A 20s and 30s Ramblers group.
A linear walk along the Regents Canal from Paddington station to the Limehouse Basin via Little Venice and Camden Market.
Advance booking is not required, but if you plan on attending this walk, please indicate this on Meetup if you can (see Website link), so others can see that there will be plenty of people going.
Pace: medium.
Walk details
The Regents Canal can be traced back to 1802, where a proposal was given to create a link from the Paddington arm of the then Grand Junction Canal with the River Thames at Limehouse. Following the passing of the Regents Canal Act 1812, work started later that year, with the first part from Paddington to Camden Market opening in 1816, and the second part to Limehouse opening in 1820. With the opening of the railways in the following years, the canal and its basins played a vital role in transporting coal, alongside other types of freight, to these stations as well as other places further afield from London. Although freight along the canal dramatically declined and closed in the 1970s, it has seen a recent surge in leisure cruising, pedestrians and cyclists in the last 20–30 years, particularly in the wake of the July 2005 attacks.
To celebrate the rich industrial history of the Regents Canal, we will be walking along the full length of it from Paddington station right through to the Limehouse Basin. We will start off by walking towards the old Grand Junction Canal at Little Venice, which is only a short distance along the Paddington Basin from the station, where we join the Regents Canal. After passing the Maida Hill and Lisson Grove tunnels, the canal curves round the northern side of Regents Park to pass ZSL London Zoo and the nearby Primrose Hill. We will continue to follow it as it passes through Camden Market and towards the King's Cross development, where it then sharply turns at Camley Street Natural Park to follow Goods Way where it flows behind both St Pancras International and King's Cross stations. The canal then opens out into Battlebridge Basin, which was originally known as Horsfall Basin and is now home to the London Canal Museum. After walking past the Islington tunnel, we pass the southern end of Broadway Market and meet the Hertford Union Canal after passing Victoria Park. We then head southwards to walk pass Mile End Park before eventually arriving at the Limehouse Basin.
As we will be on canal paths and roads the whole way, trainers or casual boots are fine for this walk as long as they are comfortable to wear. Although you can bring your own lunch, we plan to stop at Camden Market for lunch, where there are plenty of food stalls to choose from if you want to get your lunch from there. Also, if time allows at the end of the walk, we will have a pint/drink at either The Craft Beer Co. Limehouse or The Crown Limehouse.
Travel details
By public transport
Recommended train departures from Reading:
10:30 GWR service arriving at Paddington at 10:54.
09:59 Elizabeth line service arriving at Paddington at 10:54.
08:39 SWR service arriving at Waterloo at 10:04, Bakerloo line service arriving at Paddington at 10:40.
By car
Although there is plenty of parking at Paddington, it is tricky to get to, and it's expensive to park there. On top of this there is also the cost of ULEZ, and so I would strongly advise against driving to Paddington.
However, if you want to drive into Reading and take the train from there, you can park at Reading Station Car Park (Multistorey). To park there for the day on a Saturday, it costs £12.50 to park for up to 24 hours.
Notes
Paddington station concourse (Praed Street entrance)
Limehouse Basin
