National waterways charity the Canal & River Trust has published a new free Places to Visit in London guide, with maps, information about visitor facilities and free activities, and ways to get the most a visit to the capital’s canals and rivers.
Last year over ten million people visited the charity’s 2,000-mile network of canals and rivers to enjoy walking, cycling, running, boat trips, fishing, wildlife spotting, feeding ducks, watching boats go through locks, paddleboarding, visiting a museum, enjoying food and drink at a canalside café or pub, and marvelling at some of the world’s finest examples of working industrial heritage.
Ros Daniels, the Canal & River Trust’s director for London & South East, says:
“The Canal & River Trust charity cares for over 100 miles of canals and rivers in London, providing free to visit outdoor open spaces, and the chance to connect with nature and our city’s rich canal history. Every year, millions of people visit our waterways to be active, relax and to enjoy the scenic landscapes our canals offer.
“Our canals provide free and low-cost family-friendly days out by the water, and the chance to have some fabulous waterside experiences this Easter. Even in central London, people can spot a variety of birds, animals, insects and plants along our canals and rivers. And from locks and bridges, to tunnels and aqueducts, there are hundreds of historic structures to marvel at.
“We want to encourage more people to visit our canals, rivers, reservoirs and docks so they can experience the physical and mental health and wellbeing benefits of spending time by water, and find out more about the work of our charity to care for the nation’s world-famous historic network.”
The Canal & River Trust’s Places to Visit in London guide provides information on the following locations:
Spend time in nature at Brentford and visit Brentford Gauging Lock
Brentford is a pocket open space in West London (TW8 8HP) with beautiful locks and paths, so it’s a great place to escape the city and spend time in nature. Once one of the busiest places on London’s waterways during the industrial revolution, Brentford Gauging Lock was originally used to calculate the amount of cargo a boat carried and a toll would be levied based on the weight and value of what was carried. Cargo carried along the canal included timber, steel, tar, corn, bricks, coal and coffee. Today visitors can see a small display about the canal’s working heritage in the canal toll house beside the Gauging Lock, watch boats going through the lock and take stroll along the towpath to Thames Lock where the canal meets the River Thames.
Walk along the Regent’s Canal in Camden
This popular tourist destination was once a heavily industrialised area with warehouses, stables and gin distilleries. In its heyday over 700 horses worked along the towpath around Camden Goods Depot. Visitors crossing the iconic Roving Bridge, which switches the towpath from one side of the canal to the other, can look out for the marks left in the top rail by the ropes connected from the horses pulling boats along the canal. As well as towpath walks, watching boats go through the locks and taking a break in a waterside café, visitors to the Regent’s Canal in Camden (NW1 8AF) can try canoeing or paddleboarding at the Pirates Castle or hop on a water taxi to Little Venice.
Enjoy a country walk at Hanwell
Connecting the River Brent to the rest of the canal system, Hanwell’s flight of six locks in Ealing (W7 2PJ) is a world away from the City’s busy streets. The Grand Union Canal was the M1 of its day, connecting London and Birmingham. Built in 1794, Hanwell Locks are now a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Visitors can take a walk or bike ride along the towpath to watch boats pass through the locks, spot the old canal features such as the lock keeper cottages and look out for wildlife, including herons.
Spend time by the water in Islington
Just a few minutes walk from Angel tube station, City Road Basin on the Regent’s Canal in Islington (N1 8GJ) is an oasis in the heart of the city. Once the main distribution centre for goods coming into London along the canals, today visitors to City Road Basin can enjoy a waterside stroll, take a break in a canalside café, watch boats go through the lock, and have a go at kayaking or paddleboarding with the Islington Boat Club.
Visit the London Museum Docklands at West India Docks
Most commonly known as Canary Wharf, West India Docks (E14 9YQ) were the first purpose-built docks in London and in the early 1800s the busiest port in the world. As well as strolling round the docks to see the different boats moored there and spotting wildlife, visitors can explore the London Museum Docklands and discover the history of the area from Roman times to the present day. The Museum is free to enter. The nearest tube & DLR is Canary Wharf or West India Quay.
Explore the London Canal Museum at King’s Cross
The Regent’s Canal is sandwiched between King’s Cross and St Pancras railway stations (N1C 4AA). It’s an unexpected place of peace and calm amide the hectic pace of long distance rail travel. Visitors can wander along the towpath to Islington Tunnel and watch the boats emerge or visit the London Canal Museum, packed with artefacts and a massive ice well where ice brought into London from Norway was once stored. Boat trips run from the Museum from April to October. Adult tickets are £7.50, Children (aged 7-15) £3.75, Family (2 adults and 3 children) £16. Children aged 6 and younger go free.
Discover Limehouse Basin gateway to the Thames
Once a dock connecting the canal network to the River Thames, Limehouse Basin is now home to narrowboats, yachts and ocean-going pleasure craft. With its café and shops it a great place for a day out. Visitors can stroll around the basin to the Accumulator Tower, an important piece of local heritage where pressurised water provided hydraulic power for cranes, locks and swing bridges. The Grapes pub is nearby in Narrow Street, said to be the setting for Charles Dickens’ final novel, ‘Our Mutual Friend’’. And it’s a two-mile walk along the Limehouse Cut towpath to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Find picturesque Little Venice near Paddington Station
Just behind the busy A40 and Paddington Station lies Little Venice (W9 2PF), one of London’s most picturesque spots. Little Venice is the area where the Regent’s Canal joins the Grand Union Canal and the canal widens to create a basin of water, with Browning’s Island in the middle. Visitors can have a picnic on the banks of the canal in Rembrandt Park, stroll along to Paddington Basin and look out for the ‘Walking Man’ and ‘Standing Man’ sculptures by Sean Henry and visit one of the cafés and restaurant barges along the way. From Little Venice there’s a regular canal boat taxi service to London Zoo and Camden.
Watch wildlife at Old Ford Lock & Bow Wharf
Old Ford Lock on the Regent’s Canal and Bow Wharf on the Hertford Union Canal (E3 5SN) offer great places for wildlife watching. Visitors can enjoy a leisurely cycle ride or walk along the towpath, connecting to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Camden or Limehouse, or take a stroll around Victoria Park, with over 86 hectares of open space to explore.
Experience history at Three Mills Island & Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
The history of Three Mills Island (E3 3DU) dates back to at least the 11th century. Over the years, the mills have ground everything from flour and gunpowder, to grain for gin. Today, the Island is home to Three Mills Film Studios, a favourite of filmmaker Danny Boyle. There are almost four miles of waterways to explore weaving their way around the Island and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Visitors can take a tour of The House Mill, the World’s largest surviving tidal mill, enjoy a picnic on Three Mills Green, watch boats going through the locks and explore The Line, a public art pathway project that connects Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and The O2.
Find an oasis of calm at the Welsh Harp (Brent Reservoir)
This Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) close to Wembley (NW9 7NX) is a world away from the bustle of urban life and is one of London’s most significant wild spaces. Built in 1835 to supply water to the Grand Union Canal, today there are places to walk and picnic, a sailing club and bird hides to watch many types of wetland bird that rely on this large body of water and the plant life that thrives there.
Canal & River Trust’s new regional Places to Visit in London Guide is available to download at www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/free-guide
