please empty your brain below
I used the West Ham route to go to the swimming. The District line tubes were empty, it was only a 15 min walk to the entrance, and also we were the right side to get into the swimming pool whereas the Stratford gate people have to walk all the way round the building.
Might go that way for the athletics this week as well.

I'm amazed how many people have assumed they could just go into the Park without buying a ticket in advance - I've had to tell lots that they can't go - I wonder how many have turned up to be turned away.

As you say the best way of now seeing the Park is to purchase what are fairly inexpensive Paralympic tickets for events in Park venues ( Athletics will have the most tickets, but I got some football ones for a friend this week)

Brian | 05.08.12 - 8:21 a.m. | #

Like many things, the spectator guides are well-hidden on the official website. The one for the closing ceremony does indeed say that the park gates won't open until 5.30pm - though with an asterisk saying that it's subject to change, and an email will be sent to ticketholders nearer the time.

On the day of opening ceremony, much of the park was closed off to pass-holders - either because it was being used for cast staging, or because it was a "pyrotechnic fallout zone".

dg writes: Thanks Martin, post updated.

martin | 05.08.12 - 8:23 a.m. | #

I have a question. I have fully developed Olympitis. What's the best way to swap used tickets? I suspect it might be to write my email address in these comments...

Will | 05.08.12 - 8:41 a.m. | #

The Handball finals are on Sun 12th - I have tickets for the Bronze medal match at 11, Gold follows. Both in Basketball arena.

Carlbob | Homepage | 05.08.12 - 9:10 a.m. | #

You mean you didn't manage to get tickets for every single day after all? Still, seven consecutive days (and doubtless more to come) is impressive!

swirlythingy | Homepage | 05.08.12 - 11:00 a.m. | #

The Olympic Park closes after the remaining events finish on Sunday and they kick everyone out. It reopens again at 5.30pm for the Closing Ceremony. Those lovely Gamesmakers will herd you out of your venue and out of the Park after your event finishes - no meandering! Unless you skip your event and hide in the bushes of course....

Intentionally anonymous | 05.08.12 - 11:28 a.m. | #

Another question. I have tickets for an evening session of athletics for the Paralympics Does that mean the people in the earlier sessions have to leave? It didn't look like anyone left yesterday.

Cornishmonkey | 05.08.12 - 11:50 a.m. | #

Great blog, I have been working at Stratford station and turning people away who have assumed they can walk around the park without a ticket. I will now direct them to your blog.

We planned our Olympics well in advance and got day Park tickets in week one and handball for next Friday. Tickets were available if you planned early and entered ballots with realistic expectations about what would be available (ie. Not £20 tickets to 100m final).

Laura | 05.08.12 - 12:30 p.m. | #

My experience:

I walked from Hackney Wick to Eton Manor gate using my iPhone google map to guide me the way! It's not signed, but it was from the station to the Hockcey area in 20 minutes (but I have got long legs). It was a quiet walk and no queues at the gate, simples.

The food IS overpriced. I took a lot of my own and made it last until 6pm. Then I spent a fiver on snacks, pretty good.

A decent map of the park is sorely lacking. Having now explored the whole park, I know I could draw something better showing all the paths, water points, etc.. Which the official map doesn't.

Going home for me there were queues for the Javelin. So I walked to Stratford International DLR Instead and got a seat no probs. Down to west ham and onto a c2c train back into London where I had the WHOLE carriage to myself, not kidding. It's a good way to go, I beat my friend home who stayed in the javelin queue.

The next day, I got Paralympic tickets no problems, as it will be wonderful to go back again.

Geofftech | 05.08.12 - 1:50 p.m. | #

Thanks for all the pre-Closing-Ceremony chucking-out advice.

And thanks to Intentionally anonymous for helping to answer an additional question I've had for a while :)

diamond geezer | Homepage | 05.08.12 - 2:10 p.m. | #

Another excellent post - hope it doesn't sound patronising to say 'well done!'

RogerW | 05.08.12 - 2:18 p.m. | #

Thank you for all your and your reader's very helpful information. I haven't got tickets but all you write makes me want to see the park from inside. Maybe at the paralympics. Thanks again for keeping us posted.

AnKa | 05.08.12 - 4:15 p.m. | #

What *is* the route from Hackney Wick to Victoria Gate? I've been trying to merge Googlemaps which marks H Wick but not Victoria Gate with the Olympic map which has Vic Gate but not H Wick.

Can you walk along the river/canal?

(I went Dalston-Stratford on Saturday morning - train was crowded but no worse than rush hour and a steady walk into the Park through Stratford Gate.)

Cal | Homepage | 05.08.12 - 5:39 p.m. | #

From the south side of Hackney Wick station...
» head west (towards Victoria Park) along Wallis Road
» turn left (before the footbridge)
» walk along Rothbury Road, Wansbeck Road and Wick Lane
...to reach the Victoria Gate.

And no, you absolutely can't go along the towpath.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 05.08.12 - 6:21 p.m. | #

Went to park 3 times, twice through greenway gate via West Ham. Only took 20-25 mins and was a lovely way in. Went in via Stratford today though cause of the rain and was a doddle too! Tube dead quiet from Stratford at around 5...

SJM | 05.08.12 - 8:35 p.m. | #

You can still use the west-side towpath from Hackney Wick, past Forman’s and The Counter Cafe. I thought I might be able to dry out there this morning, but the queue was too long and they've raised the price of their fabulous bacon baguettes. But DG's route is faster.

martxw | 05.08.12 - 9:20 p.m. | #

Just want to say thank you for all this really useful information: going to the athletics Tuesday & Thursday - massively excited :)

jackw | 05.08.12 - 10:38 p.m. | #

Agree about the food. We ate lunch in the Street Market (sushi/noodle soup) and were seriously underwhelmed by both the taste and price. Waffles and Cornish pasties were much better, but still expensive. When we go back on Thursday for the water polo I'm taking sandwiches.

Our only mistake today was to try and take a taxi to the Eton Manor gate. There is apparently a taxi dropoff point at the Hackney Marshes sports centre car park, but no-one could tell our driver where it was, we were directed round and round in circles by various people in Olympic garb, and eventually ended up getting the driver to drop us off (very illegally) at a red light near the gate. Once we got there, the gate was quiet and it was very easy to borrow a mobility buggy.

Claire | 05.08.12 - 11:07 p.m. | #

Only once have I bought food at the park, bit of a struggle, with kiosks running out...

Actually been impressed with the amount of water fountains laid on. there are several in the park, the ones near Orbit are busy, but the others are ok. Each venue seems to have fountains as well.

Stratford International HS1 station is a bit pathetic though, the Javelin could take twice as many people as it does, except for the restricted access to the platforms, with each platform having a measley excalator, it's frustrating having to be held up in queues outside, when the trains themselves aren't that packed (and the journey to St P is only 10 minutes anyway)

Mikey C | 06.08.12 - 12:09 a.m. | #

Thanks as ever for the tips, DG and others. I'm looking forward to seeing something of the park on the way to hockey this evening.

Andrew | 06.08.12 - 8:14 a.m. | #

Regarding the one escalator at Stratford International Javelin - as DG has pointed out before this was a big white elephant before the games and will be again after them - so any more escalators would be over the top- If you were lucky and got an Olympic Park Pass the Specator Guide Map of the Park was much better than the map for events - it gave more details of the gardens etc - If you are male and have a bad stomach be careful - the toilets are sparsely spread around the park - they are in the busiest area and you might have to fight through a few queues for food, drink amd other things at busy times.

KissenMe | 06.08.12 - 9:22 a.m. | #

Very helpful, thanks.

David | 06.08.12 - 3:36 p.m. | #

Cheers all for the extra info, particularly Intentionally Anonymous! When you say that you'll be herded straight out of the Park, is that literally true, i.e. once we're out of the Basketball Arena it's a do-not-pass-go marshalled route to the Gate?

Reason is that I'm taking my folks and a big part of the reason is so they can see the Park. Handball's at 11 and it'd be a shame for them to not see much of it.

If it is the case, I assume the Park is open as normal at 7am and we can explore to our hearts content before our event?
(On which note - what would happen if we didn't go to the Arena at all? How would we be ushered out at 1pm if we're hiding in a corner of McDonalds?)

Any intelligence, anonymous or otherwise, much appreciated!

[Thank you, DG, for the Olympics service over the last 10 days and indeed the last 7 years - long may it continue through the rest of the Games, and the years ahead as the park transforms. I've been finding it totally fascinating to read back over your posts from 2005 onwards after spending a day at the Park to see what the area used to be like. Amazing.]

Carlbob | Homepage | 07.08.12 - 10:09 a.m. | #

Oh, and a quick q that I've been curious about - what was on the land that has been now used at West Ham for the extra footbridge and exit?

Also looking back over documents from a few years ago, that exit was meant to go straight to the Greenway, rather than take one along the road and up - when did that change?

Carlbob | Homepage | 07.08.12 - 10:10 a.m. | #

I went to the Olympics yesterday :)

Actually, the Javelin was a bliss! A very quick and efficient way to get to the park and to leave (8am and 5pm). There were no queues at all, the gates were open (they didn't even check the travelcard) and the train left immediately after boarding. Speed of light compared to all other means of transport.

As for the food, I was not as dissatisfied as you. It may be a bit overpriced, but all in all good value for such an event, and there's plenty of them, with no queues at all.
The lack of seating was a bit annoying, but we always found seats within 2 minutes, when someone left.

Greg | 07.08.12 - 12:38 p.m. | #

Have managed to go everyday but one and to be honest transport and security have been a dream so far.

One 30 minute queue to enter on Mon 30th but virtually none other times - even 9am this morning.

Javelin has actually been pretty good - bit of a shambles on Friday when they decided to check tickets for only time and took 30 mins whilst trains left half empty but generally only taking 15-20 mins even after Athletics sessions.

One gripe the absence of bars serving proper beer and pints but very little to find fault with.

Matt | Homepage | 07.08.12 - 10:56 p.m. | #

Glad I managed to get park tickets, I took my grand children and bag of our own home cooked food. The only thing I bought there were drinks and a McDonalds milk shake (Sorry a little indulgence of mine!!) Didn't think McDonalds was too badly priced, but the drinks were ridiculous. Loved the place but missed a great deal judging by your pictures. Still it will be my local next year......

Carol | 09.08.12 - 2:36 p.m. | #

We left the Stadium area at 11pm last night, headed for the Javelin (followed by train at KGX) and were home (N8) in 54 minutes - only 9 minute longer than a normal journey from Westfield (which is say 5 minutes closer than the Stadium). Perfect!

EskimoPie | 10.08.12 - 7:24 a.m. | #

Thanks so much for the directions from Hackney Wick. (And indeed for all the Olympic coverage both now and over the past 7 years - I'm only in Dalston so it feels pretty local to me too.)

Cal | Homepage | 10.08.12 - 5:38 p.m. | #











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