Section 13

This section starts at Stoke Newington going along some residential streets. After coming through Springfield Park, it follows the river Lea for the rest of the walk.

When crossing the bridge over the river, you have a fine view of the Lee Valley Marina, as well as the river itself. At the point where we crossed, there were many canal boats moored.

Note: I didn't misspell Lea or Lee. There is a naming confusion (caused by parliament in the 1760s). The distinction is made between natural features (Lea) or artificial features (Lee).

With the river Lea on the right, and the Walhamstow Marshes on the left, we had a pleasant stroll along the tow path, although it was rather busy. Combined with some inconsiderate cyclists it wasn't particularly a relaxing walk. As there is space enough, it would be better if there were two separate paths - one for cyclists, and one for pedestrians.

We walked underneath the A. V. Roe Arches, named after A.V. Roe, who built his first powered air planes here to fly over the nearby marshes. There is a blue plaque to dedicate this event. It is however slightly hidden, and you need to cross patches with nettles.

After the Lee Canal split off from the River Lea, the Walthamstow Marches were replaced by the Hackney Marches on our left. Apparently they are in the Guinness Book of Records as having the largest collection of football pitches.

The walk ends at the Olympic Park, or rather now, The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It is still very much under development, but at least the park is open now. The section itself stops right at the Crate Brewery. Unfortunately we only found out after having left the canal, while enjoying a pint at Tap East.

Route (with GPX)	Waymarked Trails
Time	1h 08m 52s
Distance	6.35 km
Average Heart Rate	106 bpm
Calories Burned	571 cal

For the full photo series, see my Flickr set.