Glimpses of the Olympic Park from the Lee

Monday, 29 August 2011 11:59

We plan to be as far away as possible from London in July 2012. However,  it was a little exciting to see bits of the Olympic Park as we passed on the Lee Navigation.

Notices at the junction with the Bow Back Rivers

First though we had a lock to do .....

The Bow Back Rivers are closed at the moment whilst the Olympic Park is being constructed. They will also be closed during the Olympics - once all the fuss is over they will be worth exploring though.

Bow Back Rivers Junction with the Lee Navigation, looking derelict and unloved

They were developed in or around the C11th as mill streams and transport routes. The "mesh of waterways .... wilderness of marsh and waste country" of 1909, known only to the local watermen, have survived "improvements", the Blitz, dereliction and being classed as a "remainder waterway".

Brand new footbridge above the junction - huge, with slopes for cycles and wheelchairs

The Olympics have initiated a viable development and I hope that boaters will be able to take full advantage of exploring them eventually. Our first sight of the new stadium was before Old Ford Lock.

Plenty of CCTV and lights around!

There is even a regular "security boat" travelling up and down

There are noticeable improvements to the navigation and there is a fair amount of dredging going on too.

New escape ladders and chains

Dredging

What is known as "Old River Lea" Junction is just below Old Ford Lock. Here too work is going on to improve the channel.

Old River Lea

Old Ford Locks - there are two, but only the one on the towpath side is in use. Most of the locks on the Lee Navigation are electrified, so only a BW key is needed. It took John a little while to work out how to let the paddles down after I was in the lock - he had to turn the controls off and on again to make them close.

In Old Ford Locks - note the lack of gate rails

Above the Locks are some moorings - all taken when we passed. These are the only ones near the Olympic stadium, although there are plenty of bollards on the wrong side of the towpath.

No mooring along the towpath beside the stadium

Main stadium from the Lee across moorings just above Old Ford Locks

Olympic Canal Service boat, from here down to Limehouse Basin. Moored outside H Forman Hanson Restaurant and Art Gallery opposite stadium

We wondered if this graffiti opposite the stadium would be cleaned off for next year

We passed the entrance to the Hertford Union Canal - we had walked here from Victoria Park on the Regents Canal. It was sunny then and John took this photo..

Sun over the Olympic Stadium

Further upstream more Olympic works continue - most of them non-sport venues.

Media Centre taking shape

That excitement over we continued up the Lee Navigation towards Hackney Wick and some surprises, as we expected yet more urban landscapes .....