A stroll along Regent’s Canal from Paddington to Camden is one of my most frequent recommendations to visitors or those newly arrived to London. I love the colourful canal boats, each with their own personality, and the sense of freedom that comes from escaping London’s busy roads and underground. However shamefully, until this spring I had not taken the logical next step of exploring further along this narrow waterway, and so I seized the chance of a beautiful fine day. Anna and I started our morning in Angel – not only is it an easy spot to hop on to the canal path from the main road, it’s also home to one of The Breakfast Club branches. And you can’t start a day of exploration without a good brunch, after all!
Poached eggs, chorizo and avocado – YUM!
Suitably fuelled, we started our meander along the canal-side path, stopping to admire the rich decorations of the boats along the way. Many others had the same genius idea – I love how wholeheartedly Londoners throw themselves into the sunshine when it appears after the long winter.
The canal was built in 1812, in order to link the Grand Canal at Paddington to the Thames. It carried massive quantities of coal, timber and food in and out of London to the Midlands before it was closed to shipping in 1969. Now it sees mainly pleasure-cruisers, commuting cyclists, and strollers like ourselves.
I hadn’t realised how many cafes and bars there are along the canal, all buzzing in the sunshine. As Anna and I passed along we picked which would be our favourite house to live in – and of course the local cafe would feature in that decision!
So East London
Before we knew it, we were in the leafy expanses of Victoria Park. I instantly loved the winding paths leading to the central lake watched over by a beautifully-restored pagoda. The biggest regret of the whole day ended up being that we didn’t have enough cash between us to hire a row-boat – rookie mistake! Everyone out there looked to be having a fabulous time… although there were a couple of rescues that had to take place as well, where people appeared a little uncertain of their oar-work.
To console ourselves, we stopped for a cold drink at the gorgeous Pavilion Cafe, with perfect placement on the side of the lake. The home-made food looked delicious, but I couldn’t go past a refreshing ice-block – it gave me that wonderful “summer is coming” feeling!
Beautiful lake sculptures with the Pavilion Cafe in the background
After two years in London there’s still so many corners for me to explore – one of my favourite things about the city. I’ll be back to Regent’s Canal for another wander in the sunshine – and to Victoria Park for those rowboats!
To check out the first half of my Regent’s Canal wanderings, click here!
