The Jubilee Greenway was set up in 2012 to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and coincidently the London Olympics. As such it is 60km in length and passes all the London Olympic venues - or rather it doesn't as it goes nowhere near Wembley and Wimbledon and a long way from Lee Valley. It introduces no new walking paths whatsoever, most of it goes on parts of the Capital Ring and Thames Path and also along the Regent's Canal towpath. I have therefore only recently done much of it so will concentrate on the bits which are new to me.
A report on yesterday's Jubilee Greenway walk - Sections 4 and 5 (part), Victoria Park to Cyprus. I reported on much of this last year as it covers Capital Ring sections 14 and 15.
Me and Mike started off in Victoria Park which we had passed through a fortnight ago on our walk down to Limehouse. First on the tube to Cambridge Heath via Liverpool St to join the Regent's Canal and a little along here into Victoria Park.
First past the pagoda, looking quite spectacular in the bright sunshine. Then past the cafe and into the second much larger part of the park which was mainly woodland.
An interesting line of trees stretching across the park. Then through a short stretch of conurbation and under the busy A12 where we soon crossed the Lee Navigation and came to the Greenway and the Capital Ring. Familiar territory. The Olympic Park comes into view, somewhat deserted but with loads of big cranes still doing the post Olympic changes.
The Greenway is built over the top of the Northern Outfall Sewage Embankment, or NOSE, and whiffs of that use were detectable at times. When I walked it last year the section on the left near Pudding Mill had been closed since 2009 for work on Crossrail and later for Thames Water works but reopened this July, so that bit was new to me. Much of the Greenway is very much the same, a pleasant path but not that much to see.
The magnificent Victorian Ranelagh Primary school in West Ham comes into sight and then the Greenway crosses several busy roads as it passes through Plaistow. Last year I had lunched in a Pie and Mash shop here but didn't venture there this time. After passing the playing fields of Brampton Manor Academy with lots of school children enjoying their lunch break we continued through Beckton District Park eventually arriving at the University of East London and Cyprus DLR station where we finished for the day, having walked around 7.5 miles. No pubs or restaurants here so made our way back on the tube to Waterloo where we ate again in the Wellington. Had a drivers view right at the front of the DLR train which was an experience - no driver! All cleverly controlled by electronics with just a train 'manager' who seems to do little more than open and close the doors. As you know our train company is on strike next month insisting on keeping guards, DLR seems to dispense with the driver as well...
Today was the day of the London Bridge terrorist attack. Our Jubilee line train back to Waterloo this afternoon stopped at London Bridge. After a short time while passengers waited for the doors to open the driver came on and said he had just been told London Bridge station was closed and nobody could get off. When we got to Southwark he then said London Bridge had now reopened and passengers who wanted it should cross to the other platform and return there. Little did we and presumably he know, this was just after 2pm. Sat in the pub opposite Waterloo station, eating a lovely lunch, loads of vehicles with flashing blue lights sped past. Then we saw what it was all about on the pub TV, gosh that was a bit close for comfort. On our original plan we would have been travelling via Bank or Tower Hill on other DLR trains, then we would have been right in the thick of the action.