Spring Walk

It was the first real Spring day of the year, far too nice to stay indoors, so the Swan Whisperer and I decided we would do the "other" leg of the canal walk we had been planning ever since we walked up the Limehouse Cut about 18 months ago.  So we took the Northern Line to Bank, and then the DLR to Limehouse, and then we took the first branch of the canal, which is, of course, the Regents' Canal at that stage.  There was a place hiring canoes, and we made enquiries - not that we planned to do that today, but we thought we might like to at some stage.  Actually, I'm not too sure I do want to - there was an awful lot of rubbish in the canals,  yuck.

So we walked up the Regents' Canal, overtaking some walkers, being overtaken by others, and having to climb the banks for passing cyclists.  The route was rather interesting, actually, as it goes along the side of Mile End Park, which we hadn't met before.  And of course Mile End Park finishes at Victoria Park, where the Hertford Union Canal turns right - and so did we. 

We walked along the canal - there are houses on the first bit, but eventually you see Victoria Park, which was seriously standing-room only, we thought!  Not too surprising on such a lovely afternoon.

The canal joins the River Lee opposite the Olympic Park - the stadium and the Orbit are to one's right, and the Copper Box to one's left.  I am not sure how much of the park, even now, is open to the public, although I know some of it is - the swimming pool is now a public baths, and watch this space as there may well be a visit sometime in the next few weeks. 

Anyway, that was more-or-less the end of our walk.  We would have liked to have had a beer at a recommended brewery and pizzeria just there, but we were running out of time, so we went straight to Hackney Wick station, a few hundred metres away (and a very splendid zig-zag path leading up to the platforms, much nicer than stairs!), from which we were able to catch an Overground to Highbury and Islington, and then the Victoria Line back to Brixton.