Every Sunday we’ll pluck just one walk from the vast
London Walks
repertoire and put it centre
stage.
But if
you only take one walking tour this week, why not make it…
The Regent's Canal Little Venice to Camden
Town
Warwick Avenue Tube
Sunday 5th February 2.30pm Meet at Warwick Avenue Tube
The prettiest of our Regent's Canal Walks.
It begins at Little Venice, harbour and
home to waterfolk and landlubbers alike. There's prestigious – and catch-in-the-throat
attractive – real estate on and off the water. On the water because many of the
"narrow boats" have been converted into very desirable houseboats.
It's been said, with very little exaggeration, that this is quite possibly the
most beautiful residential neighbourhood in the world.
The scene is almost more
Dutch than Venetian. Uniquely, the canal here is an extra ingredient in a
London street. The buildings flanking the street vary from elegant
semi-detached stuccoed villas and terraced houses to Edwardian mansion flats.
They're very fine in their own right. Add to them the green of the mature trees
forming a canopy to the canal and the water itself and the palette of brightly
coloured boats (in exquisite counterpoint to the creamy stucco of the houses)
and the delightful bridges that bookend the ensemble – well, it makes for a
very special place.
And that's just for starters. From there the canal runs
through a tunnel under the Edgware Road and on to St. John's Wood, where it
emerges to stunning views of Primrose Hill Regent's Park and the London Zoo.
And always with the canal walks – because you're in an automobile-free-zone –
everything slows right down and you're back in the 1820s. Back in the 1820s
seeing a London you'd never otherwise see. It's back-door London. Grand houses
that back onto the canal. In some cases they have their own little pier with
their boat tied up to it. All very much in marked – and delightful – contrast
to the "public face" of these houses – which of course is the front,
the view you get from the street. That's a view anybody can get anytime. It's
the lazy, easy option. We go for richer pickings – we see their "private
face". And of course at the end of the walk we're right into Camden
Market. We end at the Lock with all of its Sunday afternoon huzzah and colour
and panache and buzz.
Anything else? Yes. It's worth bearing in mind that it's
not just what you see – it's how you see it. Because our Regent's Canal Walks
are guided by members of the Inland Waterways Association – people who know the
canals the way a Master Mariner knows a stretch of water he's plied for years,
people who have a great deal of expertise about them – you'll get to see tiny
little details that casual towpath walkers miss. Tiny little details that open
up an age and an era, that explain the workings of the canals.
PRACTICALS
The meeting point for the Regent's Canal –
Little Venice to Camden walk is just outside the exit of Warwick Avenue Tube.
The walk takes place at 2.30 pm on the following Sundays: February 5, April 2
and June 4.
About The Canal Guides
The Regent's Canal Walks are well and truly a labour of love
because the guides who lead them – all of them members of the Inland Waterways
Association – donate their fee to the IWA. So you're not just signing up for a
fascinating walking tour, you're supporting a good cause.
A
London Walk costs £10 – £8 concession. To join a London Walk, simply meet your
guide at the designated tube station at the appointed time. Details of all
London Walks can be found at www.walks.com.
