efog-blog
Recent outings and activities...
Royal Albert Dock to Hackney Wick
On a sunny Saturday 13th December, five of us met at Whitechapel Station to catch the Elizabeth Line to Custom House, where another member joined us. We then caught the bus to Connaught Bridge alongside Royal Albert Dock and London City Airport.
We then headed past Royal Albert DLR, where we saw half a dozen parakeets clinging to the brickwork of the Victorian Compressor House.
We carried on to follow the Capital Ring up through Beckton District Park, with quite a nice lake, albeit currently fenced off, then a footbridge over the A13 to join the Greenway heading for Stratford.
Along the Greenway was a small Community Orchard, not particularly well kept but there was one pink rose still in bloom in one of the boxed sections. Further on there was also the Pollinator Trail with boards about the bees etc. At a glance it looked as though the two linked up, but it was rather overgrown where the two should have met.
After a diversion off the Greenway due to works near West Ham Station (where one EFOGger took early departure) we went past Abbey Road DLR before rejoining the Greenway to go past the “Cathedral of Sewage” – Abbey Mills Pumping Station. This was one of the few places we saw benches along the Greenway so we stopped for lunch overlooking the grand Victorian edifice, currently undergoing some renovation so surrounded by scaffolding.
We then carried on to the View Tube Café (the main view being the ArcelorMittal Orbit and the Olympic Stadium) for a warming drink and food, with the intention of carrying on to Hackney Wick. However, Marian mentioned there was an issue with the Overground and on googling we realised it affected my planned transport back. We therefore omitted the walk up to the River Lea Navigation and Hackney Wick and instead headed straight into Stratford to catch trains and buses home.
The length of the walk was approximately 6.5 miles.
Richard
Walk at Warlies Park
A walk on 6th December, 2025, at Warlies Park, north of Epping Forest and quite near Waltham Abbey, Essex.
EFOG members are walking up the hill towards the Rotunda, which is a classical-style circular temple built around 1737. Beyond the rotunda is an obelisk which is dedicated to Iceni leader, Boudicca. Legend says that it was here that she died fighting the Romans. The obleisk can just be seen in the photograph above the group.
The other photo is a view of the lake from the top of the hill.
Photos by Madeleine.
Claybury Park Walk
We had an enjoyable 5 mile walk around Claybury Park on Saturday 29th November. Despite the weather forecast of torrential rain it avoided Woodford which was a bonus. We managed to find some shelter in the playground for a short lunch stop when it drizzled slightly. We arrived back at the café just after 1pm where we enjoyed drinks and food.
Jill V. 30th November 2025
Wapping to Canary Wharf.
On 22nd November 2025, ten of us met at Wapping Station on a rather cold and damp day. After refreshment at the café a couple of doors down, we set off at 11am. My book said to go left at the station, which I assumed was as you exited the station, but rather than being the Thames Path, this would have taken us to the river, or mudlarking if the tide was out.
We therefore went back past the café and carried on to the Prospect of Whitby pub, which has been around since around 1520 and overlooks gallows set in the mud of the Thames as a deterrent/warning to pirates. The wood and rope looked relatively new, so although it’s been there a few hundred years I suspect it’s like Trigger's brush in Only Fools & Horses. The pub was apparently frequented by Samuel Pepys, Charles Dickens and J. M. W. Turner.
Carrying on, we turned alongside Shadwell Basin and up to St Paul’s Church – the church of sea captains (with 75 buried in the cemetery and Captain James Cook as a Parishioner). The church was open, but for a Christmas Fair, so we just popped in briefly to warm up and browse. We then circled round back to the Thames Path, through King Edward Gardens and on to Limehouse Basin, where the Regent's Canal meets the Thames. We followed the Limehouse Cut - which connects the Basin with the Lee Navigation at Bow Locks - a short way to visit St Anne's Church, built by Nicholas Hawksmoor and with an unusual pyramid in the grounds. There was an exhibition in the gallery, plus the bonus of an organist playing whilst we were there.
We retraced our steps a short way along the cut to then go through Ropemakers Park and come out near The Grapes Pub (another link with Dickens). From there we went down Narrow Street to rejoin the Thames Path and carry on to West Ferry Circus and Canary Wharf. We finished at Leon in Cabot Place for a warming drink and food for those that wanted.
The walk was approximately 2.75 miles.
Richard 27th November 2025
The gibbet at the back of the Prospect of Whitby pub.
Wet and Windy
Photos by Madeleine
Autumnal Epping Forest Walk
A walk led by Parviz from Loughton to High Beech on Saturday 15th November 2025
Photos by Madeline