LDN Explores: The Beautiful Regent’s Canal Walk from King’s Cross to Little Venice

Last updated on June 17th, 2023 at 10:18 pm

Following Regent’s Canal from Kings Cross to Little Venice is a beautiful way to spend the day, and really portrays the natural beauty of London. This Regent’s Canal walk will take you from King’s Cross through Camden, Primrose Hill, Regent’s Park (where you might get a glimpse of the animals at London Zoo if you’re lucky!) and Little Venice, before ending up at Paddington Basin. With the sun beaming down we definitely forgot we were in London at some points! This is a fabulous day out whether you’re familiar with London or not. If you’ve not visited before or are only in London for a short period of time this is a great way to see lots of different areas without needing to hop on the tube.

Regent’s Canal begins in Limehouse Basin, East London and runs to Little Venice, providing a link from the Paddington Basin arm of the Great Union Canal to the River Thames. You can begin the Regent’s Canal walk at Limehouse and follow it through Hackney, Shoreditch and Islington, however the canal totals 14km so would be a hefty trek! I’ve popped an overview of the Kings Cross to Little Venice route on a map below (the blue line is the canal), so you can see whereabouts in London the Regent’s Canal Walk will take you.

This Regent’s Canal walk is around two hours and five miles long, including a lil detour up Primrose Hill. But of course this depends on how fast you walk and if you make any cafe/beer/photo stops!

If you’re looking for more walking routes in London check out the London Hidden Walks book

Regent’s Canal Walk: The Route

Begin at King’s Cross

Beginning at King’s Cross means you can fuel up with brunch in Granary Square and explore the shops at Coal Drop’s Yard before you begin. You’re spoilt for choice for brunch in Granary Square, with over fifteen restaurant options offering a brunch menu. For future visits I would make a booking in advance as many weren’t taking walk-ins on a Sunday morning. We managed to wait for a table at Caravan, where the fruit pancakes and smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on toast didn’t disappoint.

There are a great mix of independent and chain stores at Coal Drops yard, however I would recommend window shopping for today; unless you want to lug shopping bags along on the walk with you! Once you’re ready to get going, the canal isn’t hard to find from Kings Cross and is signposted. You want to head West from Granary Square or Coal Drops Yard and you’ll meet the Regent’s Canal Towpath.

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King’s Cross to Camden

This first stretch of Regent’s Canal is probably the most secluded part of the walk, and definitely where we felt most like we weren’t in London. Look out for the ‘Modern Houses’ on the left of the canal, these Grade II listed townhouses make a unique sight, resembling the back of an Airstream trailer overlooking the canal. After around twenty minutes you’ll reach Camden, and will see the lock before you approach the market. We added a bit of time onto the walk as we stopped to watch a canal boat going through the lock. Why is watching the water rise inside a lock so exciting no matter how old you are?

Once you’ve reached Camden market cross through the food stalls and pick up the towpath again on the other side. Now’s the time to grab food or a drink, and use the toilet if you need it. Camden market is one of my favourites in London, with so many stalls to look through and banging food, so if you have the time to spare I would definitely recommend a wander.

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Camden to Primrose Hill

After emerging from Camden Market the next part of the route is through Primrose Hill, before reaching Regent’s Park. Primrose Hill gave me such life goals; with the neat rows of pretty houses and fancy cars lining the roads it would make a gorgeous place to live. Continue to follow the canal’s towpath for half a mile until reaching Regent’s Park Road, where a detour up Primrose Hill itself is a must.

One of the Royal Parks, Primrose Hill stands almost 63 metres above sea level. You’re basically guaranteed good views, as it’s a protected viewpoint in London, meaning that there is a legal requirement to preserve the view from one location to another. In Primrose Hill’s case this is from the summit to St Paul’s Cathedral and to the Palace of Westminster. The trees are also kept low so as to not obscure the view. All this effort must have been worth it, as the view from Primrose Hill has just been voted the most scenic view in London.

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Following The Canal Through Regent’s Park

Once you’ve thoroughly taken in the view, head back down the hill to join Regent’s Canal again at Regent’s Park. Rather than heading back to Regent’s Park Road you want to head South-East towards Prince Albert Road, where you’ll see a bridge that takes you into the park.

The Regent’s Park section of the Regent’s Canal walk is just under a mile long and will take around twenty minutes. Keep your eyes peeled as there’s so much to see! Shortly after joining the path, you cannot miss London Zoo. We spotted hyenas and warthogs as we passed through, however depending on the day you can also see into the Snowdon Aviary and the monkeys if you’re super lucky!

Past the zoo, you’ll also spot a giant white house (it doesn’t feel right calling this a house; a palace would be a more accurate description) with sprawling gardens backing onto the canal. This is Winfield House, the official residence of the United States ambassador to the United Kingdom and the second-largest private gardens behind Buckingham Palace. As you’re nearing the end of the park, keep an eye out for London Central Mosque, a beautiful gold domed building.

Like this? You’ll love our cycling route from Canary Wharf to Greenwich.

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Regent’s Park to Little Venice

Upon exiting Regent’s Park, head towards Park Road (you won’t miss it, it’s a major A road) and cross over before picking up the towpath again. This stretch of the canal will again take around twenty minutes, through St John’s Wood to the pool pictured above at Little Venice. Whilst the houseboats lining the canal through St John’s Wood and Maida Vale are fascinating, make sure you also check out the houses on the other side of the road, as the architecture in this area is gorgeous.

Once you reach the pool pictured above, congratulations you’ve reached Little Venice and the end of this self-guided walk! Little Venice is a beautiful yet quirky area; once you spot the Puppet Theatre Barge you’ll know exactly what we’re on about. There are also cafes on barges, and a party barge sailed past whilst we were watching the world go by. Casual. Highly desirable, moorings in the area cost around £15k per year just to dock your boat, and once you’ve seen the area you’ll understand exactly why.

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That concludes our self-guided Regent’s Canal walking tour. I cannot recommend this enough, the perfect casual day out to explore numerous beautiful parts of London. If all this walking feels a bit too healthy for a weekend don’t you fear, there are plenty of opportunities to stop for a drink or bite to eat along the way.

If there’s still wind in your sails upon reaching Little Venice, why not extend the walk another half a mile or so to Paddington Basin? Enjoy!

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