On your marks get set go… sneak a peek at the London Olympic Park

Sneak a preview of London's amazing Olympic Park and shop ‘til you drop at Europe’s biggest and best shopping centre: Westfield.

Start:  Hackney Wick Overground
End:   Stratford Overground and mainline

Come out of Hackney Wick station and turn left. Take the first turning on the left, White Post Lane, opposite Mr Bagel’s warehouse and follow the street as it bends to the right and then left.  You are walking through what remains of down-at-heel Hackney, pre-Olympic rebuild.

When you reach the canal, cross over the bridge and turn right onto the towpath. You are now along the River Lee Navigation, past tugs, narrow boats and old warehouses. The Hertford Union Canal peels off to the right. On your left you can soon see the first glimpses of the construction work at the Olympic Park.

On the opposite bank is the famous east end smokehouse and restaurant, Formans Smokehouse. It was one of the last buildings on the Olympic site and had to be winkled out  at great expense and relocated here on the canal.

Keep going past Old Ford Lock and turn left over the bridge, crossing the River Lee. Turn right along the towpath, towards Bow.

After a low bridge over the water, take the path up on the left. This is the Greenway Path. It covers a gigantic sewage pipe called the Northern

The Lights of Broadway

Here's one of our new adventure walks....  

.....along the Regent’s Canal to the coolest Saturday food market in London, have a swim in a stunning heated outdoor at London Fields, then run through the glorious Victoria Park and discover a London secret.

Feeling Hungry?

Walking down the Bethnal Green Road the other day we stumbled into what turned out to be one of the best Italian cafes we’ve ever been to in London.  We couldn’t believe we’d never heard of it before.  Squeezing between the crowded tables, we were taken to a

Secret London: London Bridge is Falling Down

Curiously abandoned in London's Victoria Park are two of the original stone alcove seats from the famous old London Bridge. They were rescued when the bridge was pulled  down in 1831 and date back to 1760, when the architect George Dance the Younger added them to provide a safe place for pedestrians to stop on the narrow crowded bridge. Head to the far east end of the park near St Mark's Gate, where they were placed in 1860.  Inside you can still see the Bridge Association insignia carved into the stone. 

Adventures at Home on London Adventure Walks

Those lovely people from Adventures at Home have reviewed our Great Fire of London walk from the blue book.  Click here and take a look at their day out in the Big Smoke.

Join the Lord Mayor of London for the day

It's the annual Lord Mayor's Show this weekend - head to the city to see one London's best free parades.  Watch the 'floats' at 11am, so named from the days when the parade took place on the River Thames.   See the Lord Mayor in his Golden Coach, ridden in since 1757 and built at a grand cost of £1065.0s.3d. 







While you are at it, explore the City.  Discover the secrets of Dick Whittington's London: where he lived, where he worked and where he is buried.  See the City's greatest buildings including Guildhall, with its medieval hall where Lord Mayor's have traditionally feasted on turtle soup, and Mansion House at Bank, where the Lord Mayor lives and holds court.   Check out the walk in our Adventure Walks for Families in London book which takes you round the city to discover the story of London's Lord Mayor and the city.  

Did you know?  The first pantomime performance of Dick Whittington's story was at Covent Garden in 1814.
Whittington paid for a 64 seater public loo, overhanging the river, nicknamed 'Whittington's Longhouse'.  It was one of the first public toilets in London.