I starting doing the TFL Capital Ring Walk to discover more of London whilst getting fit. The London TFL Capital Ring Walk covers 78 miles of open space and natural reserves circling central London. It is divided into 15 sections that explore some amazing and lesser known areas of the most famous capital in the world. starting in Woolwich.
Section 14 of the TFL Capital Ring Walk is one of my favourites. We did the walk backwards and started at Hackney Wick Overground station, then walked along the canal. Hackney Wick is vibrant area known as the New Shoreditch with interesting street art on warehouse walls along the canal and an emerging vibrant cafe scene. We stopped at Grow, Hackney for a cafe latte and Peruvian snack along the way.
If you keep along the canal you will eventually reach the River Lea. Here there is ongoing wildlife preservation and more than 200 species of plants growing including cuckoo flowers and purple loosestrife, and many birds such as the green woodpecker and reed warbler. This river forms the boundary between Hackney and Waltham Forest. We entered the Walthamstow Marsh before reaching the lush and green Springfield Park. This park is in the middle of a wealthy suburban area and is built on a slope so not ideal for picnics. However there are a few free tennis courts that are busy.
Our walk ended when we reached Stoke Newington. This was a traditionally Jewish neighbourhood, which is still evident when you walk through the more residential leafy green streets. Recently however, Stoke Newington high street has become very trendy amongst young hipster due to the number of quirky shops, artisan bakeries and local produce stores on Church Street. We finished up at the very good Spence bakery, where we enjoyed some coffee, cake and cold water after our adventurous walk.
Key Statistics:
Miles: 5.01
Time: 1:47:56
Calories: 476
Download the map here.
