Cycling in London: Limehouse Cut, Olympic Park, Hertford Union Canal

Following my recent excursion around the Regent's Canal and Grand Union Canal Paddington Arm, I returned for another helping. here is the map of my route.

As an experiment, I hired a Brompton folding bike from the Brompton Dock at Guildford station, and went up to Waterloo on the train. I repeated the cycle from Waterloo to Limehouse Basin, but this time I cycled round the East side of the Basin on the walkways to reach the Limehouse Cut. This provides a straight shot to join the River Lea at Bow Locks. From here I cycled on up the Lea towpath past the Three Mills complex (where they were busy filming some kind of commercial) and on to Ford Lock. Just beyond here, a new entrance gives access to the Olympic Park.

There is still extensive building work going on in the park (notably, converting the athletics stadium for football), but the public areas all seem open for business. An excellent network of boulevards and paths makes for easy cycling around the large site, reliving the glory days of 2012. I stopped off at the Velodrome to watch a 'taster session' in progress: for a few pounds, you are provided with a bike and can join a group session mentored by an expert, gradually increasing speed and angle up the bank. There is also an outside track for road bikes (cost to use : £6, must have a helmet) and a mountain bike track.

I roamed around the Park for an hour or so: it has been well landscaped with formal flower beds and some wild flower areas, and families were out enjoying the various play areas in the sunshine. I then left the Park via the Loop Road. From here I picked up the Hertford Union Canal, another straight-as-a-die path back to the Regent's Canal, from where I retraced my steps (or tracks) back to Waterloo. It was rush hour, but having a folding bike that was no barrier to boarding the train home. The train was packed, standing room only: glad I don't have to do it every day.

All in all, the canals provide an enjoyable traffic-free circuit. They do however get quite crowded with commuting cyclists in 'rush hours', meaning you must proceed carefully on the narrow towpaths, especially under bridges, which have 'blind' corners. The ride through Wapping to Limehouse Basin from Tower Bridge includes some cobbled streets: quaint as these are, they make for a bumpy ride: I show on the map an alternative, cobble- and traffic-free, alternative via Shadwell Basin.