Victoria Park to Tottenham Hale Station

[1] Exit Victoria Park (A) via St Mary’s Gate and along the short road immediately outside of the gate. At the t junction, turn right onto Wick Lane and cross over so that you can turn left immediately after The Top of the Morning pub, down the slope to the canal and keep ahead. (Hertford Union Canal - B ) Walk under the 2 motorway bridges and the footbridge.

[2] At the t-junction in the canal, your path turns left and you go up the slope and right over the bridge and right again, down the slope to the far side. At the bottom, turn right, back on yourself and under the bridge along the canal towpath , now with the water on your left. You are now walking along the edge of the Olympic Park with the Press centre and International Broadcast Centre two of the large buildings you can see on your right. (behind  here is The Copper Box – home to Handball and Goalball and further along is the Riverbank Arena – where the hockey is being played.) You continue along the path, past Hackney Marshes (C).

[3] Continue ahead until you get to the ‘Lee Valley Park Middlesex Filter Beds Nature Reserve’ sign on the wall to your right. Follow the path up and over the river and on the far side continue in the same direction.

Shortly you will pass the pub The Princess of Wales, and go under Lea Bridge and past Millfields Park on your left.

[4] After the park and as the river bears right & left, you come to a footbridge, go up the slope and over the river. Following the Capital Ring (D)  and Lee Valley Park Walk signs.  On the far side, turn left along the broad gravel path.

As you turn left you have the temporary basketball training area for the Olympic and Paralympic Games ahead of you and the Lee Valley Ice Centre to your right - white dome.

As you walk along the broad path you have Walthamstow Marshes to your right, note the plaque regarding the historic flying event detailed on the railway bridge.

[5] As the path bears off to the right (Walthamstow marshes information point on your right & picnic benches) walk up the slope and onto the bridge, cross the river, turn right down the slope and continue ahead. Along this stretch of the river you can see the slopes of The Warwick Reservoirs (E) on the far bank.

After about a mile / 20-25 minutes you pass Markfield Park (café) go under the railway bridge (bridge 22A) and soon come to Tottenham Lock where the river widens and forks and you can see a sign on the right-hand riverbank for Tottenham Lock ; ignore the finger post on your left to Tottenham Hale station

[6] Go under the bridge (This avoids having to cross a busy road) and turn sharp left up the slope. At the top of the slope turn right onto Ferry Lane.

[7] Walk along Ferry Lane, over Mill Mead Road using the traffic lights, past Tesco and you come to steps on your right that lead down to the bus stops and Tottenham Hale station.

(A) Work on Victoria Park was started in 1845 following a petition by 30,000 residents. Bishop Bonner (1550 – 1569)  was the last Lord of the Manor of Stepney and some of the Bishop’s Palace gardens were used to create this 218 acre park. It was completed in 1850 and since then has been an amenity for locals and others to get fresh air and exercise in a wonderful open space. It has also been used for concerts, firework displays, travelling fairs and more recently Olympic celebrations. In April 1873 Queen Victoria visited the park. A recent addition to the park in 2012 is a skateboard and BMX park – which apparently boasts a ‘full cradle’ making it the only skate park in London to have one! www.towerhamlets.gov.uk

(B) The Hertford Union Canal is a short (1.3 miles) canal linking the Lee Navigation with the Regents Canal. For most of its route it runs alongside Victoria Park. It was built to avoid tidal waters and the long haul around the Isle of Dogs on the River Thames. This very short, arrow-straight canal is also known as Duckett's Cut after Sir George Duckett who financed its construction.

(C) Hackney Marshes - already internationally known as the spiritual home of Sunday league football, with over 70 matches played every week involving dozens of teams in multiple leagues. There are 82 pitches serving not only football, but rugby and cricket. A multi-million pound improvement plan for Hackney Marshes has recently been completed to provide improved pitches and changing facilities, a refurbished bridge, footpaths, cycle ways, and community facilities.

(D)The Capital Ring is a 78 mile/126km easy to follow circular walk around London using waterways, parks and other open spaces. Maps and book available. The walk is broken into 15 sections using public transport. Also see www.walklondon.org.uk

(E) Warwick Reservoirs are storage reservoirs and part of the Lee Valley Reservoir Chain, which supplies drinking water to London. They were constructed by the East London Waterworks Company in the mid-19th century on former marshland. They are now owned by Thames Water. The reservoir is popular with birdwatchers, anglers and naturalists, but access is by permit only.

(F) The River Lee Navigation (28 miles) is a canalised river incorporating the River Lea (also called the River Lee). Its course runs from Hertford Castle Weir all the way to the River Thames at Bow Creek. It has had various roles - transport, waste disposal, flood control, mill power and pleasure boating needs. It became important for transporting grain, but navigation of its southern-most tidal reaches of Bow Creek were difficult due to its tortuous meanders. In 1571, due to its importance the City of London obtained an act to authorise improvements. This included making new cuts, and creating towpaths on both sides of the river. Shoals were removed, and a cut, probably the section which is now called Bow River from Old Ford Locks to Bow Locks, was excavated, which was not subject to any tolls.  In the late 1700’s the river was increasingly heavily used as a water supply, but the works encouraged industry - such as small arms manufacture, gunpowder mills and furniture-making. In recent times, the area has become a focus for technological progress, such as computing and TV broadcasting - the first few series of Big Brother were filmed next to the navigation!