The Capital Ring Walk consists of fifteen segments that completely encircle London. The total distance is about 125 km, with each segment consisting of from 7 or 8 km to 15 km or so, easily manageable in two or three hours. The start and finish of the segments coincide with Underground or rail stations. Maps and guides for each segment are available here.

We will organise this as a group, walking every two or three Sundays, weather permitting, with an 11 AM start, and either conclude with a lunch somewhere at the end of the walk, or stop along the way. Perhaps in the warmer months we can plan on a picnic.

We will not walk in the rain, or if there is a strong likelihood of rain or similar foul weather.

Participants are encouraged to make comments and post photographs. If a walk is to be postponed because of bad weather, this will be announced on the blog a few hours before the start.

08 April 2012

Stoke Newington to Hackney Wick


On an overcast and somewhat damp day, we did our third walk of the Capital Ring, section 13, which goes from Stoke Newington to Hackney Wick. Again, there were four of us: Penelope, Nadia, myself and Michael Kearney who has joined us and who we hope will be back for future walks.
Micheal, Nadia and Penelope at the entrance to Springfield Park.
We began at Stoke Newington train station, walking through a very attractive residential neighbourhood until we reached Springfield Park. It is a very charming park, looking down on the Walthamstow marshes and the River Lea.
Springfield Park is a nature site that has been designated London’s first Regionally Important Geological Site – RIGS – and is on the English Register of Parks and Gardens of Historic Interest. It takes its name from springs that arise in the area. At the bottom of the park is a pedestrian bridge that crosses the River Lea. To the left is the Springfield Marina, full of the narrowboats that navigate the canals.
Catlovers spot a moggy on the roof of a canal boat.
Basically, today’s walk followed the River Lea. The River Lea was the historic boundary between Essex and Middlesex. Most of the time we walked on the old towpath, which is nicely refurbished making for easy walking and cycling.. I think one could live in London for many years and never even know that this beautiful river environment exists. You need to walk or cycle to see it.
No kite flying!
To the left of the path is the Walthamstow Marsh, a huge expanse of land that is part of the larger Hackney Marshes. In the past, it was a summer meadow known as Lammas Land, left to grow and then cut for hay later in the year. Now it hosts a nature reserve.
It was here that the first flight in Britain took place, and there are some small monuments to mark this. In 1909, a bit more than a century ago, A.V. Roe flew his ‘Yellow Terror’ tri-plane for 900 feet across one of the marshes. It was build under the arches of a bridge we walked past.
Springfield Marina.
The Marshes, and site of first flight in England.
Canal boat and pub.
Leabank Square. Check their website.
Colourful new buildings on the riverside.
Passing under a bridge where a weir separates the River Lea from the Lea Navigation Canal, we found a group of people posing for a picture. We guessed that it was a band and, sure enough, they are indeed: We Used to Make Things. Here is their website.
We Used to Make Things.
The Hackney Marshes are also home to an expanse of football pitches, apparently the biggest such collection in the world (and duly listed in the Guinness Book of World Records). There are apparently 80 pitches, and the land is known as the home of English “Sunday Soccer”. But today nobody was playing: perhaps all the matches were called off because of Easter Sunday.
The towpath continues past the Middlesex Filter Beds, which were build in 1852 to remove impurities from the River Lea. They went out of use in 1969.
Protesters camping near the Olympic site.
As we walked along, we began to pick up signs of the Olympics, including a protest camp that has been set up and signs of the efforts of government lawyers to fight off the protesters with injunctions. The Olympic site itself is surrounded by a rather daunting fence, with lots of warning wires and cameras. The only thing missing are machine gun towers and patrolling Alsatians.
Big time security at the Olympic site.
The stadium.
The Hackney Pearl.
We finished at Hackney Wick, and had a drink at the Hackney Pearl, which was the only restaurant we could find in the area. They are gearing up for a huge rush of business when the Olympics take place later this year. We had to wait more than 20 minutes for a bowl of soup. If they want to make money this summer, they’ll have to work on the service.
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