One of the largest urban parks in Europe, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park was created for the London 2012 Olympic Games. A key part of London’s bid was leaving a legacy, and the park forms a significant part of this. What brought me here in July 2023 was seeing ABBA Voyage, but I arrived early to explore the area.

The most obvious landmark in the 560 acre park is the ArcelorMittal Orbit, a questionable 115m high sculpture and observation tower incorporating the world’s longest long slide (178m).

Across the City Mill River that runs through the park is the London Stadium, built for the Olympics and now home to West Ham United Football Club.

There are some pleasant gardens, including the somewhat underwhelming Great British Garden, and a Splash Fountain popular with kids.

A number of significant new buildings have been added since the Olympics, including UCL East campus buildings, Sadler’s Wells East, and a new branch of the Victoria & Albert Museum.

To the west is the River Lea canal, which was a rather worrying shade of green with algae growth.

Around the area was plenty of street art.

There was a pleasant Greenway that crossed the River Lea.

I finished back where I started, at Pudding Mill Lane station, where the temporary ABBA Arena has been erected literally next door. ABBA Voyage was an incredible show, worthy of the hype it has received. Photography isn’t allowed during the show but here are a few photos from before it started.