Barnet - Enfield - Docklands & return

I thought it would be fun to cycle to Docklands, just because I can, and to reduce road use to a minimum I went across to Enfield Lock first as from there it is towpath all the way to the Thames. It was a busy day on the towpath, being a Sunday, and so I was out all day.

Not far south of Enfield Lock, contrast the open countryside with the commercial buildings. Peaceful though.

The navigation, a Harvester pub/restaurant.

 Interesting story about the name change of this lock

 The view south from the lock

The Edmonton incinerator, it is easy to know once you are here as the stench of council collected rubbish is in the air.

 Tottenham Lock 17 - an awful lot of flats going up here, with a lovely view.

 The view towards Enfield

A couple of local-ish ladies out for a walk and I swapped stories about how these boats came to be in disrepair. You only have to stop to take a photo to get into conversation with passers-by, I'm sure others who overheard us couldn't resist making up their own short stories.

The ArcelorMittal Orbit in the background.

 Algae having a good year.

Lovely bridge, adjacent to the A12 at this point, a quiet section of towpath.

 The House Mill musuem

 The bridge over Bow Locks

The Thames

Looking in the other direction

Never heard of this wharf before, Burrells Wharf, I have several cousins with Burrell as a middle name.

The Cutty Sark, a long time since I ran past it on the London Marathon.

My turnaround point, the entrance to the Greenwich pedestrian tunnel. Cycles can be pushed through this tunnel.

I think the architect might be a basketball fan. I would get vertigo taking tea on any one of those balconies.

 This was a oil rig life boat in a former life.

The main things I noticed whilst doing this down and back journey were the vast number of people who live on the water, far more than I had realised and how popular the towpath has become for walking, fishing and cycling. It is pleasing to see even though it did slow down my journey, I always try to share nicely.

Isn't it amazing the journeys that are quite possible on a bicycle given time and a little effort.

Derek