Tracking the Tube: Jubilee Line 01: Stratford to Canary Wharf

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Weather: Scorchio! Wall to wall sunshine, blue skies and little wind
Distance Walked: 28.3km
Distance By Tube:6.54km
Stations Visited: 5
Fantastic Place: Cutty Sark, Greenwich

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The Jubilee Line it is then. This walk will take me back to one of the first places I worked after leaving teaching and starting in the IT industry as well as visiting one of my favourite parts of London.







I decided to walk the line from East to West as I had just finished the Northern Line walk in the rather drab north west suburbs and I fancied a change to somewhere more dynamic hence the long Central Line trip from west London all the way out to the Stratford.

Just 5 Stations this time

This area has seen a lot of developments in the past decade with the London Olympics being held nearby in 2012 and so transport links and other infrastructure was upgraded. Stratford station is buried underneath a huge shopping centre and it took me a while to work out which way to go eventually crossing the sub-urban rail lines via a steal and glass bridge which offered views of some of the Olympic buildings.

Heading south towards West Ham station I took care not to retrace too many of my steps that I had trodden on my District Line walk but this was fairly easy as the two lines are pretty much perpendicular at this point. Continuing south the walk follows the DLR line for this part of the walk. When I first started working in the Canary Wharf area back in the mid 90s there was no Jubilee Line and the DLR only ran until about 6pm and then only from Bank or Tower Gateway to Canary Wharf. We in the office joked that DLR stood for Doesn't Like Rain as it seemed to stop working in the lightest shower. Other people called it the Toytown Railway and although when it started it appeared unreliable and infrequent it now is a major part of the tube network.

The Orbit Tower

I read somewhere that the DLR journey through Docklands is one of the top-ten rail journeys in the world! Not sure about that but my young god-twins like pretending to drive the train by sitting at the front. Ok so do I when I get the chance.

Canning Town interchange  is a sprawling unremarkable building sharing facilities with buses and the DLR. Lots of busy roads in the area as well making it a bit unpleasant to walk through.

I could have followed the lines of the old docks eastward here out to the University of East London and City Airport but I'd already walked that way on the LOOP and I may go back there again if I walk the DLR as a line. Instead I treated myself to a flight on the Dangleway or as it is more properly known the Emirates Air Line cable car that crosses the Thames from near the Royal Victoria Dock to North Greenwich near the O² centre.

I've been on the cable car at sunset and in some ways that is better as the more attractive bits of the view are lit up while the scrap yards and waste recycling areas are dark. However on a crystal clear day like today the view was splendid.

View down towards City airport with a boat docked near the ExCel centre.

 I've not explored the North Greenwich peninsula before - never had the need to go to a gig at the O²  for example - and it is a strange mix. The area around the station and the former Millennium Dome is all very modern, clean and tidy with shops, bars and places to eat.

But is it art?

Move a short distance away to the west and things change. Here the area is still a work in progress with areas of fenced off wasteland and piles of broken up stone and gravel. There are also some art installations including this odd electricity pylon.

In places along the Thames Path the trail is blocked as large blocks of flats are being flung up to make the most of the views from the waterside location. This caused some annoyance as I missed a sign saying that the path was diverted while building was going on and ended up having to retrace my steps for some distance and then had to walk along the busy arterial roads instead. However I did come across the Meantime Brewery which does tours and has a tasting room. Hmm might have to pay a visit at some point so the diversion was all bad news!

The next section of the walk took me through Greenwich, one of my favourite bits of London especially the older part with the Maritime Museum, the Observatory on the Hill and some nice shopping and eating places.
After a break for lunch (a very nice burger and shake at GBK in Greenwich - very friendly staff and great food as normal) a stroll around the outside of the Cutty Sark followed. I've been on-board and underneath the old tea-clipper in the past and if you are in the area it is well worth the visit.

Cutty Sark

Then under the river via the Greewnwich Foot Tunnel built at the turn of the twentieth century, with the curvature of the tunnel as it descends then ascends again on the northern side of the Thames it feels a bit like the inside of a space-station (a damp and slightly tatty one it has to be said).

On the north side of the big bend in the Thames is the Isle of Dogs. Walking up past Island Gardens through a nice park where an enthusiastic cricket game was being played, then up along tree lined streets with towering glass and steel monoliths behind in Mudchute then over some of the old docks into what is now one of the financial hubs of London and Europe. This is where I worked for about a decade supporting the IT systems of one of the major suppliers of metropolitan subterranean transport. So much has changed in the ten years since I left that project. Some of the buildings that were new then have been knocked down and replaced by newer ones, sometimes offices but more appear to be hotels and housing (not sure how much is affordable for the people who lived and worked in the area before the finance houses moved in). Our old office building looked deserted and due to be pulled down. The pub we went to after work (and where I had an unscheduled stag night a couple of days before my wedding) has long gone.

There are still buildings going up in the high-rise core of the area and the streets and shops in the shopping complex under and around One Canada Square were busy. I was planning to walk along the eastern side of the Isle of Dogs return through the foot tunnel and then on to Canada Water but with the high temperatures and the long detour on the Thames Path earlier I decided to end here do a bit of shopping at Waitrose (of course!) and then start the next leg of the walk here.

Old and new meet at the water's edge

Thames wherry

More Dallas than Isle of Dogs

Tracking the Tube: Northern Line 05: Camden Town to Edgware

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Weather: Pretty much everything! Sun! Torrential Downpours! Wind!
Distance Walked: 21.6km
Distance By Tube:13.02km
Stations Visited: 10
Fantastic Place: Flask Walk, Hampstead

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The last part of the Northern Line walk coincided with my moving offices from Vauxhall to the client's site near Colindale. So in the days before the walk I had a good idea of what I would see as I took the tube and later the bus to and from Greenford to Colindale. The bus was much quicker (on a good day) as it headed straight north rather than the in and out journey using three different lines that the tube journey necessitated.

Having had a preview of the route via my journey to work I wasn't looking forward to it as it passed through some of the tired north London suburbs that surround the busy A406 North Circular road with its associated noise and pollution.

However it had to be walked and with a forecast of sunshine and scattered showers I set off optimistic that I would get the walk done before the forecast rain  fell. How wrong I was!

10 Stations 5 Different Styles

The walk started in fairly bright sunshine at Camden Town. I had never been to Camden before, in fact this part of the Northern Line was pretty much new territory apart from the area around Hampstead station where some of my friends live.

Straight out of the station you are confronted with some excellent street art which looks a little odd during daylight hours on a quiet weekday morning but I imagine works well when the streets come alive after dark and at weekends.

Passing over the canal and the Roundhouse concert venue which used to be a engine shed in the days of steam (I assume it housed a turntable for turning the engines around) you reach Chalk Farm station that juts out between two streets like a ships prow or a tiled Minis Tirith! According to its Wikipedia entry it has the shallowest lifts on the network a mere 21ft.

Continuing on the next station on this leg is Belsize Park, made  famous (for me) by Marillion's Kayleigh.

The station itself is another of the ox-blood red tiled buildings with wide arched windows like all the first four stations on this part of the line.

After a climb through some very nice looking shops and eateries I passed the Overground station at Hampstead Heath and climb up onto the Heath itself. Hampstead Heath is one of the highest points in London and covers some 300 hectares. I walked up to Parliament Hill for it's view across the city, which is protected by law.

Storm Clouds over the City

The day before the walk the UK had voted to leave the EU but London (as well as Scotland, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar) hadn't and this stormy view reflected some of the concerns and confusions that will continue to rumble on for years as the government tries to untangle itself from the EU or the (non-binding) referendum result.

For me the confusions continued as I managed to get lost returning downhill from the viewpoint and I ended up passing the bathing ponds that are a famous part of the Heath. Not my cup of tea - if I'm going to be swimming I like to know that the water is warm and nothing nasty is going to drag me under. To be honest I haven't swum for many a year having overdosed on it when I was younger, I swum for my home town competitively and got a full set of long distance badges (including a 3km one which in a 50m pool is a lot of laps).

Eventually I found my way back to a road (not the one I was looking for!) and wandered down into Hampstead. The warm brickwork of the buildings and the narrow winding streets maintain the village feel of Hampstead even today.

I have friends who live in Hampstead so I tried to find a route through that didn't take me along roads that I knew so instead I followed the lanes and roads along the edge of the western heath. Large houses with their views over the open space  were common but none were more dramatic than Saurum Chase.

A private residence with quite a sinister feel, beyond the high fence with its signs warning of large dogs running loose can be glimpsed a sinister group of cowled figures which wouldn't look out of place in a game of D&D!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/rodwey2004/13104893513

 

Saurum Chase Letterbox

Hampstead station itself is quite low key and is the last of the red tiled style on the line, the rest are a mixture of styles and ages.

Continuing north west the next station is Golders Green, a large brick structure with a major bus interchange outside it which made taking a photo rather taxing. Also the rain had started at this point, despite the forecast, which combined with the busy road to make live a bit frustrating!

Lots of rather dull suburban walking followed with the roads getting busier and the houses smaller and tattier as the North Circular approached. Brent Cross station, a neoclassical design at the end of a small car-park with high level platforms, was approached during a particularly heavy shower which combined with finding a crossing point for the busy major trunk road (eventually found a high level metal bridge with long spiral ramps) was rather dispiriting.

The weather got worse as I approached Hendon Central and I had to take shelter from a torrential deluge in the wide portico of another neoclassical styled station - the inside was quite attractive, all the more so because it was dry! At this point a group of first world war soldiers exited the tube and silently left the station in the rain. It was only later that I found that it was a commemoration of the Battle of the Somme, very effective in its simplicity. 

Once the rain had abated somewhat I continued on my rather damp trudge through light industry and tired suburbs along busy streets and under the M1. Of course in between the showers the summer (ha!) sun was strong so I was either sweating or getting rained on which is never a comfortable combination!

Passing a large development of cookie cutter 'executive' flats and houses on the site of the old Hendon Aerodrome and the Hendon Police College on the other side (where the opening sequence of Hot Fuzz and one of the recent Avengers movies was filmed making use of the site's redevelopment).

I reached Colindale station. This station has a very modern exterior to the ticket office while the station itself is much older. The shop owner deserves special mention because at this point I was very tired and managed to drop a ten pound note while buying a cold drink. While I was drinking it outside he came out and handed it back to me which was nice!

Burnt Oak station is like a small suburban house perched above the tracks while Edgware (with no e) at the end of the line is another neoclassical design with a car park and bus station both of which are surrounded by dull shops and houses hence my slight lack of detail at this stage of the walk. The sun had by this point decided to come out strongly and I think a cloud of steam was rising above me as I hopped on a tube to head home.

Not sure which line to do next. Jubilee is a strong contender but the far east end of the line as it crosses and re-crosses the Thames will be an interesting challenge!

Tracking the Tube: Northern Line 04: Mill Hill East to High Barnet

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Weather: Warm sunshine with cold winds
Distance Walked: 13.12km 
Distance By Tube: 7.60km
Stations Visited: 6
Fantastic Place: Mill Hill Viaduct

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The bright blue skies in the photos might make you think the weather was warmer than it was! As soon as I was in any sort of exposed position the strong chill winds cut through my jacket, but when sheltered I wanted to take it off as it was too warm. 

Lots of blossom and fresh green leaves sprouting on the trees and the air was full of the smell of spring.

Mill Hill East station has the feel of a countryside station. Very quiet and a single track with a platform just on one side. It is, according to its Wiki page the least used station on the Northern Line and it feels sleepy and peaceful so different to the hustle and bustle of the central portion of this line.

Just after leaving the station, passing a very large and new looking Waitrose store, the route goes under the Dollis Brook Viaduct over which the tube runs to the station. It soars 18m above the road on slender brick arches and was worth travelling out to see.

Finchley Central station continues the theme of this part of the line with stations built from an attractive pale brick.

The next section of the walk heads north east along the busy shopping street of Ballards Lane. Half way along I passed Leisure Games provider of Role Playing Games and accessories. I've shopped here via the internet for many years as well as various Dragonmeet shows. Turning north west towards West Finchley I was now on the High Barnet branch after completing the spur from Mill Hill East. I don't know this part of London at all and one of the best things with this series of walks is discovering new and very attractive parts of London.

Dollis Brook Greenwalk

After West Finchley the route joins the delightful Dollis Valley Greenwalk. Apart from dropping off the path to visit the stations the route follows the Greenwalk for most of the rest of the way to High Barnet. The Dollis Brook isn't a large stream, even after all the recent rain, but it pretty and it meanders through grassy fields and light woodland. 

Early Oak Leaves

Lots of dog walkers, cyclists (on their own dedicated path) and birds in the trees along this stretch. It is places that this that would surprise some people that everything inside the M25 is concreted over and polluted.

Leaving the Greenwalk as it reaches the playing fields near High Barnet and after a short road section I arrived at the end of this section.

Next tube walk will be the final one along the Northern Line heading north from Camden Town towards Edgware via Hampsted.

I wonder if my rope's still hanging from the tree

Peacock Path

 

  

 

Tracking the Tube: Northern Line 03: Euston to East Finchley

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Weather: Sunshine and scattered heavy showers, cool.
Distance Walked: 13.12km 
Distance By Tube: 7.62
Stations Visited: 8
Fantastic Place: Temple of Bastet Greater London House

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Not the best weather for walking, a mixture of relatively mild sunshine and blue skies suddenly changing to heavy grey cloud with penetrating drizzle. So I was both too warm from wearing a coat but it the rain was too frequent to take it off.

Just 8 stations on this leg

The walk started off at possibly my least favourite terminus, Euston. The current station is a rather unappealing blocky structure while round the corner the original tube station in the traditional ox-blood red tiles stands rather forlorn and decrepit.

The Original Euston Tube Station

Just past the station there is a small open space which looks at first like a small public garden, or a space that had been cleared after WW2 bomb damage but in fact turns out to be the grace yard for the church of St James Piccadilly. There is one grave in particular that shows several generations of the Christie family that all seemed to have died in interesting ways such as a fever caught in Port Royal or in Persia by Russian troops.

Walking north in bright winter sunshine under a dome of blue sky the walk improved with one of the most fabulous art-Deco buildings in London. The Carreras Cigarette Factory, now named Greater London House, was inspired by an Egyptian temple to the goddess Bastet. As someone who is owned by three cats I could not fail to be enchanted by this and it was good to see that it has been well maintained.

Greater London House

Bastet

 The next station on the route is Mornington Crescent made famous as a complicated game in the long running BBC Radio 4 comedy show I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue. Like many of the stations on this part of the walk the station displays the ox-blood tile frontage with large arched windows designed by Leslie Green.

Moving on I reached Camden Town station just as the rain was settling in for much of the rest of the walk so I didn't detour via the famous Camden Market. Instead I continued heading north towards Kentish Town. In between Camden Town and Kentish town there is a very distinctively styles building - the former site of South Kentish Town.

Ghost Station - South Kentish Town

 I have visited this part of London quite frequently but only a small part of it, the road between the station and the Forum. Many a cold winter's night I have spent queueing outside here to get close to the front to watch bands, in particular, Marillion.

Doesn't seem the same without a queue

The next station, Tuffnell Park is currently closed, for refurbishment which is an ongoing business on the underground network. Many of the lifts, escalators and pumps (many of the stations are below the water table) are old and there is an ongoing program of replacement and repair going on.

The road from Tufnell Park climbs steadily and steeply, just as the sun came out again making me quite warm in my nicely moist coat! The area between Camden and Archway has lots of nice looking coffee shops but they were filled with rather hip looking gents (beards, those strange earlobe plug things and tattoos) who were probably web designers, advertising executives and other such b-ark type occupations (yes I wish I was as hip as them!) into which circles I wouldn't have fitted in.

Archway station was invisible behind hoardings where a new tower block is being built so I can't tell you what it looks like. As I was waiting at the crossing a horse drawn hearse went by.

The on and off rain stopped for a bit as I joined the disused railway line (and the Capital Ring) for a time as it soars above back gardens (lots of very nice conservatories and dining room extensions on the backs of some of the houses). The ground was heavy black sticky mud and I had to keep dodging cyclists and dog walkers (one of which had eight dogs of various sizes (all muddy) before emerging at Highgate station. Before the station there are some old tunnels occupied now by several types of bat according to a helpful information panel. The rain started up again as I walked to East Finchley and the end of this leg, familiar territory as this was again part of the Capital Ring route I walked several years ago.

Next month I hope to complete this side of the northern end of the Northern Line with the spur to Mill Hill East and the terminus at High Barnet, two places I have never been before.

Camden Town Graffiti