This ride goes up the Lee Valley and then cuts over to High Beach in Epping Forest. We'll take a look at the visitor centre there and then head for home using some forest trails before heading back to the Lee Valley.

Find a pub or cafe for lunch.

Suitable for all bikes except racey road bikes.

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There were eight of us at Cutty Sark Gardens and Anil joined us at Three Mills

So there was Anil, Jane, Jill, Vivian, Simon, Dave, Roy, Ian and Mick.

I’d seen the posts about the building works and the Isle of Dogs and couldn’t be bothered to find any convoluted route around the works and so opted for the underground roundabout and alleyway onto Narrow Street. There were no real dramas involved with using this roundabout either coming or going and I wouldn’t hesitate going this way again although I suppose it could be a different matter at a busy time of the day.

The ride up the canal was leisurely and enjoyable. We too k the Limehouse Cut route north so that we could meet with Anil at Three Mills. Between Carpenters Road and Eastway there is a long stretch of Harris Fencing (temporary high mesh fences) separating the path from the large earth excavations that are probably the first step in the building of the Olympic park. Watch this space.

At Stonebridge Lock a new cycle and canoe hire facility has opened up and there is also a small café and toilets. We’ll check the café out in future, probably not the canoeing, but it’s there if you want it.
We left the canal at Valley Road and headed into Chingford turning left at Station Road passing Chingford Station and then onto Ranger’s Road and into Epping Forest. We spent half an hour at Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge before going down the road and turning left into the forest along the Green Ride. The path that runs up through the forest from this point is hard packed and relatively smooth, can be ridden on pretty much any kind of bike and runs all the way up to Epping .  We were  only on the forest path for a couple of miles before turning onto the road for High Beach and lunch. Oh and whether it’s Beach or Beech take your pick, I’ve got 2 maps with it spelt both ways but the road signs said Beach. Lunch was at the sandwich bar at the side of Kings Oak PH.

Anil tells us that the church at High Beach was made famous for being a location in Four Weddings and a Funeral and now everyone wants to get married there.

From the pub we go downhill directly east and end up in Gunpowder Park, previously a site used for testing munitions. There’s possibly a link here between Enfield and the powder mills at Waltham Abbey but it’s speculation. In the centre of the park is a wildlife sanctuary, a heronry to be precise. We rejoined the canal at Enfield had a rest at Springfield Marina and then went over Walthamstow Marshes, Hackney Marshes and down Walterden Road to take a look at the Olympic site from the other side. We could see the same earth works and there are still a lot of buildings to knock down.

We rejoined the canal at Carpenters Road and then took the Hertford Union Canal past Victoria Park onto Regents Canal and past Mile End Park before getting back onto the roads at Limehouse and taking West Ferry Road to make sure we made it to the foot tunnel lifts before they closed at 5pm.

Viv's photos

42 miles.