Walking & Cycling Routes
East London has a surprising number of open spaces 
and over 40
miles of signposted routes,
www.greenchain.com
suitable for both walkers and cyclists. Stroll along the River Thames www.nationaltrail.co.uk,
or along the many canals, quays and waterways.
If you prefer to take in the rich history and heritage of East London, visit these web sites to plan your city walks www.secretlondonwalks.co.uk, www.towerhamlets.gov.uk and www.tfl.gov.uk.
Blue Badge Guides for east London offer specialist knowledge and multi-lingual tours covering a range of areas and topics in east London. Visit www.eastlondonguides.com for more information.
For guided walks around the World Heritage site at Maritime Greenwich, visit www.greenwichtourguides.co.uk and Maritime Greenwich.
For information about new audio walks exploring the hidden history of London's docks, once the busiest docks in the world, visit www.memoryscape.org.uk/Dockers.htm.
For details of the Millennium Heritage Trails, please visit www.greenwich.gov.uk.
British Waterways London
Your local canal: yours to enjoy anytime
Escape from your everyday world and relax by your local canal or river.
Catch up with an old friend while strolling along the towpath with your picnic hamper in tow or jump on two wheels and get fit using some pedal power. Recharge your batteries and take your lunch break by the canal or simply lose yourself in your new surroundings by soaking up the sights and sounds as the boats cruise by.
Wherever you’re going, whatever the time of day and whoever you’re with, head to your local canal or river – it’s time well spent...
Click here to download a Guide and map to the
London's waterway network provides a unique behind-the-scenes look at the world's most exciting capital. Where else could you enjoy a peaceful country walk, watch herons dip for fish or brightly coloured narrow boats glide by, just a few yards from bustling attractions and busy London streets?
British Waterways London owns and manages around 80 miles of London’s waterways, including the Grand Union and Regent’s Canals, the docks surrounding Canary Wharf, and the Rivers Lee and Start, running from east London into Essex and Hertfordshire. A wide range of information is available on boat trips, waterside pubs and attractions, holidays afloat, restaurant and party boats, special events and waterside festivals, and a variety of water-based leisure pursuits.
British Waterways has published two self guided walking leaflets to highlight some of the many possibilities for waterside walking in east London. The Islington to Limehouse walk covers four miles of the historic Regent’s Canal and takes approximately two hours. It starts at Angel tube station and finishes at Limehouse Basin, passing City Road Basin, Victoria Park, Bow Wharf, Mile End Park and a Grade II listed Victorian viaduct.
'Walking the East End’s Canals' is a circular walk that starts at Limehouse Basin, covering five miles and taking approximately three hours. It includes sections of the Regent’s Canal, Hertford Union Canal, Limehouse Cut and River Lee Navigation passing 
the Accumulator Tower, the floating towpath, Bow Locks, Three Mills Island, the House Mill (Britain’s oldest standing mill), the Clock Mill, Old Ford Locks, Victoria Park, Bow Wharf (with the Museum of Childhood, Chisenhale Gallery, Roman Road Market close by), Mile End Park, Jonson’s Lock, the Ragged School Museum and a Grade II listed Victorian viaduct. For copies of the leaflets, visit www.waterscape.com/walking.
Green Chain
Do you need a break from the hustle and bustle of city life? Visit the South East Green Chain for a breath of fresh air.
The Green Chain Walk is a 40 mile network of footpaths linking together many of the Green Chain open spaces. The entire network is well-signposted to help you enjoy a leisurely walk around some of Greater London's best kept secrets. Whether it's a half mile stroll you fancy or a more vigorous exploration of the greener side of capital life, the Green Chain has something for you.
Explore SE London's Green Chain with the Green Chain Walking Festival this September. For details of this annual festival visit www.greenchain.com.
London Bridge Area
Visitors and Londoners alike who would like to discover the historic area of London Bridge now have an alternative to traditional guide books and walking tours. A new 90 minute audio guide is available to download online for FREE.
The tour takes listeners around popular sights such as Southwark Cathedral, HMS Belfast, Hay’s Galleria, Tower Bridge and HM Tower of London. Lesser known gems like the Old Operating Theatre, Shunt Lounge, and Southwark Playhouse are also uncovered as are new attractions such as the London Bridge Experience.
The guide is accompanied by a map with starting locations of each of the 19 stages clearly identified to make it easy to use. Click here to download it.
Comment Art
Comment Art is the perfect information source for the small hidden-away spaces of contemporary art in east London.
Comment Art publish the quarterly East London Art Map, a free, comprehensive guide that encourages discovery of east London as an exciting place to live, work and visit. Listing over three hundred art galleries, public art installations, studios and art schools. The map is downloadable from www.commentart.com
East London Art Walks
A great opportunity to view several exhibitions in one outing is our programme of art walks. Each weekend, a qualified art professional guide takes visitors around 6 -10 of the most interesting exhibitions within areas such as Shoreditch and Bethnal Green, and will also talk about the history of art in east London. The walk lasts approximately 2.5 hours. Private walks and group rates are available upon request.
Prebooking is advisable at 020 7739 1743 or by emailing artwalks@commentart.com
Contact:
Meeting points: Saturday 3pm @ Contemporary Art Projects, 20 Rivington Street, EC2A 3DU. Tube: Old Street, Exit 3
Sunday 3pm @ VINEspace, 25a Vyner Street, London E2 9DG. Tube: Bethnal Green
T: 020 7739 1743
E: artwalks@commentart.com
W: www.commentart.com
Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf has launched a series of 45 minute self-guided walking tours around the estate, focusing on Canary Wharf's architecture, open spaces and history. Copies of these free maps are available from the Canary Wharf retail malls, the One Canada Square reception as well as selected hotels and shops. Or order them on this website's contact page. Or download them from here.
Take a Walk on the Eastside with Tower Hamlets
Charles Dickens, Captain Kidd, Judge Jeffreys, Nicholas Hawksmoor, to name a few, have all have left their mark in London's East End. With a copy of leaflets detailing walks in Wapping and Limehouse, Spitalfields, Whitechapel or on the Isle of Dogs, all published by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, you can follow the trail of the famous and infamous in this fascinating corner of east London.
Guides in the series include
- Walks in Wapping and Limehouse
- Walks in the Isle of Dogs
- A walk in Spitalfields
- Exploring the vanishing Jewish East End
- Exploring Banglatown and the Bengali East End
The leaflets each mark trails through historic parts of the borough, taking in a myriad of buildings and landmarks of interest en route. Celebrating the historic and current diversity of East London, the Jewish East End cultural walk uncovers the Jewish community's rich legacy of landmarks and legends to the area while the Bengali East End cultural walk explores the area home to the UK’s largest Bengali community and the community’s contribution to contemporary UK culture, from music and food, to politics and architecture.
The walks range from 1.5 to 2.5 hours and are designed to start and finish close to a tube or DLR station.
You can download copies of the walking guides here.
To receive FREE copies of the walks leaflets by post, contact Marie Ralph at marie.ralph@towerhamlets.gov.uk
Coach Potato
There’s so much fascinating history and development in east London – so why not explore it with Coach Potato? Coach Potato tour operators create great days out and short breaks for groups and individuals, providing the complete package including transport, lunch and tour guides throughout the day, plus pre-booked entrance to many attractions. Furthermore, Coach Potato provide speakers who are experts on their subject and destination. Help in creating promotional literature is also offered to group organisers.
New for this season are the 90 minute long “Interest Walks with Experienced Guides” which normally start at a railway station and finish at a point of interest. The walks are timed so that you can take advantage of travelling to London with cheaper off-peak fares.
Coach Potato tours in East London include:
“Royal Greenwich & Thames History”, during which you can visit three of the most beautiful historic buildings in London and enjoy a River Thames Cruise.
“The Brick Lane Music Hall Matinee Experience” which takes you to the music hall show now situated in Silvertown and includes unrivalled traditional entertainment with a modern twist, with afternoon tea served in the interval.
“Sunday East End Markets” which offers a guided walk of the famous Columbia Road Flower Market, Spitalfields Market and the historic Huguenot area.
For more information and ideas on great days out in east London, call Coach Potato on 08707 202 836, email Ian Kirby at ian.kirby@coach-potato.co.uk
