The alternative Greenway on the Regents Canal

Thursday, 25 August 2011 08:02

Created for the 2012 Olympics the Jubilee Greenway path stretches 37 miles around London - it is a walking and cycling route linking many of the Olympic venues.

Glass waymark in the path

We have noticed these waymarks in various places and cruised from Victoria Park to Limehouse alongside, but on our own "greenway" ......

The Jubilee Greenway follows the canal - unsurprising really as this is an easy way of creating a path using the existing towpath.

After emptying and filling at the BW services (at the lock, a very slow tap), our first lock was Old Ford Lock. We were able to refuel below the lock as Liz Skinner on Indus and Pictor was just about to come up.

Old Ford Lock has some horse stables that were used to stable the canal horses.

Refueling below Old Ford Lock

The Junction with the Hertford Union Canal is below the lock with a large winding hole which helps those boaters turning onto this "shortcut" to the River Lee Navigations. It is through a small gap at right angles to the Regents Canal.

Hertford Union Canal entrance

There are more moorings below Roman Road Bridge - alongside Wennington Park. A new cycle/footbridge (Meath Bridge) advertising Sustrans crosses below the moorings and there are a couple of metal sculptures to brighten up the rather scruffy towpath.

Climbing wall and and metal sculptures

Our "greenway" was really developing now as we approached Mile End Lock, as you can see. We had been following it all the way from Victoria Park and would do right until Limehouse Basin! At Mile End is the site of the old New Globe Tavern Gardens (1820-60). It offered music, fireworks, refreshments and hot air balloon rides and illuminations. It is now gardens again and the hill gives a good view of the canal and the Eastern line trains.

Mile End Lock ahead

This bus stop is conveniently placed on Mile End Bridge

Below Johnson's Lock there is a "stop and shop" mooring with a four hour limit. It is also beside the Ragged School Museum so potentially would be convenient to visit the Museum. The latter is in the former Dr Barnado's school which was opened in 1887 and closed in 1908. We did not stop, but it is somewhere we would like to visit - there are so many places to go it is hard to choose what to do!

Johnson's Lock and Ragged School Museum below

I had a go at opening the paddles at Salmon Lane Lock but they proved too heavy for "little ol' me" and John had to take over. Above the lock John had his first foray for a while into the weed hatch. I had fiddled around above the previous lock waiting for another narrowboat to come up and picked up a couple of bags and other detritus.

Fi attempting the paddles at Salmon Lane Lock

We came to our last lock on the Regents Canal, Commercial Road Lock. The duckweed was still very much with us! This lock is the only one that still has a double arched bridge before it.

A13 crosses above Commercial Road Lock

Limehouse Basin was below - less duckweed but lots of boats. Would we find a mooring?

Entering Limehouse Basin

Our previous exploration of the Basin meant we knew where to go, unlike the narrowboat we had met on the Regents Canal who had turned around because they did not know where the moorings are. They are on the far side of the Basin near Limehouse Cut which leads to the Lee Navigations.

Towards narrowboat moorings on the "wall".

The buildings shrouded in mist are Canary Wharf. Those Bankers would not have had a good view today - serendipity, as we do not have a good view of them after all their shenanigans! We had arrived - and there was a mooring spare. A couple of nights would do for us to explore more.

Regents Canal, Victoria Park to Limehouse Basin
3 hours 8 minutes, 1.95 miles, 5 locks