Canary Wharf to North Greenwich

Remember how my walk along the Thames Path on Saturday got partially rained out? Well, I picked it up again yesterday morning, and walked all the way around the Isle of Dogs to the East India Docks, completing the path along the north shore of the river.

To be honest, I'm surprised it doesn't continue farther eastward toward the Thames Barrier and the Dartford Crossing. I know there are sections of path along the north shore in those areas because I've walked them, but maybe they're just too broken up for TFL to recommend it as a single extended walk.

Anyway, the Thames Path along the south shore goes much farther east and looks longer overall, so I've still got plenty of walking to do.

In Canary Wharf I walked through the business district -- where I found this fun hand-drawn piece of litter -- and back out to the river.

It was such a different walk on a sunny day!

I walked down the peninsula past lots of new construction and bland council flats, occasionally discovering an old gem like this former Presbyterian church, now a community theater and arts center called The Space patronized by Sir Ian McKellen.

I passed remnants of the area's dockyards and shipbuilding industries before coming to Island Gardens, at the southern tip of the Isle of Dogs. There I had a good view of Sir Christopher Wren's 300-year-old architectural gem, the Old Royal Naval College, across the river in Greenwich.

Then it was up the opposite shore of the Isle of Dogs, past more bland modern apartments. I had great views of the O2 Dome across the river in North Greenwich, and there were a few places where I could walk on the river's pebbly shore. 

I passed Canary Wharf and headed eastward into the Docklands, an area that remains somewhat industrial yet has been colonized in recent years by lots of new housing. The apartment development above preserved a historic monument to Virginia Quay, where ships were launched that eventually colonized Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent British settlement in North America.

The north shore Thames Path officially ended in the lower Lea Valley, but I decided to head a bit farther east and take the scenic cable car over the river to North Greenwich, where I could catch the tube back home.

I found a neighborhood of colorful new high-rises, London City Island, on a little peninsula in part of the River Lea known as Bow Creek. I'd never been to this area before and it was interesting to explore. I then caught the train at Canning Town and went east one stop to Royal Victoria Dock, which is very near the cable car.

And as you can see, I did finally get a ride -- though I had to wait about an hour in line. I thought no one rode this cable car, which is widely considered a white elephant, but it was busy yesterday. My tip: if there's a queue, pay extra for the VIP ticket so you can jump ahead! I didn't do it but the longer I waited, the more I wished I had.

Anyway, the ride was just as scenic as I remembered, as you can see from my video above. In North Greenwich I grabbed a coffee -- I'd skipped lunch -- and then headed home. After a long day on the Isle of Dogs, my dogs were barking!