Canada Water

Today’s photowalk is a short one, as I make an attempt to explore the area around Canada Water, but fail to find anything interesting.

But let’s start from the beginning, when I arrive at the Canada Water station. It’s a rather grey and dull day, and I am surprised to realise that as much as I love the sunlit London under a blue sky, it actually does look more harmonious and authentic in lighting like today.

Here is the actual Canada Water, and the reason why I know this place is that it has this huge sports clothes and equipment store, Decathlon, where I buy my sportswear from time to time. I’ll be heading there today as well!

It’s quite fascinating how the plumbeous sky makes the water look silvery.

Apparently, the whole area used to be a dock, most of which was filled in in the 1980s, and the Canada Water lake is all that’s left. I actually thought that the reeds grew naturally here, but it seems like they were artificially planted at about the same time.

That interestingly shaped building on the right is the Canada Water Library.

Time to do some shopping now! All I need is a few sports bras and tops, but let me just show you around the store a bit. As you can see, it is ginormous and it really has all sorts of sports equipment.

Even tents for camping and inflatable mattresses can be found here.

The store has an immense selection of sportswear, which is also sorted by purpose: running, fitness, cycling, hiking, etc.

The gym equipment is openly displayed and anyone can try it out.

I am now in the women’s fitness wear section, filling my shopping basket with stuff that I need and don’t need.

Once done with shopping, I decide to walk beyond that familiar area around the lake and see what is out there. Google Maps tell me that there is a dock nearby, and I am heading towards it.

Here it is, the Greenland Dock. I discover a rather surprising fact that the whole place consists of Scandinavian- and Baltic-themed odonyms: there is a Finland Street, an Onega Gate, a Norway Gate, a Helsinki Square, a Swedish Quay, a Greenland Quay. After a bit of research I find out that the dock used to specialise in particularly the Baltic side of British timber trade.

Unlike Clapham Common in one of my previous posts, there are no ambiguous fishing-related signs: it is forbidden altogether.

The high-rises of Canary Wharf are visible from behind the dock and the Thames.

Overall, one essential part of a nice urban landscape for me is water – whether it’s a sea, or a river, or a lake, or a pond, or a dock, you name it!

Suddenly I spot this nice piece of street art under the bridge – completely by accident.

Then I turn to Lower Road to walk back to the Canada Water station. As I mentioned, there is nothing interesting to see, so I’m a bit disappointed.

Most houses don’t even have the usual greenery and flowers before them, so I’m quite happy when I find a few that do.

One advantage of uninteresting places, though, is that you can focus on smaller details like individual doors, archways etc., rather than the bigger picture.