Flu Walks Along the East London Waterways

Walking The Waterways in East London during Covid lockdown 2020

1/2 to a full day depending on your route

Hackney Marshes in the fog.

I’ve lived in London for the best part of ten years, however I didn’t really feel like I’d really got to know the canals and rivers of East London until the COVID-19 restrictions of 2020/2021, when I was largely isolated and most of my free time for a decent spell was spent entertaining myself. With little else to do other than to go for long walks on my own, I discovered parts of East London I’d never seen before, much of it had been under my nose for years.

Tips and a heads-up

This route takes you through some lesser-explored parts of London, and although most of it is spent on the canal tow-path, the river Lea and the Thames, some of it will take you through industrial estates, back-alleys and run-down estates. If you decide to follow in the same route then use your common-sense, particularly if you start late and find yourself in and around Kind George V DLR station. These walks are impressive, exciting and eye-opening but not pretty per se and take you through some of the roughest parts of town.
Set out on the rainiest, coldest day you can. To get a feel for what it was like in 2020 you want to get as close to Xmas morning at 3am vibe as you can, the shitter the weather, the fewer people you’ll see and the better your experience will be.

This is the sort of weather you're aiming for.

Part 1 - Hackney Marshes to Three Mills and Bow Locks

This part of the journey will be familiar to anyone living in Hackney and is basically the same regardless of which route you take. From the starting point anywhere in Hackney, get to the canal and follow it south all the way to Bow Lock.

You can take a detour here and walk around the Olympic park if you’re feeling fruity, as it’s easy enough to pick up the canal again at the West Ham stadium in the south-east of the park.

For a slightly shorter walk you can skip a lot of the canal and get straight to the Thames. If that’s your bag then take the tube from nearby Pudding Mill Lane to Canary Wharf then get walk due-south to the Thames and then walk East to pick up the route later-on.

Stratford seen from the Hackney Marshes.

Walking along the tow-path between the Marshes and Here East.

Underpass at Hackney Wick.

Canal tow-path with West Ham London Stadium.

Three Mills TV Studio, where they film Masterchef and shit.

Part 2 - Choose your journey

Once you pass Three Mills you’ll reach the Bow Locks.

Bow Locks.

At this point you've basically got two choices:

You can either continue to walk the canal tow-path of Limehouse cut all the way to Limehouse basin in a South-West direction. This is the quickest way to reach the Thames on foot (probably?) from Bow Lock and is arguably the prettier of the two routes, particularly once you reach the marina. There’s less to write about this route as it’s fairly straight forward. If your eventual intention is to end up heading West then take this route as you can really quickly get to Tower Bridge. There are some great pubs in Whapping too, if you want to get a Sunday roast or whatever.

Or…

Part 3 - Bow Lock to Royal Dock via Cody Dock (you hope)

:warning:: Before you go any further, check if Cody Dock is open or at least that the gates are open so that you can get through. If not, you’re stuck and will have to walk back on yourself.

This route is better. Take the steps up and back on yourself then cross over to the river Lea. You’ll see a path on the other side which will take you off in an easterly direction. This is the uglier, but ultimately more interesting route in my opinion.

The River Lea at Bow Locks.

Cody Dock

From here you’re going to sort of follow your nose all the way to Canning Town, then from Canning Town you want to head to Royal Docks. It’s not pretty, but on a wet Sunday morning you might find its pretty chill. Stick a podcast on, call your mum or something.

The other side of Cody Dock, take a right at Star Lane station and head down Stephenson street, which is a shit hole.

You’re on your own from this point, just get to Royal Dock.

Part 4 - Royal Dock to Woolwich (you hope)

It’s easy from here. Take the Emirates Air Line thing (sorry I forgot to mention you had to do this, I hope you’re happy with the height, otherwise get a tube over the river) to the south bank and walk east, simple as that!

Air.

Flats in Greenwich Village.

A dredger on the Thames near Charlton. The only thing moving.

The Thames Barrier.

Brought my brother a year later and got a pint in the Anchor and Hope in Charlton.

… so that’s basically it. A bit of a loose agenda really, just head south, then east along the south bank of the Thames. Alternatively just make your way to Canary Wharf by whatever means possible and just follow the Thames east. Either way, make sure it’s WET and WINDY and EARLY. Try to recreate the conditions of Covid lock-down as much as you can. It’s hard to photograph the atmosphere of this part of London when it’s eerily quiet, but it’s worth it. The first time I did this, the weather was nasty, and I hadn’t passed a soul for fifteen minutes at least when I got to the (closed) Anchor and Hope, to find a woman still selling cockles out of a van on the Thames. This is my favorite walk in London.