Basic HTML Version
58
WIZZ MAGAZINE
JUNE-JULY 2012
FEATURE
LONDON
Docklands & the Canals
To get an idea of the history of the area, it’s
worth taking a ride on the driverless Docklands
Light Railway (DLR), best experienced from the
coveted front seat. In the 19th Century, the
British Empire was built in part on the goods
that passed through London’s docks – a lost
world that’s vividly evoked at the Museum of
London Docklands on West India Quay, with
its grimy recreations of a seedy quayside and
Victorian riverfront alley. It’s in sharp contrast
to the buildings that now dominate the area
– the gleaming skyscrapers of Canary Wharf,
London’s answer to Lower Manhattan.
For an off-road cycle ride around the East
End, take the DLR one stop west to Limehouse,
which is where Regent’s Canal joins the Thames,
then follow the canal north. Using a credit or
debit card, you can hire a Boris Bike (Londoner ’s
name for the bicycle hire scheme introduced
by mayor Boris Johnson) from the racks by
Limehouse DLR, which can then be returned to
any docking station; check the website (www.tfl.
gov.uk) for exact locations.
The towpath meanders past old gas holders
and tower blocks – a set of which have been
decorated in the colours of the Olympic rings
– past Mile End and into Hackney. Stop at
Broadway Market (there’s a bike docking station
on Regent’s Row, just off the towpath) or pedal
onwards to Shoreditch, then Islington: between
the two, stop for a breather at the canalside
Waterline bar or the Towpath Café (see right)
next door. Alternatively, you can turn off the
Regent’s Canal just below Victoria Park, instead
heading eastwards along the Hertford Union
Canal to Hackney Wick and the Olympic Park
– though be aware that there are no docking
stations this far east.
Wizz Air flies to London Luton from 24 destinations
Museum Of
London Docklands
Free to enter, the
museum (pictured
left) is hosting
a photography
exhibition on
the Olympic
Park. West India
Quay, Hertsmere
Road, +44 (0)20
7001 9844, www.
museumoflondon.
org.uk/Docklands
Towpath Café
Simple, delicious
food, overlooking the
canal – unbeatable
on a sunny afternoon.
At Regent’s Canal
Towpath, between
Whitmore Bridge
and Kingsland Road
Bridge. towpathcafe.
wordpress.com
DOCKLANDS
& THE
CANALS
“The skyscrapers are in
sharp contrast to the lost
world of London’s docks”
THE ECONOMY IS NO
LONGER FROM RIVER
TRADE, BUT THE
FINANCIAL MARKETS