Victoria Dock parkrun takes place at 9 am on Saturday at Royal Victoria Dock in East London.

Getting There

Royal Victoria Dock is 8 miles east of central London. By car, the dock is just off the North Circular/A13. There are plenty of public transport options. Bus no 330 stops at Charington Steps, a 3 minute walk from the start, while buses 147 and 474 stop at Munday Road, a 6 minute walk. The Royal Victoria DLR station is a 5 minute walk and the nearest underground station is Custom House on the Elizabeth Line, a 15 minute walk. If you are coming from south of the river, a unique way of reaching Victoria Dock is to take a cable car across the Thames. If you’re not, why not take a ride on the cable car anyway…

Parking

Parking nearby is limited and very expensive. We booked a nearby hotel, where parking cost £12 per day, and walked to the start.

Toilets

There is one toilet inside the community hut. Be prepared to queue…

Course

The start is near the community hut by The Crystal. The usual course consists of an out and back section north of the docks, you then pass the start/finish to complete a shorter out and back section along the south of the docks, before retuning to the finish.

Note; due to building works on the south side of the docks, the current course consists of two out and back loops on the north side of the docks.

Terrain

The course is about as flat as it comes. It is all paved.

Shoes

Definitely trainers.

Difficulty

Run Britain rankings for UK parkruns places Victoria Dock as 1st fastest out of 706. It has a total elevation of 2 metres.

Fun Factor

Victoria Dock parkrun is, not surprisingly, popular with visitors to London, particularly those coming for special events nearby. With an average of around 151 finishers per week, a record total of 699 runners turned up recently the day before the 2023 London Marathon. Used to a regular influx of visitors, the organisers are extremely friendly and welcoming. The fast, flat course along the docks is interesting and, of course, has a great view of the water front. Victoria Dock is one of my favourite ever park runs.

Where we Stayed

There are a number of hotels in the docklands. If you’re feeling flush, you can even stay at the Sunborn, a 5 star floating hotel aboard a yacht moored in the dock. We opted for the slightly more down-market Premier Inn London Docklands (Excel), which is a 20 minute walk from the start.

Nearby attractions

The area around Victoria Dock is an interesting place to spend some time. As mentioned above, the IFS Cloud Cable Car is close by. There is also an interesting art trail round the docklands and beyond.

IFS Cloud Cable Car

The IFS Cloud Cable Car crosses the River Thames between Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Docks. It spans a 1 kilometre stretch across the Thames and takes 10 minutes to cross, hanging 90 metres above the river and offering spectacular views of the city as you go. Tickets cost £6 each way, but are free on Saturday mornings before 10.30 am if you show your barcode.

The Line Sculpture Trail

The Line is a free public art project that connects Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and The O2, following the waterways and the line of the Greenwich Meridian. It consists of 22 sculptures in total. Numbers 14-16 are around Victoria Dock and numbers 17-22 are across the river on the Greenwich Peninsula.