Lower Lea Crossing

Yes, I’m writing about what is basically a huge flyover and at the time I was rather glad to find myself able to! I was at Excel, with a heavy bag of goodies from the London Marathon Expo and miles to go on foot to get home. From there towards Docklands there’s a great slash of land with little in the way of side streets and only major roads. The Lower Lea Crossing was my most direct route, but would it be accessible to pedestrians? Otherwise I might have to go miles out
Getting on turned out to be a little tricky, as there’s one of those tangles of slip roads, and I found myself on top of the wrong flyover (though there was a bus stop up there), and having to take a set of steps down to the right way. Note for future: go under before you go over
Still, it turned out there is indeed a footpath over the crossing alongside the road. It’s broad, includes a cycle path, and is well protected by a barrier from the whizzing traffic.
What’s more, though I don’t generally like walking alongside London’s near-​motorways (noise, pollution) in this case I felt rather smug to be able to relish the experience more than those speeding past in their little tin boxes. As you climb to the top you can look over, down to the banks of the River Lea, apparently untouched by man and with different bands of vegetation marking the level of the tides. And there are simply stunning views of the Thames, Dome and Docklands. The experience wasn’t dampened by getting rained on, though sadly it did mean no pictures.
Not exactly a tourist attraction. But if you are a runner planning a long route, yes, you can get through, and you might even enjoy the experience. It worked well as a part of my loop including the Greenway. Allow for a minute to pause and enjoy the view at the top.