This is part 4 of a series.
We are getting close to the finish line! Two more Ring segments remain. Afterwards I may wish to redo a few of them. They can be a lot of fun. Today's walk resumed at Stoke Newington station. It took an hour and a few minutes to get here by various trains, and we set out with hopes of cafes and pubs once we reached our destination, Hackney Wick. Actually, we didn't have to wait that long.
The end of section 12 of the Ring, and the beginning of 13.
Our ultimate goal is Woolwich Foot Tunnel. We might make it by next trip here. Spring Park overlooks the Lea Valley. We would soon follow the Lea River for the rest of the walk. The park cafe was open and we stopped for a brief rest.
Enigmatic graffiti on a footbridge over the canal. It shows the guy from Myst falling into the abyss.
From the canal bridge. We would walk on the left side of the canal for awhile before switching over to the right, then back to the left again, then finally finishing up on the right. No canal boats were moving today. Due to the drought many locks were not operating this summer.
Main line into Liverpool Station. On our second trip to London (August 1993) we races over this bridge coming from Stansted Airport by train. I glimpsed a capital looking pub as we zoomed past. I have always wanted to visit. This is the pub I saw from that train, and so far this is as close to it as I have been. There was no bridge to get there from our walk. The guidebook says it remains "tantalizingly out of reach." Someday I will make a pilgrimage here, from the proper side.
More of the many moo moo cows of outer London.
Recrossing the canal. We are now back on the right bank. The Lea River eventually empties into the Thames. We are getting closer. The Princess of Wales is a lovely canal side pub, substituting nicely for the unreachable Anchor and Hope.
The Princess of Wales. We enjoyed Youngs Original Ale. This was a welcome stopover, as we had been walking now for about 90 minutes.
Our walk began at Stoke Newington Station, through Spring Park and onto the Lea River/Canal. We stopped at the Princess of Wales pub for refreshment. Deb appears to have more spring to her step after that last stop. Refueling stations are a big part of enjoying a walking holiday.
This small being was picking at bugs as it slowly floated past us downstream on some flotsam. We managed to sneak past a raiding boat as we neared the end of our walk. Deb's batteries were running low again by this point.
By exiting at the wrong bridge we extended our walk considerably. There was so much construction going on with roads and sidewalks closed that we needed a long detour to get to the area around the station. That area is a very lively zone of pubs, breweries and cafes. Closest to the station, and the first pub we came across in our distress, was The Lord Napier. One never knows what to expect inside, especially when the outside appears a bit on the wonky side of things. However, the pub turned out to be a gem, with the owner once again a collector of works by Banksy!
The walk ended at Hackney Wick Station. We got lost before reaching it by carrying on one bridge too far.
The Lord Napier is close to Hackney Wick Station, and a real treasure! We enjoyed East London Brewing Company Pale Ale. We were also enjoying Elderflower Tonic Waters this trip quite often.
Left side of a Banksy mural now housed at the pub.
Though we had been looking forward to two breweries here, including one with ten tanks, all they had were lagers, pales, and IPAs. I felt like I was back in Ontario. Yaargh. We skipped out, settling into the comfy Fabwick and enjoying a vegan burger and Cornish Orchards Cider.
Inside Fabwick, a very comfy bar. A large TV screen, out of view, showed coral fish in action.
Afterwards it was time for coffee, not to mention the vegan carrot cake!. Burnt Umber Cafe did the trick, and we headed for the station. Hackney Wick is on a London Overground route that I drive regularly in Train Sim World. If we stayed on the line heading west we could not only reach Clapham Junction for an easy lift home on Southern trains, but we could get off at Gospel Oak Station and revisit a favourite pub from last May, The Southhampton Arms. It was raining upon arrival at our station, but we eventually made it to the pub and enjoyed Burton Bridges Brewery's Burton Porter. Unlike our first visit, the pub was jammed to the rafters today. We snagged a tiny table with two stools, waited for the rain to stop, then resumed our journey homeward. We stopped at The Boxpark in Croydon for take out and spent an evening recovering nicely in our room.
Mapman Mike
