The Docklands Campus of the University of East London
The shortest day on the Ring just got shorter, because when I walked this final section, the coastal route – which is pretty much the entire route – was 'currently unavailable.' I can only assume that this state of affairs is reasonably permanent, as the area that the previous route goes through is a mass of building work, and the signs proclaiming that it's shut are pretty sturdy. I thought this closure would make for a fairly pointless day whose only purpose was to complete the Ring, but I was wrong. Despite being a very short walk indeed, day 15 manages to pack in some real delights, and it makes for a great end to a great walk. London Loop, take note...
The last day starts in Beckton District Park, and it's a pretty little spot. When I visited, horses chomped on the grass and the sun poked through blue holes in the clouds, but what I hadn't been expecting was the immense wall of sound that permeates the air. The wind must have been blowing in the wrong direction, but there was a constant grinding and bellowing noise coming from behind the trees, either from the distant Tate and Lyle building, or from the nearby City Airport – I couldn't tell which.
Luckily the walking is pleasant and enjoyable, and after a bit more park life and a short section through the suburbs, you come to Cyprus station on the Docklands Light Railway, and it's here that you can make a quick detour to the campus of the University of East London. Take it, because this is absolutely the highlight of the day; the campus is futuristic and really striking, but perhaps even more impressive is the view over the Royal Albert Dock towards City Airport, where you can enjoy the full blast of the jet engines and the heady smell of aviation fuel as the planes power off over the heads of the City. It's an amazing sight and is well worth the effort, though I'm not so sure I'd be able to concentrate on my studies with all this action just over the pond...
Inside the Woolwich foot tunnel
From Cyprus station the Ring sticks to what was previously the alternative route for those wanting to avoid obstructions, and it doesn't muck around in getting you down to the Thames. The views from the road are pleasant enough, and it's interesting to see the sheer amount of development going on; if you've got the first edition of the guidebook, then it's an education comparing reality with the book – the large, white areas on the map are now full of buildings, and the photograph of a lonely Gallions Hotel is completely out of date. These days, the hotel is wrapped in polythene, while all around the cacophony of building work is slowly turning the areas of white into the colour of money.
When the Ring reaches the Thames, it does so at a manicured new-build estate that's surprisingly pleasant. From here it's a stroll west along the river, and unlike the last gasp of the London Loop, where things end in a rather disappointing manner, the Ring heads back to where it started, via the Woolwich Foot Tunnel (which, in itself, is worth the slightly spooky journey). Arriving back at the signpost where you started the Ring is like meeting an old friend, and is a great way to end a great track. Bravo.
