Billingsgate cafe…. Then a Wander to Excel…..

[Wapping]

I hadn’t been for a few years, so off I went. In the process, I missed Steptoe by minutes. Hey ho, shits that pass in the night or whatever the saying is.

As the cafe caters only for the fish market, it shuts its doors at 08:00, which means an early start from E1. I can go a variety of ways but opted for what is maybe the easiest, the D3 bus, a journey of maybe 30 minutes, door to door.

 

[Wapping]

Breakfast scoffed by 07:45, by when the market is all but over:

 

[JonnyBravo]

Good to see you adhered to the “one fucking sausage” rule.
The Provo can stand easy

 

[Wapping]

It’s an hour or more to walk (wander) from the cafe to Excel, not least as you have to walk around the peninsula of the bow of the River Lea at Leamouth:



But let’s set off….

 

[Wapping]

It was dark when we arrived but the sun is now over the eastern horizon, so we can look back westwards at the market and at Canary Wharf behind:



It’s only 08:00 but already work is underway on the latest accommodation tower block to go up:





The whole route is through or around what was all a London’s huge Docklands, which all but closed its doors in 1980 and fell derelict. It is now more than reborn.

This is the former Poplar Dock:



We’ll be walking just about eastwards but, unlike the roads, not in a straight line:



The large brick wall on the right is a former dock wall. Each of the docks was walled in, to try to prevent the huge quantity of goods that were stolen:




Someone had left an inspirational note, stuck to a bus stop:



This is the main trunk road, looking westwards towards the middle of London, with the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) with its driverless trains, running parallel to it. As it’s Friday and nobody works on a Friday anymore, it’s very quiet:



The never ending rise of new accommodation:



We’ll see some more later……

 

[Wapping]

Looking across the Thames (which is out of sight) to the dome if the O2 in Greenwich:



This is by another new housing development going in, built on what is still derelict waste ground, 40 or more years since the docks closed. The demand for housing in London knows no end:



Here’s where you can hire a Brompton bicycle. A friend hired one from just such a machine, to take to Le Mans for the 24-hour car race:

 

[Steptoe]

Such a shame we missed each other by minutes. Would’ve been a shock bumping into each other in the market
My phone was in my pocket so didn’t see the message until I got home as I was on my bike.
Got flashed by speed camera on the stretch of the Highway heading east, it’s 20mph, so now it’s the wait …. Watch this space

Size of those Prawns,


And a Waterloo Bridge Sunrise on my ride home

 

[Wapping]

We are now at East India station on the DLR, on what would have been one of the largest docks, owned and operated exclusively by the former huge East India Company, of whom only a very few reminders still exist that it ever once existed. There is maybe a lesson there somewhere for Amazon:



And on to the bow of the River Lea and the peninsula of what is now known as City Island. We’ll need to head north in order to go eastwards, towards Canning Town, all because of the bend:



The tide is most definitely out and the DLR runs over our head:





Clearly someone doesn’t like London E14:

 

[Wapping]

We are now in City Island proper and can look back the way we came, with Canary Wharf (directly behind the cranes) and the DLR, crossing the River Lea:



Before walking on to Canning Town:






To cross the bridge over the River Lea:





Looking across to where the London Olympics were held in 2012:





Looking back behind us, to City Gardens and the bridge we’ve crossed:



Brings us to Canning Town station, one of the busiest public transport interchanges in London, serving the tube, the DLR and buses:

 

[Wapping]

We are going to walk through Canning Town station, large parts of which are underground:



Before coming up in a strangely quiet part of the multi-lane bus station:



We are now in Canning Town proper:



Catering for all religions:



and up and across Silvertown viaduct:

 

[Wapping]

Onto the viaduct, from where we can see the cable car which runs across the Thames to Greenwich:



The viaduct runs over the new roundabout, redeveloped just recently to cater for the new Silvertown Tunnel under the Thames, which opens in April:



Looking back:





Shortly after this picture was taken, the small child on the scooter, being taken to school, went flying when her scooter’s wheels hit one of the viaduct’s expansion joints. All was well though, despite the very sudden stop and lots of tears:

 

[Wapping]

Off the viaduct, we are very nearly there:



The cable car drive wheel house thing at the Excel end:



and the Mayor of London’s new HQ, having moved from Tower Bridge:

 

[Wapping]

People moan about being “Ripped-off, mate” for scran and brew at the ExCel but there are lots of alternatives within a five to 10 minute walk. Maybe it’s the ‘Walk’ bit that puts them off:

 

[Monsieur]

A grand tour as always.
Drove through most of that area last week, 20mph for ever it seems.

 

[Seamaster]

I am enjoying your Wapping wanders series, although wishing I had spent more time exploring when I was at Smithfield college, Brisit Street and Eagle Court EC, for three years in the late 80s.
Thanks for taking the time to show us the interesting bits in London.

 

[Wapping]

Potential brew and scran alternatives for the average discerning bikermate catered for, let’s wander on just a little bit further, past yet more new housing developments:



And the former warehouses, now preserved and repurposed:



Until our destination comes into sight, the ExCel centre, with an aeroplane coming into land at thecCity of London airport. Yes, iExCel is owned by Abu Dhabi:



The end.

 

[Wapping]

I have been PM’d, asking where the two scran ‘n brew locations are, close by ExCel.





The big yellow block thing to the right of the screen shots is the ExCel hall. Both establishments are very close. Five minutes walk.

 

[Deise]

Thanks for taking the trouble

I am no expert on London but can identify very different skylines from the time i completed a marathon there in the 80's

 

[crumbles]

Cheers Richard,
I must say you would make a very good guide too Londons back streets and the surrounding areas...
Mike.

 

[johnnyboy]

Such a shame we missed each other by minutes. Would’ve been a shock bumping into each other in the market
My phone was in my pocket so didn’t see the message until I got home as I was on my bike.
Got flashed by speed camera on the stretch of the Highway heading east, it’s 20mph, so now it’s the wait …. Watch this space

Size of those Prawns,
View attachment 385785View attachment 385786

And a Waterloo Bridge Sunrise on my ride home

View attachment 385787View attachment 385788

Is the seafood menu from the Billingsgate cafe that Herr Wapping is referring to?