The Lee Valley Olympic Tour

Half a day looking at London Olympic Venues and the other half a relaxing cream tea cruise

The Lee Valley follows the sometimes urban and sometimes leafy banks of the River Lee, London’s second river, from the Thames opposite the Millennium Dome, up through the East End and Essex and into Hertfordshire. Join us for our unique, entertaining and informative day exploring this valley of contrasts. See how far work has progressed on the Olympic Park at the urban end of the Valley and enjoy a cream tea cruise at the leafy end near where the canoe and kayak 2012 events will take place.

Meet the guide at 10-30am to buy morning refreshments in London's Royal Docks. This is part of the Olympic River Zone where the ExCel exhibition centre will host the boxing, judo, weightlifting, wrestling, table tennis and taekwondo. We drive through the Lower Lee Valley to a canny viewing point for the Olympic Park from where we get a really good view of the 80,000 seat Stadium. Is it “magnificent” or “a bowl of blancmange?” You decide. You’ll also see the futuristic Velodrome, the Aquatic Centre with its wavy roof looking for all the world like a butterfly fairy cake and the Olympic Village where the athletes will stay. This huge project is totally transforming the Lower Lee Valley in East London.    

For lunch today we're going to stop at one of the flagship developments of Olympic London - the state-of-the-art Westfield Stratford City shopping centre. There is, as you'd expect, a food court with lots of lunch choices, or you can bring sandwiches. Forming a major gateway to the Olympic Park we'll take you to see panoramic views of the Park. If you came on an earlier Olympic trip you will really notice the changes. In particular how, instead of a brown-field construction site, the pristine, futuristic and mostly white Olympic venues now float in a sea of green landscaping. And taller than the Statue of Liberty the red steel twisty-turny ArcelorMittal Orbit observation tower is the country's largest piece of outdoor art.   

After lunch we’ll drive on through the East End, past the Hackney Marshes and up through Churchill’s Woodford constituency and a slice of Epping Forest. We drive past the Lee Valley White Water Centre where the 2012 canoe slalom events will be held before boarding our boat at nearby Broxbourne for a gentle ninety-minute cruise through quiet countryside in the Lee Valley Park which has more area covered by water than the Norfolk Broads. A delicious cream tea, included in the tour fee will be served before we return to the wharf to head home at 5-15pm.

Little walking beyond a walk up to 500 yards to the viewing point for the Olympic Park. 

This tour is available every day of the week from 1^st March to 31^st October 2012 except for 25th July to 9th September (when the Olympic are on!) 

Adults & Seniors: £19.95
Price valid 1st April 2012 to 31st March 2013

Coach Mileage: 25

Please note that this tour is not officially endorsed by, or in any way associated with, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, the Olympic Development Authority or the Olympic and/or Paralympic Movement more generally. Please do not use official Olympic logos or trademarks in publicising this trip.

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