Route Section Capital Ring Walk

Section 14 (Hackney Wick to Beckton District Park)

Description:

Incredibly, this easy section through a densely populated part of London manages to find a route that is almost completely without traffic. This is mainly achieved by following for 4.6km (2.9 miles) The Greenway, an almost straight broad track running high between houses along the top of the Northern Outfall Sewer with a bonded gravel surface throughout and great views of the Olympic site. Note that The Greenway is a permissive path shared with cyclists and closed at night.

First, though, you follow the Lee Navigation towpath for a while, together with the Lea Valley Walk and Time Travellers. You join The Greenway at Old Ford Lock, beside which, incongruously, stand the cottage studios of GMTV, complete with outdoor sets in the garden. At a railway line you must divert briefly from The Greenway through an industrial area, then you cross the intricate network of the Bow Backs rivers.

The palatial former Abbey Mills Pumping Station stars on the way to West Ham, then you have an aerial view over the East London Cemetery as you approach Plaistow. You leave The Greenway to cross Newham Way on a long footbridge, then enter Beckton District Park, where tree species are marked out for your information, and a small diversion can take you past its lake.

Distance:

5 miles ( 8 km)

Start:

Hackney Wick

Finish:

Beckton District Park (Stansfeld Road, GR 422-811)

Recommended direction:

Northwest to southeast

Terrain and surface:

Almost entirely level on firm ground, with some short gentle slopes and one flight of steps. No stiles. 0.8km (half a mile) beside roads

Signage:

Complete both ways. The logo is ‘Big Ben’ and text ‘Capital Ring’ in blue and green on white background.

Temporary Diversions:

1) Work in connection with the development of Olympic Park may affect the route from time to time. Diversions will be signed when necessary. For the full information please see the previous section, Capital Ring section 13.

2) The Greenway is closed from Pudding Mill / Marshgate Lane to Stratford for Crossrail work. These works will be continuing for several years (until late 2014) although this section will be reopened temporarily during the Olympics in 2012. Please follow the diversionary route along Pudding Mill Lane and Marshgate Street, crossing Bow Back river to Stratford High Street; turn right to rejoin the Greenway at Stratford High Street by the Waterworks river (see download below). For further information please contact the 24 hour helpdesk on 0345 602 3813 or email [email protected]
Greenway diversion.pdf

Refreshments and toilets:

Pubs at Hackney Wick and Plaistow. Cafés at Hackney Wick and Beckton District Park. Public toilets at Beckton District Park (subject to opening times) or Bow Flyover (McDonald’s restaurant).

Public transport and breakpoints:

Rail: Hackney Wick, West Ham
Tube: West Ham, Plaistow
DLR: Pudding Mill Lane, Royal Albert
Buses: at stations above (not Pudding Mill Lane) plus High Street Stratford, several points in Plaistow, Lonsdale Avenue and Tollgate Road (Beckton District Park)

For more information on public transport please see Transport for London’s Journey Planner.

Links with other walks:

Lea Valley Walk, Time Travellers, The Greenway

Map required:

Explorer 162

Principal promoters:

London Walking Forum, LB Tower Hamlets, LB Newham

Access information:

The first 700m along the towpath are level but uneven – this can be avoided by starting at the west end of The Greenway in Wick Lane. Access points to The Greenway are ramped, as is the footbridge over Newham Way.