Three Great Relaxing Places on the River Thames

A quick guide on a relaxing escape in London. A lot of people think of London as Babylon City of struggle. Not if you have a Plan B in mind. The city is so huge, there’s always something for everyone.

So, if you are in East London and looking for a lovely place to enjoy great views and tranquility, here you go:

1) King Edward Memorial Park
Address: Glamis Road, E1.
Closest Tubes: Wapping or Shadwell.
Park with bandstand, waterfront benches, children’s play area, bowling green, all-weather football pitch and four tennis courts (no need to book in advance, but it might be busy on weekends). It was opened in 1922 and is the biggest park in Tower Hamlets borough of London.

It’s a great stop if you are walking to Canary Wharf or back from there. But beware – gates close right after sunset. If you get stuck, you will have to walk around by the busy highway. The park is currently in danger of disappearing, as the the local borough wants to build a 5-feet sewer ventilation shaft here for the Thames Tunnel Supersewer construction site, destroying the only green patch for miles. So be quick! And don’t forget to sign the petition for saving it!

2) Pelican Stairs
Address: 57 Wapping Wall,London,E1W 3SH.
Follow the small alley on the right side of The Prospect of Whitby Pub (previously named the Pelican and established c.1520). When the tide is low, you can go down to the “bottom of the river”, or an impromptu beach, in other words. Not only you can see a clear view of Canary Wharf skyscrapers from here, which seem to be far away and on the other side of the river, but actually it’s just a 35-minute walk from here and on the same side of the Thames, and also the gallows. Although the actual execution site of pirates isn’t here, you can still find the current River Police station here, it works perfectly well for the legends surrounding the pub.

3) New Crane Stairs – another occasional beach. Follow the alley near New Crane Wharf. It is between the bus stop and a Chinese restaurant, next to an Italian Delicatessen shop and James Wallace Wine bar (two clues on what to do when the tide is high). Don’t forget to put some comfortable walking/hiking shoes, so you can walk by the beach 1/3 of the mile, right to the River Police Station. The walk is exciting, but slippery, and don’t expect to find any treasures.:)

I did get a few photo and video shots from those beaches. Sometimes it gets overcrowded when the tourist buses come, but they are usually gone quite quickly.

To check the tides schedule, click on the link below and choose London Bridge (Tower Pier):
http://www.pla.co.uk/display_fixedpage.cfm/id/11/site/navigation It has a calendar for many months to follow.

written by neja on 2011-03-17 #places #history #river #water #relax #tide #bricks #waves #europe #views #location #chill #calm #escape #beach #london #uk #wharf #panoramas #thames #retreat #navigation #travel-destination #lcg