Hackney Wick to London City Airport

Nadia and Penelope Soteriou at the start, 
at Hackney Wick train station.

On a rather chilly May Sunday we walked our fourth segment of the Capital Ring (officially, section 14). We’ve done almost a third of the route now. We finished yesterday afternoon next to the London City Airport, which is a long way from Hendon where we started four Sundays ago.

Our starting point was Hackney Wick, a rather bohème neighbourhood that is in the shadow of the Olympic site. We had finished there on our last walk, but perhaps because we were tired we did not take such a close look. There, obscurely on a wall, was a small plaque indicating where the first plastics were made.

Little statues on the scanal at Hackney Wick.

The guide to the route promised we would have great views of the Olympic installations, but in fact it was a bit of a disappointment. A few days ago, there was a serious security clampdown on the site, and as a result we were rerouted rather far from the stadium and other facilities, which we could only see in the distance. In fact, we got lost, and had to find our way back to the main trail at Stratford High Street.

The Bryant and May Match Factory, with plaque commemorating a famous strike.

Along the way was, as always, the unexpected. We passed by the old match factory of Bryant and May, now refurbished into houses and apartments.

Bow Church.

There is a plaque on the site of the entrance commemorating a famous strike that took place. From there, we passed by the 700-year-old Bow Church.

Had we followed the path, we would have missed these sights.

At Stratford High Street we found the path. It is located above the embankment of the Northern Outfall Sewer which runs for several kilometres. This is now called the Greenway. It is straight and wide and paved, and a good place for cyclists as well as walkers although surprisingly it was not crowded at all.

Taking a short break on the Greenway.

The highlight is the Abbey Mills Pumping Station, a Victorian building that is still used occasionally to pump sewage when there are heavy rains. The Greenway was lined with hawthorn trees which are now in blossom.

Abbey Mills Pumping Station.

The route leads to Plaistow, where we were promised cafés and restaurants. We looked around but it was clear we were no longer in Highgate or Stoke Newington, with their charming bakeries and espresso bars, and in the end we took a pass and kept walking.

At the end of the Greenway the route passes over a highway on a footbridge and then continues through the delightful Beckton District Park.

We were at the end of the route, next to the London City Airport. On our next walk we pick up the route there. We will cross the Thames and move into South London.