Route: Regents Park and Canal
Area: London
Date of walk: 27th June 2015
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 7.0 miles
Weather: Sunny
Just a few years ago Regent’s Canal was a good place for dumping a dead body, and would not have been a good place for a walk. Since those days a transformation has taken place and the area has been revitalised. The canal has been cleaned to the extent that it is now frequented by kingfishers, whose presence is always a sign of water quality
We were staying in the excellent Hotel Pullman London St Pancras and from the hotel we walked through St Pancras Station, one of my favourite buildings, and joined the Regent’s Canal behind the station. A path runs along the canalside for about 9 miles – our walk was shorter as we’d started out half way along it
Further along the path we walked round Camden Lock Market, a fascinating place full of interesting stalls and shops – and selling every kind of food imaginable
At the end of the canal we walked through Regents Park. This place is worth a full walk in its own right, but we only scraped its surface due to lack of time. We walked back along Euston Road to our hotel to conclude a great walk
Click on the icon below for the route map (subscribers to OS Maps can view detailed maps of the route, visualise it in aerial 3D, and download the GPX file. Non-subscribers will see a base map)
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
View of St Pancras Station from our hotel as we started out on our walk
The Betjeman Statue inside the station
The St Pancras International clock
We walk out of the station - signs of redevelopment are everywhere
We cross the bridge over Regent’s Canal to join the Grand Union Tow Path
Granary Square
Regent’s Canal
St. Pancras Lock
Houseboats further along the tow path
The area is being transformed with new developments popping up in various places
Passing below Royal College Street
Kentish Town Lock
Approaching Camden
We turn off the path here to explore Camden Lock Market
There are a vast number of stalls selling food - and much else besides - from all over the world
Looking back to Dingwall’s Wharf Bridge as we leave the market
St Mark’s Church ahead
One of the canal side houses along St Mark’s Crescent
The Broadwalk, leading into London Zoo
We pass by the Snowden Aviary, part of London Zoo
Shortly before the end of Regent’s Canal we cross a footbridge into Regent’s Park
We make a beeline for the wildlife and waterfowl area
The park boasts a list of 200 species of bird
There’s a heronry with around 20 nesting pairs each year
White Faced Whistling Ducks
I could have spent all day there but we had to move on, so continued into the formal gardens
The Broadwalk, Regents Park
Leaving the park
Skyscrapers on the way back to the hotel - it had been a great walk, full of interest all the way
