Today’s walk may be short, but will be full of fascinating contrasts and show a number of different aspects of our capital city. We will follow the Regents Canal from Little Venice in the City of Westminster to Kingsland Road, near Haggerston Overground Station, in the London Borough of Hackney. There will be change and contrast along our route, despite following the same canal almost the whole distance of around 6.5 miles.

From Warwick Avenue station we soon join the Regent’s Canal towpath, which we follow in a broadly easterly direction. The canal briefly disappears into the Maida Hill Tunnel and we have to follow a route along parallel streets until we are able to rejoin the canal towpath a quarter of a mile further on. (There are several sections along the walk where we similarly ‘lose’ the canal, but for the most part the roads are quiet, and the change adds variety and contrast).

Now passing through the salubrious district of St John’s Wood, we will encounter a fascinating area of canal house boats parked at 45 degrees, some of whose residents have created small gardens on the land side. We then find ourselves in a grand (frankly, very posh) peaceful section where the canal effectively marks its northern boundary of Regent’s Park. We make a brief encounter of London Zoo - perhaps we will have some aural if not visual evidence of this. Further on, the canal turns sharply to the left to take us through Camden Lock, where we have to switch sides from one side to the other. This area is a well known hustle-bustly contrast to the peace we have experienced up until now, and a seeming magnet to all young visitors to London.

After leaving Camden Lock, we will then head south east towards St Pancras Lock, where we will stop for lunch. After lunch, we follow the canal eastbound until once again it disappears into a tunnel. Following the streets for around three quarters of a mile,
we will gradually ascend to reach The Angel Islington. Crossing Upper Street, we continue eastbound to pick up the canal once again for the final stretch. We pass south of the attractive planned enclave of De Beauvoir Town before reaching Kingsland Road, only a short walk from Haggerston station.