Chris Hatherill: A capital commute
Two weeks ago, I discovered the inevitable consequence of not locking your wheels when you lock up your bike in London: your wheels promptly disappear.
Since then, as the bicycle mechanics mmm and ahh and produce endless quotes showing that new wheels will cost more than a new bike, I’ve been happily walking to Walk online’s London HQ – trying slight route variations each day with the intention of avoiding traffic fumes while maximising sunshine, scenery and quiet backwaters. As I walked in this week’s balmy spring weather, looking forward to new alleyways, parks, squares and shortcuts, I contemplated ditching the bike altogether in favour of a more relaxed commute. It’s amazing what you notice along the way – here are some of the highlights of my route. It’s fairly direct so if you’re not in a rush why not go off-piste a little and discover more of London’s everyday secrets.
1] Albion Square, E8: Start your walk in this quiet square of smart houses and well-tended gardens. Look out for the crazy 6-wheeled car as you walk East towards the Duke of Wellington pub – a good place to end your adventure if you’re coming from town and doing this route in reverse.
2] East London Line: Meander down through the park past the future site of the Haggerston East London Line tube stop, then along the line towards the new bridge over the canal. Take a right and head east, passing the Kingsland Basin with its odd mix of houseboats and flash flats.
3] Regents Canal: Keep an eye out for coots, swans, Canada geese, moorhens and cormorants as you walk along the towpath – I even saw some kind of bird-of-prey high over De Beauvoir Town this week, but that was a first. Another thing to watch out for – beyond the bikes whizzing past – are the old rope marks under the bridges, gouged into the metal from decades of wear when the boats were pulled through by hand.
4] Into Islington: I usually head south on Shepherdess Walk to catch the morning sun, but if you carry on straight you’ll pass the City Road Basin and enter a blissfully bike-free cul-de-sac before the canal heads underground. From here, you can wander along a park that traces the path of the New River, now mostly covered off. This detour is marked in blue on the map above.
5] City Road: Cutting south with the City’s towers in the distance, you’ll pass through some nicely tended urban gardens and sunlit streets, before arriving in the square behind St Luke’s Church. From there are a number of options, but lately I’ve been heading due west through the narrow streets of Clerkenwell and past the architecture firms around Northburgh St.
6] Ancient Lights: A shortcut that ended up being a dead end, this small close features a weird array of old signs on a house, each mysteriously reading ‘Ancient Lights’. Anyone know what this could be? Will post again if I find out more.
7] Back alleys of Clerkenwell: This historic area is full of amazingly narrow little alleys, none more quaint than the one that passes the Jerusalem Tavern. Take a right after crossing the street and you’ll soon discover another little hidden park as you descend toward Farringdon. Cross the road at the bottom and duck into Faulkner’s Alley, which grows increasingly smaller until you emerge into the chaos around the tube station.
8] Uphill to Hatton Garden: Follow the masses and cross Farringdon Road (the route of the now-buried Fleet River), up past Hatton Garden’s diamond shops and into the imposing red stonework of Waterhouse Square. Considering it was G20 week, the RBS offices here were surprisingly quiet!
9] Into the Inns: Emerge onto the main road and you’ll come face to face with Staple Inn, which dates from 1585. I usually walk straight along to Lincoln’s Inn Fields, but if you’ve got time the area tucked away here is amazing – more like Oxford in its architecture. It’s not all public access, but as long as you don’t look too lost you should be able to walk through quietly.
10] Covent Garden: After a stroll through or around Lincoln’s Inn Fields, as your mood dictates, cross into Covent Garden and pass the imposing Masons Hall. A shortcut down Floral Street takes you under the Royal Opera House’s skywalk, though this route was blocked the other day as Michelle Obama was visiting.
11] The Piazza: End (or start) your walk in the heart of Covent Garden, abounding with pubs and cafés depending on what kind of refreshment you require at this point. If you’re like me first thing in the morning, it’ll usually be the latter by this point.
Chris Hatherill is web editor of Walk Magazine