[1] Enter the park on the other side of Grove Road to the pub. Go through the gates next to a children's playground and carry on along the perimeter path until you reach a crossroads.
[2] Turn left and go straight ahead and across the park, until you come to a wide crossroads at the far end. Turn left here and walk until you come to a park exit on your right, Arcade Gate, leading to Regent's Canal.
[3] Once you reach the Regent’s Canal turn left, past Old Ford Lock. Go under the road bridge, go up the slope and then go through the black metal barriers. Turn left along the quiet track and turn right at a signpost. Head down another slope onto the towpath of the Hertford Union Canal.
(A) The Hertford Union was built between 1824-1830 to provide a tide-free passage between the rivers Lee and Thames, via the Regent’s Canal. Today it is a very quiet stretch of canal, perfect for walking! The gates to the Hertford Union Canal towpath may be difficult for pushchairs or wheelchairs to pass through.
[4] Continue left along the towpath for some distance, heading under three bridges. When you pass under bridge 3 you will be walking alongside Victoria Park. The fourth bridge you pass is Gunmaker’s Bridge which is a scheduled ancient monument. There are some benches here for those in need of a rest.
If you would like to cut the walk short, exit the towpath at Gunmaker’s Bridge and head into Victoria Park. Turn half-left at the path junction, walking towards the drinking fountain and point [8].
[5] Continue ahead under Gunmaker’s Bridge. Shortly after that, you will pass the first of two locks. Head under another bridge towards the second lock. Just after the second locks you will find the ‘Growing Concerns’ garden centre. Head up the steps on your left and walk to your right through the garden centre to the road.
[6] Once on the road turn left and follow the road around to St Mark’s Gate. Enter Victoria Park through the large gates. Walk along the entrance road to a wide path straight ahead that bends away to the left, signposted ‘The Hub/Pools Playground' and ‘Sports Pavilion’. Take this path and after a short distance you pass a kiosk on your right where you can stop for refreshments (toilets). Just after the kiosk you will pass tennis courts on your right, and a children’s playground on the left.
[7] At the next path junction, turn left along another wide path, signposted ‘Pools Playground’ and ‘Picnic area’. Continue down this path, passing the children’s play area on your left. As you walk along this path, you will pass football pitches and two groups of picnic tables on the right and the 'Old English Garden' on the left. Further along you will see a large building. This is a Grade-II listed drinking fountain from 1862.
[8] After the second, larger group of picnic tables, turn right at a crossroads along a wide path, passing a bandstand on your left beside another path, to reach the drinking fountain.
(B) Baroness Angela Burdett Coutts (1814-1906), heiress to Coutts Bank, inherited a vast fortune at the age of 23. She devoted her life to philanthropic works and became known as 'The Queen of the Poor'. In London in the nineteenth century a number of public drinking fountains were built thoughout the city to provide fresh clean drinking water to help combat cholera and alcoholism caused by the polluted supplies generally available, particularly in the East End of London.. In 1861 Baroness Burdett Coutts donated this one in Victoria park. The fountain was designed by Henry Darbyshire (1825-1899).
[9] Take the left hand path to reach the wide perimeter path. Turn left almost immediately and leave the park on Grove Road by the "Royal Inn" pub. On the other side of the road to the left of the park entrance is an automatic toilet