Betstr one

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 71.43% of reviewers

An excellent route that is let down by sloppy plotting. Not bad enough to mislead but bad enough to need a lot of interpretation by the user.

Walked from Bethnal Green to Stratford. This should be an excellent route, but there are a couple of places (the exit east from Victoria Park and the route into the London Stadium) where loose GPX plotting lets it down and is liable to confuse those who don't know the area well.

The scenery is excellent - Victoria Park is pretty, and the London Stadium is full of interest. I have submitted a more tightly plotted alternative as BETSTR two, and will write a more detailed review with pictures there.

Regulalry walk this from Plaistow and then beyond Bethnal Green to London Fields on market day. off road - quite busy and sections of the canal have too many cyclists that don't slow down - so I usually head into Victoria Park at that point and walk through there.

I walked this route from Stratford to Bethnal Green. Overall, I thought this route was an awesome Slow Way!

I liked exploring a bit of the park around Stratford and getting an up-close look at the West Ham Stadium. I liked following the canal for a bit, and I loved walking through Victoria Park. The last little bit after Victoria Park to Bethnal Green is along a mix of quieter and busier roads, but the sections are quite short and it's quite quick to reach the end point.

A fantastic route.

This is a pleasant route mainly off-road through Victoria Park, along canal towpaths and through the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It meets the busy town centres of Bethnal Green and Stratford at both ends. It is only possible to walk the route as laid out during daylight hours, because Victoria Park is closed at dusk and the canal towpath is unlit. There are plenty of places to obtain refreshments on route and toilets at Victoria Park and Westfield Shopping Centre.

The route passes The London Stadium and on event days there you may be asked to take the path on the opposite side of the canal. However this doesn't increase the route length and is through equally pleasant surroundings.

I have not added further photos because the previous two reviews have already covered the route well.

This easy and fairly direct route from Bethnal Green station to Stratford station is similar to the default one in Google Maps, but takes in a bit more of Victoria Park as well as a far better course through the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park without too much of a detour.

As pointed out in Porcovolente’s review of this route, Victoria Park – which accounts for around one-third of the distance – is closed after dark. During these hours, the more direct alternative routes are not for the faint-hearted and, although it’s not the point of Slow Ways, I’d recommend travelling the two stops between these stations on London Underground’s Central line. But during daylight hours (and acceptable weather), whether you’re after cafes, bars, restaurants, historic walks or family outings, you could easily make a day of it. Or several.

The route starts at the underground exit by Museum Gardens (see photo, showing the Denman fountain and Chiringuito bar/restaurant, with St. John on Bethnal Green in the background). You could make a detour through Museum Gardens and reach Old Ford Road from either Victoria Park Square or (via Sugar Loaf Walk) from Globe Road, but doing so won’t take you past the Museum of Childhood and, immediately after turning onto Old Ford Road, York Hall (see photo). On the same side of Old Ford Road as York Hall is St. Margaret’s House, with the Gallery Café at lower ground level (see photo) followed by a few shops, including the last newsagent/store that you’ll see for a while.

Approach Road is the next turning on the left; this leads (past The Approach Tavern, see photo) to Bonner Gate (see photo) of Victoria Park. Once inside the park, immediately after crossing over Regent’s Canal, turn right – though on a Sunday you might wish first wish to have a look at Victoria Park Market (see photo). The southern path along Victoria Park takes you past a large boating lake (see photo) to the Pavilion Café and public toilets adjacent to it.

Continue over Grove Road and along the southern path of Victoria Park. On your right hand side is the Hertford Union Canal, which you eventually join when the main path starts veering to the left (immediately after the running track). There is a path directly to the canal at that point, or else you could continue on the path parallel to the canal along National Cycle Network route 1, which takes you through a car park to Cadogan Terrace opposite The Italian Job restaurant, where the towpath can be accessed on the right.

After 200 metres, you reach the bridge that takes you over the canal (see photo). Ramped access is found after passing underneath the bridge. As pointed out in Porcovolente’s review, this is the point where a short detour will take you to Hackney Wick. To do so, continue on the towpath and north at Lee Navigation onto White Post Lane. Several breweries are located in Queens Yard next to Hackney Wick station and the area also has many other bars and restaurants. If you stop off for a drink or bite to eat, then you can rejoin the route by crossing the Lee Navigation on White Post Lane, then turn right and aim for the London Stadium.

Alternatively, you could retrace your steps to the bridge over the Hertford Union Canal, but from here on, you may need to use alternative routes due to the vast amount of ongoing development in the area. When I walked this route in May 2021, after crossing Hertford Union Canal and proceeding along Roach Road for about 100 metres, the left turning onto Monier Road footbridge was closed (see photo). I easily found the next footbridge over Lee Navigation a little further on and, after crossing it, walked north on the footpath until I found the east side of the Monier Road footbridge where it meets Bassett Lane.

Walking east on Bassett Lane takes you to the London Way path up to the London Stadium (see photo), and past the Olympic Bell on your left. After 100 metres clockwise around the stadium, turn left onto Stratford Walk towards and past the London Aquatics Centre (see photo), and into Westfield shopping centre (see photo). Finally, bear right to get to Stratford station (see photo) via stairs, lift or escalator.

I did this route from the Stratford end. An easy walking route with no steps (you need to take a lift to bridge level from the station at Stratford). The majority of the route is off road and on wide paths, taking in two parks and a canal.
This is only a daytime route as Victoria Park is closed and gated at night. An alternative would be to take Old Ford Road which skirts the park for part of the way.
Another choice would be to stay on the canal path from St Marks Gate until the gate at the end of Victoria Park but you would need to double back about 50 metres to cross the bridge to Approach Road.
There are plenty of cafes at either end of the route and a couple in the middle in Hackney Wick among the creative studios and new developments. Hackney Wick overground is about five minutes walk from where the route joins the canal.

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