Walking alone: Hackney to Clapton... and beyond
Cloudy with a chance of rain. High of 12°C (53.6°F), feels like 11°C (51.8°F).
As I awaited the arrival of the southbound Lioness line train I busied myself with the Easy Crossword, in the Metro, completing all but four answers before the train arrived. At this point I still had no idea where I was heading to, but Euston was definitely out of the question. So, I decided to alight at Willesden Junction, where I tapped the 'Pink' Oyster reader before heading for the Mildmay line platforms, deciding to head east towards Stratford. As is usual for me I was still undecided as to my destination, so opted to leave the train at Hackney Central, as it was a place that I had yet to visit.
On leaving the station I found myself on Amhurst Road, where I purchased a coffee from an independent coffee stall called 'Elsewhere'. With coffee in hand I crossed Amhurst Road and headed towards Mare Street, where a church tower had caught my attention.
It turns out that the tower is all that is left of the former Church of St Augustine, which was originally built in the 13th century by the Knights Templar. Following their suppression the church was rededicated to St John after 1660. The church was demolished between 1797-98, leaving just the tower and the church gardens. It turns out that you can climb to the top of the tower on the last Sunday of each month, with the exception of December, so I will be revisiting here some point soon.
Having explored the church gardens I made my way up Mare Street, with its small food market and ornate manhole covers, until I reached Dalston Lane. From here I turned eastward, following Dalston Lane onto Lower Clapton Road which then took me in a northerly direction.
I stopped at Clapton Pond to take some photos of the fountain and wooden bridge, before continuing on my stroll. Soon I was at the Lea Bridge Roundabout and decided to take Lea Bridge Road towards the east. To my left a large tree-lined green expanse, North Millfields Recreation Ground, stretched out, while the South Millfields Recreation Ground stretched out to my right.
Soon I was approaching the River Lea, so I dropped down onto the Capital Ring towpath and followed the meandering river northwards. Canal boats were moored along the towpath, with many selling incense, ice cream, coffee, and more, before I decided to cross to the other side of the river, via the Lee Valley Park Bridge.
On reaching the east bank I found myself on the western edge of Walthamstow Marches, which stretched north as far as the eye could see. There have been marshes and meadows here for centuries of years, with the land used for cattle grazing and crop growing for hundreds of years. Joining the footpath I continued on with only the occasional jogger passing me on the almost deserted track. As I continued on I could see Weaver line trains zooming over the brick-arched viaduct, either to Chingford or Liverpool Street stations.
As I neared the arches I realised that there was more to them than I first thought. A Waltham Forest Heritage plaque, affixed to the wall, informed me that it was from this very spot, back in 1909, that Edwin Alliott Verdon Roe made the first all British powered flight in his triplane, called 'Roe 1'. He would go on to form the Avro Company which would produce many notable aircraft, that includes the Avro Lancaster and Avro Vulcan.
With photographs taken, and with a distinct chill coming in from the river and the marshes, I turned and made my way back towards the Lee Valley Park Bridge. I then rejoined Lea Bridge Road and headed towards Lea Bridge Roundabout. Here I crossed the road and stopped for a drink at The Clapton Hart.
The pub is a sprawling 18th century building with a massive multi-room layout, its walls adorned with all manor of paintings, photographs, and various pieces of ephemera. It also has a large beer garden, but I chose to sit in one of the red-leather armchairs which was very comfortable. After finishing my drink I headed outside and began my walk back towards Hackney Central.
It is a wonderful area with a lot of unique shops, the pinnacle of which was 'Umit & Son', with its collection of movie artefacts. This includes an original editing machine that Alfred Hitchcock worked with. At the rear is a fifteen seater cinema that can be hired out, where you can watch a film from the owner's collection. A truly fascinating shop.
Too soon I was back at Hackney Central and heading to the westbound platform, ready to catch a Mildmay line train back to Willesden Junction. Once aboard I found a seat and watched out of the window as the train whisked us through Dalston, Canonbury, Camden, Kentish Town, Hampstead, and Brondesbury, before arriving at Willesden.
On alighting from the train I headed towards Platform 3, once again tapping my Oyster Card on the 'Pink' Oyster reader, and awaited my train. Minutes later the awaiting passengers were informed that the train had been cancelled, so I had to wait an extra 12 minutes. Fortunately, Platform 3 has a small, plain looking cafe called the 'Train & Plane Cafe', so I headed inside for a snack.
On entering the shop I was surprised to see that there were three large, obviously radio-controlled, model aeroplanes hanging from the ceiling. Two more adorned the walls, while a sixth sat atop the fridge. I ordered a sausage roll from the owner and asked him about the models. Apparently they were there when he took ownership. After asking if he would mind if I took some photos, he told me take as many as I liked. So I did. There was a biplane, a Messerschmitt, a couple of Mustangs and a few that were unfamiliar to me.
After paying for my sausage roll I bid the owner "farewell" and headed out onto the platform, ready to head for home.
Arriving back at Watford High Street station I headed for home, stopping at The Red Lion for a drink and catch-up with a colleague, before continuing homeward.
It was yet another great walk, discovering some remarkable and historic places along the way.
Distance travelled:
- Bus - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
- Cable Car - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
- Car - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
- DLR - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
- Ferry - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
- Overground - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
- River Boat - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
- Taxi - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
- Train - 40.5 miles (65.17 kms) Lioness & Mildmay
- Tram - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
- Underground - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
- Walking - 9.3 miles (14.96 kms)
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