Wapping wanders 12.5 miles from Wapping to Paddington, following the Regent’s Canal from Limehouse Basin

[Wapping]

The canal divides Regent's Park from Primrose Hill, right here:





Here’s the famous Snowdon Aviary, which I remember being taken to as a child. It no longer holds birds, but monkeys instead:



The zoo behind us, we come to ‘Blow up bridge’, the scene of a huge explosion of a barge:

https://architecturetoday.co.uk/snowdon-aviary-monkey-valley-london-zoo/

The Explosive History Of Blow-Up Bridge

The tranquility belies a horrific incident.

londonist.com

 

[Wapping]

To be continued…..

 

[oblertone]

Excellent stuff, thank you.

PS: If you like a challenge then have a look at the 'New River' that ran between Clerkenwell and Hertford.

 

[LOLGEOFF]

Ah, so it's more like the Snowdon Apery now...

Keep it coming please. You're keeping up the pace at 3.3 mph average what with all the stopping for photos etc.

 

[Wapping]

Excellent stuff, thank you.

PS: If you like a challenge then have a look at the 'New River' that ran between Clerkenwell and Hertford.

I used to go over that, going to from boarding school. It is where I saw my first (and only) kingfisher.

 

[Wapping]

Exploding barges and destroyed bridges behind us, let’s move on further.



We are now entering into the much posher stretch of the canal, around about St John’s Wood:



You can smell the money of the houses, sitting on the Outer Circle road of Regent’s Park, with their manicured lawns down to the canal:



Here’s the minaret of Regent’s Park mosque:

 

[Wapping]

Time to wander on….

We are now leaving Regent’s Park behind us, coming under Lisson Grove and into Maida Vale:



Here, as with Angel, we’ll be forced up to road level, as the canal passes under Maida Hill. There’s quite a climb up, taking the flight of steps on the right:

 

[Toshack10]

Cinnamon coffee… was a florist when I lived opposite (other side of Cinnamon St)

I have done this walk/run it several times over the years and the regeneration/ gentrification is unbelievable. Last year I “finished” the loop by cycling from Brentford to Limehouse around the Grand Union. @Wapping, if you’re so minded, think twice: much past Ladbroke Grove gets very dull, but at least I now know that…

If you like a wander, the Capital Ring is a great 75 mile loop, with your nearest bit being the Greenway from Becton to Stratford then the canal/Lee navigation toward Clissold park. My nearest bit is east/west from Crystal Palace

 

[Wapping]

We need to keep heading towards Little Venice, but (due to the tunnel) we have to go up into Maida Vale:



Heading towards St John’s Wood, we’ll pass by Guy Gibson’s former house:



And cross the Edgware Road, which starts at Marble Arch and cuts its way across north west London, as the A5, the former Roman road to north Wales:



The tunnel is now behind us, so we can find our way back down to the canal:

 

[Wapping]

But not for very far, as this stretch of the canal is very much in private hands:



We can only look through the railings as we walk along:



The very narrow side side footpath:

 

[Wapping]

The private stretch behind us, we can wander on into Little Venice:



It’s 45 minutes on the canal, back to Camden Market:



Nothing changes, with a Scouser nicking something:

 

[Wapping]

Little Venice, leads in the the large basin of Browning’s Pool, where the canal divides:



We are going to walk back on ourselves a bit, around the south side of Browning’s Pool, and along the cut to Paddington:

 

[Wapping]

The approach to Paddington Basin has enjoyed massive regeneration:

 

[Wapping]

On we go, getting near the end. Bits though, even now echo back to an older time:

 

[Wapping]

The end at Paddington Basin, near enough 12 and a half miles from our start:



Looking back the way we came:

 

[Wapping]

But not quite. Walking back to Paddington Station’s entrance to the new Elizabeth Line and a train towards home, there was this fisherman:



The new entrance to the Elizabeth Line:



Down we go, to journey’s end:



That's it:

 

[Aidan1150]

That statue could almost be you, in work attire taking a break by the canal. Thank you very much Richard for an epic wander.

 

[Wapping]

That statue could almost be you, in work attire taking a break by the canal. Thank you very much Richard for an epic wander.

Thank you, Aidan. It was a good day out.

PS I’ve never looked as busy as that fellow.