West Ham to Victoria Park via Olympic Park circular lockdown walk

 

Following last weekends enjoyable walk to Valentines Park in Ilford, Gill and I decided to go in another direction to Victoria Park in Tower Hamlets. 

We started off at the Memorial Recreation Park, E15 (the original home of West Ham FC?) then joined the Greenway and turned left towards Olympic Park (on top of a cross London Victorian Sewer outlet) which Mahatma Gandhi used to walk along to enjoy the views. 

We went past the imposing Victorian Abbey Mills Pumping station to cross over Stratford High Street. I used to walk or cycle along this route from my home to my housing office near the Roman Road in Bow pre 2012. Much has changed since. In fact incredible change. 

We stopped off at the Viewtube to check out what what was going on (outdoor music, takeaway cafe,  fresh bread & cakes stall). 

West Ham FC played Liverpool FC at the London Olympic Stadium today (no crowds allowed due to Covid). We walked past and could see activity and hear stadium announcements. Liverpool won 3:1. 

Then we walked to Victoria Park past British Second World War anti tank  invasion defences (and the scene of the first ever UK Railway murder). 

After lunch on a outdoor picnic table overlooking East Lake, we made our way back via the Hereford Union Canal then turned right to follow the River Lea to the historic Three Mills Island. 

We paid our respects to the workers memorial statute at Three Mills Green then re-joined the Greenway via the river weir (and past the site of the first "Big Brother" TV location) and then back to Memorial Park. 

A lovely walk which lasted 8.25 miles and took 3 hours and 16 minutes (could be shortened by leaving out stretch to Victoria Park).  Recommended. 

Cycling to Cutty Sark

 

Off message. I decided to try and ditch my "fair weather only" cycling reputation by biking in the winter gloom and cold to the Cutty Sark in Greenwich. My favourite route to the south of the borough is via West Ham Park and the Greenway. Across the A13 footbridge into Beckton Park, then Royal Albert Quay then past the Tate and Lyle factory. 

I took the Woolwich Ferry from Pier Road in Newham to Woolwich. I like using the ferry whenever I have the time. You get a free boat trip (okay - only 10 minutes or so) and some great views of the Thames. 

Next a 20 minute bike ride to Greenwich. The Cutty Sark is obviously closed due to Covid restrictions but it was good to see her again. I was meeting an old friend who I hadn't seen in months for a takeaway coffee and walk in the fresh air. 

To our surprise the "Trafalgar Pub" was still open and serving drinks. You had to text or email your order and they brought outside the beer in plastic cups (with lids). It would have been rude not too. 

After a short stroll and gossip (aka putting the world to rights) I cycled back via the Greenwich foot tunnel (entrance right next to Cutty Sark). Luckily both lifts, south and north, were working. The tunnel comes out in Island Gardens, Tower Hamlets. 

From there I went through the Isle of Dogs and then along the Thames path and the Grand Union canal towpath until Victoria Park. Then through the park and along towpath towards Hackney wick, through Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and finally back home via side streets. 

My phone battery died on route so I am not sure how how long or how far I cycled but I think over 10 miles. But it is pretty flat and if pushed for time you could do a more direct route by main road cycle lanes. 

A Newham Greenways & Waterways Circular Walk

Yesterday Gill and I went on a wonderful 3 mile circular walk in Newham, starting in West Ham Memorial Recreation Park E15 (once the home of West Ham FC). We walked through the Park to join the Greenway footpath (in the footsteps of Gandhi) then turned left along the Channelsea river toward 3 Mills Green Park. Passing the former Channel 4 TV "Big Brother" site (and long lost "bridge of shame")

We paid our respects at the "Clasping Hands" statute, which in more normal times we would have held a remembrance event last week on April 28 for Workers Memorial Day.

Next we walked past 3 Mills (LBTH) then along the River Lee towards Bow Creek. At the Twelve Trees Crescent junction we crossed over the river and walked along the other side. .

This stretch toward Cody Docks is very much an unknown and unused gem. I love the Shopping Trolly sculpture in shape of DNA double-helix structure. After Cody Docks you walk through a industrial estate (past West Ham bus depot) then through some estates to rejoin the Recreation Park.

West Ham Park, International Brigade memorial, Willow Lodge, Greenway & Gandhi

For our daily exercise Gill and I walked from Forest Gate to West Ham Park via the lovely art works in Earlham Grove (bottom left of collage). The park today was looking magnificent in the spring sunshine and "safe" following the closure on Easter Friday and Saturday by the Police because too many people were in the park to enable safe self isolation. The sudden spring chill had reduced the temperature by a half compared to Friday - so no sunbathing or picnics.

I was really pleased to seek out and find in the West Ham Park rose garden, the bench which has the memorial to the Spanish Civil War  International Brigade soldier and poet, David Marshall. It needs some repair and attention which I will look into.

On route to the Greenway, we stumbled across the Willow Lodge 1836, which is right opposite Plaistow station. Apparently the lodge of a former long lost manor house. Must find out more about this Grade 2 listed building.

The Greenway (the former Northern outfall Sewer) is a wonderful green asset. "In 1931 Gandhi visited London for a period of 3 months for talks on the future of India, he based himself at Kingsley Hall in Bromley-by-Bow. His host there, the Christian Socialist Muriel Lester described[17] his long early morning walks, beginning before sunrise, and which often took in the Sewerbank through Stratford to Plaistow. Gandhi enjoyed the elevated view the bank offered, and on these walks he would always gather a collection of well-wishers eager to speak to him".

Disruption on the Greenway

Apologies that this post is a little late but photo collage above was taken 2 weeks ago when Stratford Cllr Terry Paul and myself met up with local Newham cyclists to look at the reasons for the ongoing "temporary" closure of the Greenway and possible alternative diversions.

The Greenway is one of the hidden gems of Newham. It is a cycling and walking footpath on top of a Victorian sewer embankment, which goes across much of the borough to Tower Hamlets and then onto Victoria Park and the canal network. For many years I used to cycle into work along it to Bow.

The problem is that it has been cut off in two important places. Since February 2014 between Manor Road and Stratford High Street for Thames Water to renew a bridge and also between Stratford High Street and Marshgate Lane since (at least) 2012 for the Olympics and construction of Crossrail.

Local cyclists are "frustrated" by the length of time taken to to renew the bridge and also that the diverted route has signage problems and feel it is mostly unnecessary. I think that "angry" rather than frustrated describes the feeling about the seemingly never ending closure of the route to Marshgate Lane.

We cycled around the diverted route and then visited the construction site and the junction Canning Road with Abbey Lane E15. There was a genuine and constructive debate about road safety at that junction if the cycle diversion route was changed to use it. I think that it was accepted that it was dangerous but nothing is risk free and that surely there must be something that could be done to make it safer?

Terry and I will be asking Newham Council highways staff for advice on this and the other issues brought up.

Tomorrow (Monday 14 December) at 8am Newham Cyclists are due to meet with Cllr Terry Paul and I at the "Rhubarb" Sculpture in Stratford High Street for another moving site visit (I may have to drop out because I currently have the dreaded lergy)

hat tip Olawale Ajibola for photos

London Marathon 2012 Wk 16: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends"

My run of the week was on Saturday. I went from Forest Gate and through West Ham then on the Greenway towards Temple Mills. Picture to the right is of the beautiful memorial in Three Mills Green remembering the death of 3 workers at this site who died trying to save a work colleague.

"Of your charity pray for the souls of Thomas Pickett, Godfrey Maule Nicholson, Frederick Eliott and Robert Underhill, who lost their lives in a well beneath this spot on 12 July 1901. The first named while in the execution of his duty was overcome by foul air. The three latter successively descending in heroic efforts to save their comrades shared the same death…".

I then ran past Bow Locks and along the Limehouse Cut into Limehouse Basin while listening on headphones to James Corden who was the guest on Desert Island Discs.  He seems a decent bloke. The Cut was largely frozen. I was surprised to see on the way a site full of tanks and armoured vehicles which I assume belonged to some film company. At Limehouse basin I followed the Thames Walk to Canary Wharf then ran past Billingsgate Market and Tower Hamlets Town Hall (Mulberry Place). Across Canning Town flyover and then up into West Ham again then back home. I stopped off at the station to check on a ward problem. The run took about 2 hours 15 minutes and the last 30 minutes were very slow and very sore.

I am running the London marathon in April 2012 while sort of using the official advanced training programme and will be raising funds for Homeless charity for Young People "Alone in London". Click here to sponsor me.

London Marathon 2012 Wk 15: Beckton Alps

Training run of the week was on Saturday just before the heavy snow. I had to keep running for 1 Hour 40 minutes. I decided to go south along the Greenway (Northern Sewer outlet) towards the Thames. I joined the Greenway near Newham General Hospital going past West Ham FC fans who were quite happy following their win in the local derby with Millwall FC. 

At the junction with the A13 the Greenway seemed to stop. I was not sure what to do so I decided to carry out a long time ambition and go to the top of Beckton Alps. I have driven past the "Alps" many times. Its actually the spoil heap from the Beckton Gas works which use to be on the site. It is supposed to be the highest point in Newham and the highest artificial hill in London.

The gas works themselves were used to film the final battle scenes of "Full Metal Jacket". Afterwards I ran home past St Marys Magdelene (the oldest Norman Church in London whose vicar is the Councillor Rev. Quintin Peppiatt!) then across Central Park and the back streets to home taking 1 Hour 41 minutes.

I am running the London marathon in April 2012 while sort of using the official advanced training programme and will be raising funds for Homeless charity for Young People "Alone in London". Click here to sponsor me.

London Marathon 2012 Wk 14: Olympic Park Circuit

Run of the week was a "circuit" (of sorts)  around the London Olympics

2012 Park in Stratford.

I ran from Forest Gate to the Greenway at West Ham. The Greenway was blocked off at the High Street. I tried to rejoin via Blaker Road but this was fenced off. So I went along the canal to Marshgate Lane and eventually came back on the Greenway, stopping off at the view tube to take pictures of the Olympic stadium and the Orbit (see right).

The Orbit at the moment does remind me of the monster aliens from HG Wells "War of the Worlds". But I have little doubt it will eventually become a poplar icon.

Past the Second World War pill box and anti-tank defences then Old Ford Canal Lock.  Do you remember Chris Evans and "The Big Breakfast"? It was filmed here at the Lock Keepers cottage. I use to cycle into work along the towpath and wave at Chris and his guests filming in the garden (they never waved back).  I ran along the towpath (the area has totally changed - there are now Art Galleries, cafes and residential blocks) until the Eastway.  Then there was a long bit of road and pavement towards Spitalfields Market.

I wasted time trying to find a way to cross the A12 at the Asda Retail Park (there isn't one). There were groups of people at the retail park being taken on a guided view point tours around the Olympic site. Eventually made it back to Forest Gate past Leyton Underground and West Ham Cemetery. I was supposed to be running for 90 minutes but it took me 2 hours. It was a good run but a bit of a slog from Leyton onwards. I will post other pictures from the run on FaceBook.

I am running the London marathon in April 2012 sort of using the official advanced training programme and will be raising funds for Homeless Youth charity "Alone in London". Click here to sponsor me.

London Marathon 2012 Training Wk 6: East London Cemetery

The Pension strike on Wednesday and the LAPFF Pension conference on Thursday meant that I missed two days marathon training. I have also swapped my weekly “long run” from Sunday to Saturday, since I want to keep up with going for country walks on a Sunday whenever possible.

This week I was supposed to either take part in a 10k race or go for a 60 minute run. I was too disorganised to find a race so instead I went for the run. First a warm up walk and then jog through Forest Gate backstreets. Followed by stretches near Romford Road. I then started running through West Ham Park, down to Plaistow Road, then across West Ham ward to join the Greenway via Canning Road. I turned left at the Greenway and ran along what will be a major route into the Olympic Park next year.

I then decided to turn right and go down to the East London Cemetery. Near to the gates of the cemetery there is a memorial to two mass graves of civilian air raid victims from Hackney during World War Two. Also buried in the cemetery are Elizabeth "Long Liz" Stride who was the 3rd victim of Jack the Ripper and Carl Hans Lody the 1st German spy to be executed by firing squad at the Tower of London during the World War One.

After the cemetery I went into Newham memorial Park, back on the Greenway then home. On way back I said “hello” very briefly to two of my ward constituents in West Road who I had met on a Street surgery last month.

This 60 minute run had been pretty tough but I was pleased that I had managed to keep going at a somewhat respectable rate. Even though my thigh muscles are giving some gip and I find it a little difficult to walk up stairs.

I am running the London marathon next year using the official advanced training programme and will be raising funds for Homeless Youth charity "Alone in London". Click here to sponsor me.

(picture of WW2 bomb victims buried in East London Cemetery and poster board with long list of "West Ham Air Raid Casualties")

Newham Greenway - Vote Early (Vote Often?)

I’m reluctantly supporting one of Boris’s daftest ideas. Voting on-line in a “referendum” to decide which 10 London parks should receive up to £400,000 for improvements. You would have thought that it was the job of elected officials to make considered judgements on which Parks should have the funds for which they could then be held accountable.

Nope – Boris is letting it all hang on Internet voting. So that’s okay then. How very fair, transparent and of course not open to any abuse.

Still, if you can’t beat ‘em – Vote here for Newham Greenway. It’s a real life green lung for East London. For years I have walked, cycled or jogged to work and back along this route. I’ve been too lazy recently but I can feel yet another New Years Resolution about getting fit and losing weight in the air.

From the Greenway in Bow you could see the Chris Evans “Big Breakfast” cottage (I use to wave at him on the lawn as I cycled past) and a short detour leads you to the original “Big Brother” house at Temple Mills. Also close by is the impressive memorial here (and main photo) in Three Mills Green to 3 workers who tragically died trying to save the life of a work colleague. I have helped organise Workers Memorial Day remembrance ceremonies there in the past.

To vote you only have to type in your post code and put in a name. I voted twice from the same PC (purely in the interest of investigative blogging), the second time using the name Boris Johnson and the Newham Town Hall post code. The website accepted the 2nd vote.

Ends 29 January 2009.

Nice one Boris!