CAPITAL RING 9 - The final stage

Please bring a packed lunch for this walk.

This is the last section of the CAPITAL RING, which takes us from Hackney Wick station to Woolwich Arsenal Railway Station or DLR, where it all began sometime last year.   To get to the CAPITAL RING route we need to cross the Lee Navigation canal by a short walk from Hackney Wick station.  (Before we walk down from the bridge to the canal, I recommend a visit to the public toilet.  The only other one I have heard of, but not seen, is near a children's playground located in Royal Victoria Gardens, which is within site of the Woowich Ferry.)

Once on the CAPITAL RING path, we walk alongside the canal, past the meeting with the Hertford Union Canal and come to the lock keepers cottages, once the location of the 90's Big Breakfast show.

At Old Ford Lock we cross the bridge on the left, which crosses the River Lea, and continue south to the CAPITAL RING sign on the left pointing us up the slope to the Jubilee Greenway.  The Greenway is used by cyclists as well as pedestrians, so beware!  We pass the London Stadium, home of West Ham football club.  We continue on until we come to a detour, recently extended to pass work on the Northern Outfall Sewer, which is scheduled to be removed in December 2028.  When we get to the end of the extended detour, we continue along the Greenway for about 2 to 3 miles, eventually taking a right turn at a sign towards Stokes Road.

We cross Newham Way (A13) by footbridge.  Look left in the middle of the bridge to see the Beckton Alps, created by a slag heap, the only remains of Beckton Gas Works, once covering 300 acres. Continuing in the same direction we enter Beckton District Park, which is bisected by Tollgate Road. Once through the park past Will Thorne Pavilion and a playground on the left. A large CAPITAL RING signpost indicates the end of the official section 14.

We turn left here to continue on the next section taking us to New Beckton Park and to another children's playground.  We turn right into East Ham Manor Way, through an area known as Cyprus and over a bridge to pass through the University of East London to Royal Albert Dock, active from 1800 to 1981.  It is now an international rowing course.  On the other side of the water is London City Airport and, on the other side of that, King George V Dock.

Turning left alongside the dock towards the Sir Steve Redgrave Bridge, which we cross and continue to the Thames Path, where there is a view of the Woolwich Free Ferry.  We are on the northern bank of the Thames,  Woolwich Arsenal is on the south side.  

There are two routes to cross the river, a tunnel and the ferry.  Both are free. Once on the south side it is a short walk up Powis Sreet  to the station.