London Docklands Cycle Ride Part 1: Isle of Dogs and Royal Docks

London's Docklands are full of interest, and offer some good cycling. I have called this ride Part 1, because I intend to add at least one more ride covering different areas (afternote: Part 2). On this ride, I covered the river frontage of the Isle of Dogs before moving east to the vast Royal Docks complex. A map of my ride is here.

I got the train to Waterloo, then took the Thames Clipper riverboat to Canary Wharf landing (bikes are carried free of charge). I then followed the excellent riverside paths all the way round the Isle of Dogs. The path goes 'inland' in a couple of places where the waterfront is private. I was also diverted away from the riverside a few times by ongoing developments of waterfront apartments (and further east, Crossrail), an occupational hazard in this constantly changing part of London. But in the main, I cycled on well-paved wide promenades with good views out over the river.

I passed the Millwall landing slip, which is built where the entrance to Millwall outer dock, with its massive lock gates, used to be. Opposite, on the dockside, is now the Docklands Sailing School. (Millwall is so called because seven windmills once lined the embankment (or 'wall') here.) Next, adjacent to the Masthouse Terrace landing stage, came the site of the build and 1858 launch of Brunel's Great Eastern, where the old timber beams of the slipway can still be seen. Behind, in Burrels Wharf, are the old offices, plateworks and chimney of the Scott Russell company which built the great ship, now all converted to apartments and offices of course. I stopped for a snack in the cafe in Island Gardens, from where there are views across the river to the maritime hospital at Greenwich.

Continuing along the riverside, I got more good views as the Millenium Dome (aka O2 arena) hove into view. Leaving the Isle of Dogs via the blue bridge over the West India Dock entrance, and pausing on the next bridge over the Blackwall Basin for views to the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf, I entered the basin which is the only open water left from the East India docks: it is now a remarkably tranquil nature reserve.

A lane then led to Trinity Buoy Wharf (TBW), on a peninsula where the River Lea joins the Thames: this used to be a depot for Trinity House: it has been reinvented as a trendy zone, with an art gallery, a studio for the Royal Drawing School, and a container complex housing various arty businesses and a couple of hip cafes. In the old lighthouse, a composition called Longplayer is played over loudspeakers. It started in 2000 and will play without repetition until 2999: I hope to return for that moment. For a link to a video of the view with soundtrack, see here.

From TBW you can look to the opposite bank of the River Lea. This was the location of the Thames Ironworks, which built many ships like the battleship HMS Thunderer in 1912. However, in 1898, a wave from the launch of HMS Albion washed 37 spectators to their deaths. Just as Millwall football club had its origin in the millworkers team, so West Ham United was founded by the ironworkers: it is known as 'the Hammers', and its badge bears the symbol of a pair of ironworkers hammers. Oh, and Arsenal football club was started by the workers at the Royal Arsenal just across the river in Woolwich.

From TBW, I made my way to Silvertown at the South West corner of the old Royal Victoria Docks. This was the scene of a catastrophic explosion in 1917 (the TNT store of the Brunner Mond works caught fire). 73 people were killed and much of Silvertown was devastated. A plaque at the firestation commemorates the firemen who died; I think there is also a stone memorial pillar to all casualties of the disaster somewhere around the Silvertown DLR station, but I believe it was hidden amongst all the fenced-off building work going on at present. I also stopped to seek out the giant can of golden syrup on the Tate and Lyle factory: it seems best seen from the steps of the Silvertown DLR station. (Another huge T&L sugar refinery is passed along the road opposite the airport.)

I diverted to explore the good promenade which weaves between the old cranes on the south side of the dock (now redeveloped as Brittania Village), but the London City Airport impedes progress further east, so instead, I meandered through the estates of North Woolwich: a lot more down-to-earth than all those acres of trendy apartments. I called into Barrier Park, adjacent to the Thames Barrier, where there is a feature known as the Green Dock, filled with hedges sculpted like waves. I also diverted to take a look at the Woolwich car ferry (there is a foot tunnel here as well), before crossing on the A117 Steve Redgrave Bridge to the north side of the docks. The views from the bridge along the length of the King George V and Royal Albert Dock basins bring home the shear scale of these engineering marvels: the basins are like huge lakes. The runway of London City Airport now occupies the strip of land between the two docks.

I started back westwards along a good promenade in front of the impressive architecture of the University of East London, but then Crossrail works required a diversion onto the main road to rejoin the dockside path at the palatial offices of Newham borough. Having passed the frontage of the Excel Centre and reached Victoria Square (restaurants etc), I decided to add an exotic finish to my ride by using the Emirates Cablecar to cross the river to the O2 dome. (There are several other unusual crossing opportunities on this ride, including clipper boats, two foot tunnels, the DLR, the Woolwich Ferry, and also the cantilever bridge over the Royal Victoria dock near the Excel Centre.) I could have got the Thames Clipper from the O2, but decided instead to cycle along to Greenwich. Once again, the riverside path was interrupted by diversions due to building works, but I finally made it to the landing stage at Greenwich. Boats were arriving every 15 minutes, but there was a long queue (it had been perhaps the first warm weekend of this spring), meaning a 45 minute wait. But it was a nice way to journey back to Waterloo in the fading light at the end of a fascinating ride. Distance, about 25 miles.