The Greenway

It’ll be ready for the Olympics! Nobody knows which Olympics, though.
The so-​called Green Way is more like a nice cycle/​walking path and a patch of grass. There are no litter bins in sight, and there is building work going on in the Green Way itself and the surrounding areas (Pudding Mill Lane for example). There are a lot of dangerous banks with steep drops which are not cordoned off.
It is a good place to bring the dog as it’s quiet and away from the road so it’s good for training. Beware the dog poop on the grass, though — there is a LOT.
Maybe in a couple of years it will be nice. Or perhaps it will be forever unfinished, which would be a shame.
There is the «view tube» along the path just past Pudding Mill Lane although the view is an eyesore and I couldn’t find anyone to ask if I could bring my pup in whilst I grab a coffee.
A site with such promise, but fails to live up to its name.

Er, should be renamed concrete way. Not the prettiest pathway ever, where are the green bits?
On the plus side it’s a fairly long stretch so it’s alright for a bike ride.

The Greenway is a pathway stretching 4.4 miles from Hackney Wick to Beckton in East London. It has a very different character to the Parkland Walk in North London. While that is largely enclosed in old railway cuttings and woods and gradually climbs around hills, the Greenway is raised up above much flatter terrain and runs a largely straight track. This gives it in some ways a bleaker feel, more marshland than woodland, but also means it has spectacular views. I recently did the whole length on a day of scattered showers, and the occasionally soaking was well worth it. I got to see the rain clouds progressing over much of London.
The track starts pretty much in the middle of nowhere on Wick Lane. It’s accessible, with level tarmac etc all the way and ramps at access points. In the early stages the track takes you past part of the Olympic site, with views out over some of the workings. This also leads to a diversion to ground level, but you can find your way back on via the graffiti arrow (see pictures). Not long after that the way crosses Bow? High Street. It’s annoying as there isn’t a crossing at the route: you have to walk a fair along the busy road and then back the other side to get across. Still, a small annoyance. Soon after that you get a view of the extraordinary architecture of Abbey Mills Pumping Station, and cross several rivers. Then on past parks and cemeteries, with great views of the Dome and Docklands in the distance, before ending at ‘Beckton Alps’, a grassed over tip which now houses a ski slope.
As a runner it’s great to have a long trail like this to draw you on. Though there are road crossings to negotiate, they are not too frequent. The surface is flat, though I personally prefer the rough, natural surface of the Parkland Walk. Speed fans will love it.
One drawback is the lack of toilets or other facilities. And there’s not much in the way of bushes to divert into either. Which is sort of ironic I initially assumed this was another disused railway track, but I’m afraid not In this case the embankment you are walking on is very much in use, as it houses the Northern Outfall Sewer. Yep, this lovely track way is all courtesy of the sewage system. Well, it has to be mentioned personally I did detect a few occasional wiffs, though I have a sharp nose. The only section where it was really bad was crossing the Channelsea River, which seems to be something of an open sewer! Don’t plan to eat your sandwiches along that section.
The flag on the map for this review marks the Wick end of the route, where I start and which most sources also seem to see as the start (Sorry Beckton!) I’ve put up an entry for the Beckton end of the route. No extra review or pics, but I thought it would be useful to have both ends marked on the map.