Kiwi Roaming

If you’ve never been to this feat of engineering you should one day. There are so many unique aspects of this dockland area of London – the DLR (or Docklands Light Rail) which is a driverless train that runs like an overhead monorail; the docks and canals; the history (at the free Museum) of the ports and building these docks and canals; the sheer volume of sky scrapers which are not the new financial district for London; the wonderful and quirky art installations they have installed to visually improve the area; the swimming pool / Padum courts / ocean swimming; the mall that you will 100% get lost in cause its all underground and runs in parallel lines.

Actually funny video – The Oddyssey if it was filmed at Canary Wharf – sums things up well, this link goes to Insta.

We are lucky enough to have stayed here off and on during our London visits but hadn’t ever just wandered around to look at the sculptures and other artworks in the business district. We also went to the London Museum Docklands last year and found the history of the area fascinating, the Windrush generation exhibit in particular was excellent. It’s free so much of it is lame as well, but worth the visit for the gems.

#10 Canary Wharf

If you can, arrive via DLR just for the experience. That said the Elizabeth Line is lovely and has air-conditioning along with large comfortable seats. If you arrive via DLR then you go down the escalators and can head into the mall from here, as mentioned above it is a very large mall and you can walk all around Canary Wharf underground, or you can head outside. I suggest you follow the signs to the Jubilee Line which will bring you out to the side of Eden Dock.

For this summer there is an outdoor swimming pool which costs £10 a swim in 15C water temperature, it’s been pretty well used this summer along with people ocean swimming in the longer docks nearby.

There are some great pieces of art to visit, the traffic light tree, a giant whale made entirely out of rubbish, moss people growing in dock side gardens, bronzes and other sculptures dotted around.

I also love the pretty tunnel into the Crossrail place complex where you enter the Elizabeth Line and can visit a covered garden. Wandering around here again in shorts, t-shirts and sandals is a little different than January when it was sub 0C and we were in full winter clothing (Our Final London mini break).

If you’re keen you can walk around the edges of the Isle of Dogs on the Thames Path extension, under the Thames into Greenwich or carry on East using the DLR to the Thames Barrier gates, or the O2 or the gondola over to the O2, or many other east London spots.

If you are walking around you will notice the levels of security, to enter Canary Wharf vehicles go through a checkpoint. Buses and black cabs go straight through but other vehicles get searched, there are also security guards everywhere – so it feels very very safe.