Royal Docks walks, tours and trails

Happening this weekend

We Flow: Royal Victoria Art Trail
Saturday 6 June, 11am & 2pm

Discover Royal Victoria public art through a free guided tour on Saturday 6 June, led by Youth Guides who explore how art, place and community intersect. The 40‑minute tours introduce key artworks along the dock, including Yinka Ilori’s celebration of belonging, Blue Sunset with its reflections on local nature and collective identity, Laura Ford’s sculptures exploring vulnerability, and Hélène Amouzou’s portrait photography on migration and visibility. The art that forms part of The Line, East London’s public art trail. Part of the London Festival of Architecture and At the Docks 2026.

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Royal Docks Run: 5K with East End Road Runners
Sunday 7 June, meet 8:15am (for a start at 8:30am)
Meeting point: Good Hotel London, Western Gateway, E16 1FA

Join East End Road Runners for a fun and friendly 5K around the Royal Docks on Sunday 7 June, passing iconic sights including City Hall, Excel London, Millennium Mills, the London Cable Car and the Grade II listed cranes. Led by qualified run leaders, the session offers three pace groups, with the most relaxed completing 5K in around 38 minutes. Booking essential. Part of the London Festival of Architecture and At the Docks 2026.

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Trails to enjoy anytime

Lights, Camera, Action in the Royal Docks Trail

Lights, Camera, Action in the Royal Docks Trail celebrates the Royal Docks’ long history as a backdrop for major films, TV shows, music videos, and photography shoots, thanks to its striking industrial architecture, dramatic waterfront views, and iconic locations like Millennium Mills, Silvertown Studios, and The Beams. From The Batman and Paddington 2 to music videos by Coldplay, The Smiths, and Arctic Monkeys, the area has starred in countless productions.

Now you can explore these filming and photography spots yourself on our self‑guided walking trail, with every location pinned on a Google Map for easy navigation. To make your walk even more immersive, follow the trail while listening to our Lights, Camera, Action Spotify playlist, featuring tracks from the films, shows, and music videos shot right here in the Royal Docks.

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The Line
The Line Explore art, nature and heritage for free along The Line, East London’s celebrated public art trail that connects Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the Royal Docks and The O2, following the waterways and the historic path of the Greenwich Meridian.

The Line’s evolving programme features an exciting mix of contemporary artworks, including several standout installations at Royal Victoria each contributing to the trail’s vibrant cultural landscape.

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London Nature Trails: Wanstead to the Royal Docks
This route from Wanstead to the Royal Docks takes around three hours, covering 9 miles or 15 km, which is roughly 21,000 steps, and rewards you with an everchanging mix of landscapes, history and wildlife. Along the Thames you may spot cormorants and herons; in the Olympic Park, look out for goldfinches and pied wagtails. As you approach the Royal Docks, seagulls are a familiar sight, while Bow Creek Ecology Park offers the chance to see dragonflies skimming the water. And if you’re lucky, you might hear skylarks singing over Wanstead Flats.

The trail is full of features that bring London’s trading and industrial heritage to life, and there is art to discover too as a section of the walk follows The Line, public art trail.

Explore the route


Capital Ring Walk
The Capital Ring Walk is a 78-mile (126km) walking route around inner London, divided into 15 easy sections. It links parks, nature reserves, waterways and historic areas, offering a quieter and greener view of the city.

Section 15 passes through the Royal Docks following waterfront paths beside the former docklands and the River Thames. The route showcases the area’s maritime history, modern redevelopment and open riverside views before finishing at Woolwich.

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Lost Pubs Treasure Trail
Use the map to uncover the former sites of pubs around the Royal Docks. Many have vanished, but their stories linger. In North Woolwich, Cundys once doubled as a 19th‑century trade‑union headquarters, while The Royal Standard became locally famous for its odd licensing setup, where one side of the pub had to call last orders while the other carried on serving. Created by the Tate Lives project, the Lost Pubs Treasure Trail keeps these colourful memories alive as you explore.

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Explore the Royal Docks on a Brompton
The Royal Docks is a great place to explore by bike, with wide waterside paths, calmer stretches and major upgrades along the Royal Docks Corridor that create more space and safety for people travelling on two wheels. It is an ideal area to try a Brompton folding bike.

You can hire one from £5 at locations including Custom House, West Silvertown, Canning Town, Royal Albert, Beckton and Gallions Reach, picking up and returning to lockers across the area.

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Busy Roads to Wide Water and Big Skies
Listen to Busy Roads to Wide Water and Big Skies, a short audio walk under 10 minutes, ideal for the route from Canning Town Station to Royal Victoria. Created by illustrator Salvatore Rubbino, who has made Newham his home, it reflects his belief that drawing helps him notice the world around him more carefully. Salvatore walked through Canning Town with fellow Newham resident Raffaella Ravaioli to explore how the past shapes the present and to take in the noisy energy of an area racing towards a new future. The narration draws directly from the conversation with Raffaella, a mix of observation, memory and personal insight.

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I Remember Your Face
Perfect for listening to as you cross the river on the Woolwich Ferry, this short audio piece features poet Tatenda Naomi Matsvai from Boat Poets, reciting their poem ‘I Remember Your Face’. Tatenda shaped the poem through conversations with fellow passengers, gathering stories about why they ride the ferry and the memories tied to it.

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