Our November walk

Following the footsteps of Gandhi – our November walk

When staying at Kingsley Hall, Gandhi was said to take regular dawn walks to Plaistow, along what's now the Greenway. So following our October talk on Gandhi, we decided to do the walk in reverse for November, starting at Plaistow station.

Somewhat later than dawn... but accidentally made authentically-solo by trips and transport closures leading to only one of us being able to make it, I walked the route for anyone wanting to follow it another time:

From Plaistow station, I turned along Upper Road to meet the Greenway, a walking and cycling route above the Northern Outfall Sewer, built by Joseph Bazalgette to solve the Great Stink of 1858. Before the magnificent Abbey Mills Pumping Station (known as the Cathedral of Sewage) there's a panorama of urban nature at the Channelsea river. 

I left the Greenway at Abbey Lane Open Space and walked towards Three Mills Green and Three Mills, where there are three artworks on The Line sculpture trail. You might recognise the landscape from Masterchef, which has been based at the film studios there.

Crossing under the main road, my walk continued through the pretty Bob's Park by Bromley-by-Bow Centre and round to Kingsley Hall, now a church and community centre, where Gandhi stayed on visits to London in a simple room on the top floor. 

A diversion round development works took me past the beautiful Drapers' Almshouses. Then, at Bow Road, a view of the church before the open exhibition at the Nunnery Gallery and a visit to the Bow Arts café.

The walk was just under three miles and took roughly an hour – without our usual chat and pauses to look at things, so allow longer for a walk with friends or family. Other café options are Three Mills, open on Sundays and during events, and Root/25 on Bow Road.

Fancy joining us for a walk? Look out for our next 'coming up' blogpost.