Old Moaner Travel
I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list
The London Ring
I think almost everyone knows the River Thames is the major waterway cutting through the heart of London.
However, fewer people realise London has a fairly extensive canal network, which in their heyday were vital in getting goods from the docks to the remainder of the country. They provided a more reliable, non-tidal, link to the canal system.
Combining canals with the Thames the London Ring is a 46 mile circuit, well worth exploring.
​
It's totally random where to start but I decided on Paddington as a start / end point.
​
Additionally there is a loop in east london, taking in Stratford and the Olympic park, there will be a link to that as a separate page.
​
If you know the area around Paddington Station and Praed Street you’ll know the area is full of old buildings and is dominated by St Mary’s Hospital.
Well just before you reach the end of Praed Street and come to the A5 there is a gap between the buildings on your left. Go through the gap and you reach Paddington Basin …. a canal cul-de-sac where it is surrounded by modern office blocks.
It isn’t just offices here though as there are a selection of eateries and several performance areas where events take place throughout the year but, obviously, more so at weekends and in the summer months.
This is where we begin and end our walk round the London Ring.
This cul-de-sac is officially the end of the Paddington Branch of the Grand Union Canal.
Follow the canal and you will pass Paddington Station on the left. I wonder how many of the 36m passengers who pass through the station each year even know there is a canal running alongside the station?
After half a mile you will reach a large basin, known as Little Venice, to the left is the Grand Union Canal branch, linking to the main canal near Hayes.
To the right is the Regents Canal.
​
Little Venice is very commercialised with many boat trips and water buses beginning and ending their journeys here.
There are a couple of café’s here but be warned they aren’t cheap.
​
This area is particularly popular with tourists.
We’re going to follow the Regents Canal and along this section the towpath is well made and, thankfully, quite wide. I say thankfully as this stretch is very popular with cyclists and, unfortunately, a significant minority of them show a complete and utter disregard for pedestrians.
​
The initial stretch is lined by roads on both sides as it passes through a residential area, albeit a somewhat upmarket residential area.
After passing under Lisson Grove you come to the first of many collections of houseboats.
These collections are quite intriguing as it’s apparent these boats don’t, or very rarely, sail anywhere and some have stunning “gardens” along the towpath. It’s also easy to forget, a few hundred yards away is Lords Cricket ground, the home of cricket.
After passing under the railway lines coming out of Marylebone Station everything changes, as the canal skirts the northern edge of Regents Park.
It’s very green, very rural along this stretch of canal with the greenness interrupted by some pretty impressive houses, or to be more correct, mansions.
The keep out warning signs, high fences and the occasional razor wire send out a message uninvited visitors will not be welcome. The area drips affluence and money.
Eventually you may hear the chatter of wild animals as the canal passes through London Zoo. Even if the animals are quiet you will know you’re there as you pass the impressive Snowdon Aviary.
It’s a sharp left turn after the Zoo, where there is an interesting Chinese vessel moored the opposite side of the canal. and the scenery begins to have a more urban feel once again. Soon you will pass the West Coast main line as it leaves Euston Station and shortly you will reach the antithesis of Regents Park – Camden Lock.
Very much the Bohemian centre of the capital the are has become home to a sprawling market, well worth a visit. However, a word of warning, at weekends and Bank Holidays it becomes ram packed with people and getting around is, at best, uncomfortable, at worse, impossible.
Personally, I would recommend a mid-week visit, OK not quite the same atmosphere but a hell of a lot more comfortable.
Loads of ethnic eateries can be found alongside the canal here and, frankly, if you cannot find something you like here, then all I can say is you must be a very fussy eater indeed and don’t bother coming round to my place for dinner.
To be honest, once past Camden Lock, the canal isn’t that attractive as it swings right and heads towards Kings Cross.
Kings Cross used to be one of the worse parts of London, certainly not somewhere you would wish to go after dark. The are is undergoing a huge restoration program and is unrecognisable from how it was a few years ago.
There are some ingenious designs here as well. There are a couple of old gasometers which can not be demolished …. so ingeniously the frames of these units have been used as the outside of some very upmarket flats and apartments and it actually works!!
The area between the canal and the railway stations of Kings Cross and St Pancras has seen the greatest change with a major office and entertainment hub having been developed.
​
Re-joining the canal at York Way, behind the railway stations continue heading east.
Again not particularly inspiring it’s also pretty risky for pedestrians as the towpath is narrower and the cyclists seem more determined to assert what they think is their right of way.
Shortly you will have to come away from the canal as it passes through the Islington Tunnel. The diversion takes you through a typical 1960’s residential area – quite easy to get lost, before passing Angle Tube station, down a shopping street then having to descend into a cutting to re-join the canal.
Unless you have a thing for architecture the next few miles are quite boring. Partly back to back housing, partly restored warehouses, partly modern office blocks this section of the canal is distinctly urban.
The canal passes through several, frankly boring, housing estates before reaching Bethnal Green, meaning you are very much in the East End of London – if it actually existed I’m sure Walford would be close by.
Finally, like a breath of fresh, air the urban bleakness disappears as the canal passes Victoria Park. A green oasis in the East End the park has recently undergone a £12m redevelopment.
​
If you fancy a break the park has two cafés to quench your thirst.
The canal becomes interesting past Victoria Park a sit is covered by a green week which makes it look like a vivid green carpet, the only break in the green mass coming if a duck or other bird swims through it.
At the end of Victoria Park is a canal junction and the left turn forms part of the East London Loop
Continuing along the main canal and Victoria Park soon morphs into Mile End Park.
Nowhere near as attractive but definitely an improvement on the urban sprawl earlier in this section of the walk. Some interesting sculptures line the canal as you leave Mile End and begin the approach to Limehouse.
The architecture begins to become more modern as the canal reaches Limehouse Basin and the junction with the River Thames.
Part of the Docklands redevelopment the area began its revival in 1983, however it wasn’t until 2004 the basin took on the look it has now.
​
The next section of the London Ring follows the Thames Path from Limehouse through to Brentford and, mainly follows the South Bank of the Thames .
It has to be said this section of the London Ring in Rotherhithe is probably the most boring.
Theoretically the path is adjacent to the river but in reality, the proliferation of new developments makes it impossible to follow the path at times and you have to follow Rotherhithe Street, which is uninspiring and seems to go on forever.
​
It’s only when you reach Kings Stairs Park in Bermondsey that you can truly walk alongside the Thames and, even then, you have to dodge inland at times.
Crossing the Bridge at New Concordia Wharf you finally return to the path proper, albeit briefly.
At this point you will get stunning views of Tower Bridge and from the opposite direction than the usual photographs, which are taken from the Tower of London side.
If you’re feeling peckish there are a number of restaurants here. I’m also going to be contradictory here as, after bemoaning the path not following the river I’m going to suggest a dive inland here.
Running parallel to this section of the path is a street called Shad Thames, the path actually joins it a few hundred yards before Tower Bridge.
This is a lovely cobbled street passing between old, restored warehouses … you can even see the old metal bridges the porters used to get between the warehouses. The area is mainly offices and upmarket flats but it’s also home to some quirky independent stores.
Passing under Tower Bridge you pass a circular glass building, which is the New City Hall, home of the London Assembly and the Mayor’s office.
Next up is HMS Belfast, the Hayes Galleria – a shopping complex with some interesting Heath Robinson type displays.
The next bridge you come to is London Bridge, boringly it looks just like any other bridge, long gone are the days when there were buildings on either side, like the Ponte Vecchio in Florence. A short walk away are two, contrasting, places worth visiting – Borough Market and The Shard.
If you want to learn more about London Bridge, the London Bridge Experience is nearby, although n my view it is a tourist trap rip-off.
There is a short inland diversion going past Clink Prison and you then pass under Canon Street railway bridge, quickly followed by Southwark Bridge.
Very soon you will reach Bankside and arguably the beginning of the busiest section of the Thames Path. Bankside is home to the Tate Modern Gallery and is one end of the Millennium Bridge, which is a pedestrian bridge crossing the river to St Pauls.
Depending on the day of week and time of year there will be a varying number of stalls along this next section of the walk.
Passing under two Blackfriars bridges, one railway and one road – indeed the railway bridge is quite stunning as it is home to Blackfriars Station, fully renovated and resplendent with a massive roof of solar panels.
​
The next interesting building is the OXO tower. There are strict rules regarding advertising along the Thames and Oxo were banned from putting any advertising hoardings on their building.
So, very cleverly, they put three windows on each side of the tower. The top and bottom ones being circular with the middle one being in the shape of the cross – spelling out the name OXO.
The following area is knowns as the South bank and again is home to varying numbers of stalls and entertainers throughout the year.
Passing under Waterloo Bridge you will then pass the Royal Festival Hall, a major arts centre. Outside, under Charing Cross railway bridge is a book market, where book lovers can browse (and hopefully purchase) second hand books.
It now gets very busy as you pass Jubilee Gardens, the London Eye and Old City Hall – home to several, overpriced, attractions – this are is always very busy whatever the time of day and watch out for pickpockets.
Westminster Bridge is next and on the opposite bank, after the bridge, is the iconic Houses Of Parliament with its clock tower, incorrectly called Big Ben.
The tower is officially known as Elizabeth Tower, Big Ben is actually the bell that chimes the hour – so, unless you climb inside the tower you cannot see Big Ben, but you can hear it.
This part of the path now becomes a bit quieter as it approaches Lambeth Bridge, with Lambeth Palace – the official residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury on then left. Next to the Palace is an old church which is home to the small, but very interesting, Museum of gardening.
​
​The path comes inland for a while passing the headquarters of MI6, the “secret service” – you know when you are there as the building is covered in cameras and your every move is being monitored – not that your every move isn’t being monitored wherever you are in London.
At Vauxhall bridge it’s back to the river briefly before moving inland to pass Battersea Power Station – currently undergoing a massive redevelopment.
A double set of bridges next as you pass under the Chelsea rail and road bridges before coming to Battersea Park.
There has been a formal park at Battersea since the 1860’s but the park came into its own in 1951, when it was a major site for the Festival of Britain. It was home to a famous funfair until 1974.
Now it’s popular with walkers and families. It is home to a small zoo and a Peace Pagoda, completed in 1985 and this can be seen next to the river.
At the other end of Battersea Park is, arguably, one of the most attractive bridges crossing the river in London, Albert Bridge.
Battersea Bridge is next up as the path wends its way towards Chelsea Harbour, a very select and eye wateringly expensive development.
The walk becomes a little uninspiring now as it passes through Wandsworth, mainly inland from the river as major developments are taking place along the waterfront.
The path eventually re-joins the river at Wandsworth Park – not the most inspirational of the London Parks, before coming into Putney with its two bridges.
Once clear of the residential areas of Putney the walk becomes decidedly greener as it wends its way towards Hammersmith. (Hammersmith Bridge has the lowest headroom on the tidal Thames and at very high tides only the smallest of boats can pass underneath)
On the way to Hammersmith you will pass Craven Cottage, home to Fulham football club, on the opposite bank and the old Harrod's Depository, now an upmarket residential development on the south side.
Following the course of the Boat Race, which runs from Putney to Mortlake, the perspective is mainly green and rural with the occasional residential street.
Passing under Barnes Bridge to enter Mortlake and the finishing point of the Boat Race.
This section is a little more urban but it soon turns greener after Chiswick Bridge. The path continues until Kew Bridge.
The other side of the bridge are the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew but for this walk we cross the river.
​
It’s possible to follow the river along the bank but at the end of Brentford Park you need to dive inland and join Brentford High Street which eventually meets the Grand Union Canal.
Brentford Gauging Locks mark the London start of the Grand Union Canal and are used to balance the waters of the canal itself and the tidal River Thames.
​
Leaving Brentford, the canal passes by modern office blocks after leaving a large modern basin, flanked by an old fashioned boatyard.
The canal then passes under the M4 Motorway, by which point you will have forgotten you are in the centre of London as the vista is decidedly rural.
Hanwell locks are an attractive flight as the canal heads towards Ealing, where the scenery is a mix of urban sprawl and parkland.
Passing Ealing Hospital there is a huge brick outer wall which sports a bricked in arch. The arch used to be an entrance to the Asylum which used to be on that site and in days of yore potential patients were bought here by canal boat and entered the asylum through the arch.
Ealing soon melds into Southall and the scenery becomes very much more urban and the greenery becomes increasingly rarer, indeed bleak, soulless industrial would be a more fitting description.
Eventually you will reach the junction with the Paddington Arm of the canal and it’s time to follow this arm back into Central London.
​
Fortunately the industrial dirge doesn’t continue for much longer as, after a few hundred yards, you will pass under the Great western rail line and, on the far bank at least, everything becomes green again. On your right is a massive regeneration project taking place.
Unfortunately, the greenery again gives way to urban sprawl as the canal tracks the western outskirts of Southall and, unfortunately the view is spoiled further as some people seem to consider to be an ideal fly tipping spot.
You will know you have left Southall as green as opposed to brown, once again, becomes the dominant colour.
The next urban conurbation is Greenford although, thankfully, tasteful planting of trees takes away a great deal of the drab suburban uniformity.
Passing under the A4, which you can hear long before you see it, after which is a disappointing mile and a quarter of industrial units to assault your eyes.
Thankfully, open fields line the canal before it becomes suburban again at Perivale.
Passing under the South Circular near Wembley it’s now obvious you are back in the heart of London.
​
When built the canal was designed for transporting goods, so it’s little surprise the buildings lining the canal are now very much industrial.
At Kensal Green the canal becomes almost schizophrenic as on the towpath side is adjacent to the railway and sidings, whist the opposite bank skirts Kensal Green cemetery, home to 33 species of birds and animals, as well as over 65,000 graves.
Kilburn is the next area to host the canal and some greenery, in the shape of a small park, can be found on the towpath side.
After passing under the A40 the final stretch of this walk passes through Westbourne Park before reaching Little Venice and the Paddington Arm, where this journey began.
​
