A Walk through the Heart of the Isle of Dogs….

When we first moved to the Isle of Dogs about 11 years ago, I was not sure if it would be a place to stay long term.  It was very handy for getting to work in Greenwich, walking through the foot tunnel, but it seemed to lack a heart, not having a discernible local high street that previous places I’d lived like Crouch End, Wood Green and Putney thrived upon. Moreover, the whole place was associated in my mind with the seemingly unstoppable Canary Wharf Development…

11 years later, we’re still here and I must say, I’m now rather a fan of the place. All right, it’s pretty polarised: the wealthy are over on the west side with that winning river view/ sunny aspect combination, the people like me & And who are doing OK are over here on the east (“making do” with only the river) and everyone else is plonked in a ring of social housing around the inside edge… but one of the main reasons I enjoying living here is the proximity to the River Thames…  I really do “live by the river” as my namesake Joe Strummer memorably sang back in the day, and it’s a surprisingly good feeling to see it everyday meandering past our bedroom window..

One of the other reasons is that I’ve now discovered the islands’ heart, and it has nothing to do with retail. Through the centre of the Isle of dogs runs an amazing mixture of things that as far as I know, is unique in Zone 2… There are the docks, with their water, boats and wildlife, the new developments, an open meadow, three parks, Mudchute City farm, Canary Wharf and Foster’s magnificent Jubilee Line underground station…

I’ve been walking to CW every morning for a while now, and in the 20 minutes it took to walk it on a typical day last week, I saw (in no particular order): squirrels, sheep, goats, llamas, turkeys, chickens, ducks, geese, seagulls. moorhens, swans, a robin, crows, magpies, several dogs and a crested grebe. (Last year I could have added cows and pigs to the list as well, but sadly, I suspect they’ve gone to visit the big man with the straw boater and the blue and white striped apron…)

This walk is also a great way to introduce yourself to the day as well.. At this end, there are only a few people around and I usually have the meadow to myself (other than the odd dog walker). Then as I get closer to CW and my fitness, wakefulness and tolerance start to increase, so too does the number of people, so that by the time I’m crossing the swing bridge, there’s a spring in my step and I’m more than prepared to meet the masses on the Jubilee line (so to speak).

The photos below are a visual record (in a Richard Long documentary type style) of my walk on Tuesday 13th March 2012, a day that was misty, dry and cool and perfect for a morning stroll…