| There's a large (151K) map here, which was lifted from www.streetmap.co.uk, get an interactive map (you can scroll around, etc.) here. You can reach Victoria Park from Bethnal Green tube station by travelling down Cambridge Heath Road and turning right down the footpath by the Grand Union Canal. You'll then come to the park on your left. I skated this route as a beginner (as I live near the station) so most people shouldn't have much trouble. The path by the canal is narrow though, and watch out crossing side streets as they're sometimes cobbled which is a real killer! (Actually, looking at the map, I think you'll find the route down Roman Road, then left down Grove Road an bit easier). The park's main advantage is size. It's split into two sections by Grove Road (but has pedestrian crossings here), with the East side being the smaller section. This has a nice smooth red asphalt road (not public, so no traffic) running through it with a slight incline from the North to South. The slope running East from the South end is more pronounced and like the rest of the wide paths here it is not as smooth, but still perfectly skatable. You'll also encounter speed humps down this slope until it begins to curve round the pond to the left. These combined with the incline can be a real pain when skating the opposite way (up the hill). The rest of the park is pretty flat and with similar tracks. The wide paths being quiet rough with some smother, narrower paths crossing here and there. The wider paths really are more like roads, and some even have curbs and footpaths running either side which can be somewhat smoother. I reckon skating round the perimeter of the whole lot would be about 8Kms (rough estimate from a friend's bike speedo), so given then fact you can cut here and there between the wider paths there's a very wide selection of routes. In general I've found it a good place to skate, but haven't seen many other skaters there (well - one!). There are cyclists around and the normal park activities going on (football on the weekend) but the paths still seem empty. The place is only slightly let down by the rough terrain, but if this were fixed it would be just about perfect! In any event it's size makes up for this roughness, so I'd definitely recommend a visit. | 