Shooters Hill area on the south
side of the Thames.
After our now-traditional early train journey
into the capital, we arrived at Hackney Wick at about 9.30am. Overnight rain had
ceased, but the ground was still wet and I managed to drop the route
information sheets into a puddle before we’d even left the station.
A work in progress ...... |
.... and we can't disagree, except perhaps in the use of the term "decorate" |
Re-joining the Ring, we followed the Lee Navigation
for a short way, skirting round the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (now home to
West Ham United Football Club) and The Orbit.
Lee Navigation and Olympic Stadium |
Information board showing the intricate network of waterways here |
The Orbit is an unusual creation. At 114.5m
tall, it claims to be Britain’s largest public sculpture, designed by Turner Prize-winner
Anish Kapoor in response to London Mayor Boris Johnson’s request for “something
special” for the Olympic Park. According to Wikipedia this radical combination
of architecture, sculpture and structural engineering was the unanimous choice
of the advisory panel, and has been both praised and criticised.
The Orbit: daring sculpture project or waste of £22.7 million? You decide. |
We picked up the Greenway, a 6-mile-long
pathway that runs on top of the Northern Outfall Sewage Embankment, part of the
sewage system designed by Joseph Bazalgette in the 1860s. The occasional whiff
acted as a reminder of the path’s origins.
After negotiating a diversion more by intuition
than adequate signage, we crossed the Prime Meridian into the eastern
hemisphere and sat on a wet bench for a brief break. The dull of the morning
began to lift and hints of sunshine tried to break through, and although this
may not be the prettiest section of the Ring, there is much of interest to see
and we had enjoyed the walk so far.
Beckton Alps, look it says so on the road sign, with high-point on the horizon |
Leaving the Greenway, the scenery began to
change as we traversed the foothills of the Beckton Alps and descended into
Beckton District Park, where this section of the Capital Ring finished.
Beyond the parks, we cut through houses to
emerge by the DLR stop at Cyprus, and took a bee-line through the modern-seeming
campus of the University of East London to reach the Royal Albert Dock, with
the busy City Airport beyond.
University of East London, Royal Albert Dock & City Airport |
We walked beside the Dock, now used as an international
rowing course, past the Sir Steve Redgrave Bridge, over Gallions Roundabout and
on to Atlantis Avenue, and reached the Thames – the first time we have seen the
river since leaving Richmond.
Sound political advice on offer |
This urban fox was out in the daytime and completely at ease with our being so close |
Carrying on beside the river, we crossed a
couple of sets of lock gates (originally controlling access to the Royal Albert
and King George V Docks) and stopped for a brief lunch break on some handy
benches.
Looking into the King George V lock |
Woolwich Ferry |
As we continued towards the Woolwich Ferry, we
fell in with a couple of other walkers who turned out to be Jeremy and Diana
from the Week Walks website, a site dedicated to linear walks both in the UK
and Europe, and whose enjoyment of longer, linear routes matches our own. Their
site is full of lots of inspiration for multi-day hikes:
Section 15 of the Capital Ring ends here – in fact,
this is the official end of the route if the walk is attempted sequentially. To connect to the next section, section 1, walkers can either take the Woolwich Ferry as a foot passenger or, more excitingly we think, actually walk beneath the Thames.
Entrance to the Woolwich Foot Tunnel |
I must confess, when I first read about the Woolwich Foot Tunnel I
imagined something dark and dank and much more akin to Bazalgette’s sewers than
the clean, well-lit, underground-like tunnel that we found, the most
disconcerting part of which being the faint dizziness caused by negotiating the 100+
circular steps up and down.
Path beneath the Thames |
Having safely reached the other side, we bade farewell to Jeremy and
Diana and continued on our way. Immediately, we noticed two differences from
the north side of the river – fewer signposts, several of which seemed to be incorrectly
aligned, and reduced information in the route notes. The problem, I think, is
that the Thames Path and a couple of other routes take precedence here, with
Capital Ring signage demoted as a result.
Thames Barrier |
Barrier viewpoint - playing "Titanic" optional |
However, the weather seemed brighter, so once back on track we followed beside the river for a few minutes to a
viewpoint over the river and the Thames Barrier. A slightly confusing course
through housing, industrial estate and main road brought us to Maryon Park and
Maryon Wilson Park, from where, from an elevated position, we could see across
to The Valley, home of Charlton Athletic Football Club.
Tea with The Queen |
Although the afternoon was wearing on, we still felt good, so we stopped
in Charlton Park for tea and scones at the The Old Cottage Café, a welcome rest
that bolstered us for the final few miles. We crossed Hornfair Park and
Woolwich Common, negotiated the road junction below Shooters Hill and climbed
across Eltham Common to reach Severndroog Castle as dusk was falling.
Severdroog Castle at dusk |
After descending the steps on the far side, the path led through woods
to Oxleas Meadows, then on through the trees to reach the road at Rochester Way
and the short walk to Falconwood station. We could have managed the loop
through Shepherdleas Wood too, but the sun was setting and the light fading
fast between the trees, so we will save that for next time.
On the way back, there was plenty of time to reflect on a diverse and
enjoyable day spent on both the north and south side of the Thames, from the
urban dereliction of Hackney Wick to the forested hillsides near Falconwood,
the new of the DLR and the regeneration of East London to the history of the
Royal Albert Dock and Woolwich, with its maritime connections, dockyards, military
history and famous Royal Arsenal.
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