I went for a wander along Regent’s Canal a couple of weeks ago. I’ve only seen a few small parts of it before, mainly from Regent’s Park to Camden Town, but I’d read that it makes for a pleasant walk.
Unfortunately, as it is still winter, the skies were rather more grey than I had hoped, and I ran out of light before I could complete the journey along the length of the canal, which may not have been a bad thing as it all gets a bit industrial through Hackney. I may revisit the route at a later date, perhaps starting at the other end. There’s also the possibility of a quick diversion to Old Ford Lock of Big Breakfast fame; however, I’d have to check up in advance with regards to access as I think it skirts the Olympic Park compulsory purchase zone.
View Regent’s Canal walk in a larger map
Background to the Canal
Regent’s Canal is an eight and a half mile long waterway running east-west across north London, parallel to the Thames. The canal was designed by the architect, John Nash, who designed Regent’s Park, but most of its construction was overseen by his James Morgan. Construction commenced after the passing of the Regent’s Canal Act in 1812 and the official opening took place in 1820, for the first time connecting the Grand Junction Canal (now part of the Grand Union Canal) in the west to the docks of east London. The canal saw great success until the railways began to divert trade away from waterways in the latter half of the 19th century. After the munitions traffic of World War II ended, the canal was hardly used for commercial traffic.
I started my walk from Warwick Avenue tube station, which is approximately 5 minutes away from the Grand Union Canal. After a brief chat with another photographer out taking pictures of the area, I walked the 500 metres or so south to reach the area known as Little Venice, where the Grand Union Canal meets the start of Regent’s Canal.
Grand Union Canal
The smallest canal boat I saw on my walk