The Other London: Cycling by the Canal

Yesterday, all in one magical go, I rediscovered cycling.

Well, that’s not 100% true, as a cycled to the shops a few days ago, which we can think of as the planting of a seed, but yesterday, I really went for it.

Our friend Francisco recently moved to Koh Phangan in Thailand to become a diving instructor and run a bar, and he left a few things at our house, including his bike, which he encouraged us to use as we pleased.

I used to cycle all the time, especially during my summer holidays when I’d regularly make the round trip from Waldringfield to Woodbridge and back just for the pleasure of being able to go from one distinct place to another under my own steam and all the independence and freedom that bought.

Anyway, somehow my cycling lapsed and I fell into flabby inactivity and public transport patronage.

Yesterday I was transported right back to those wonderful feelings as I cycled first across Hackney Marshes and then along the five or so miles of canal to Angel, never having to join a road along the way for more than a few moments. I saw people living on boats, single scull rowers, picnicing families, sleeping alcoholics, amazing street-art, huge green spaces, utterly unpolluted by the sound of traffic all of whom would have been hidden from me if I’d made my way to Angel on a bus or train. Not one of the people I saw sported a frown or looked run down or tired which, whilst it was a bank holiday, is a rare pleasure in a town like London.

I stopped for refreshments at The Gallery Cafe (wonderful, sunny, friendly and oh so Hackney), the Narrowboat (very nice, with a door onto the canal) and, with my friend Sonya (whose blog for Time Out you must read; it can be found HERE) an excellent pub called The Charles Lamb, where I permitted myself a half pint of Guinness.

So, with all this joy from such a simple afternoon out, I’ve resolved to get myself a bike (as Fran will want his back at some point, I’m sure) and get cycling more often. It’d seem a shame to waste the chance of seeing amazing hidden corners of London at the same time as saving a fortune in travelcards.

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