Little venice

Often ignored but always one of my London favorites. Great little place to stroll especially if you need a break from the hospital, are on a break, or just to escape to a quiet place for lunch. My kids love the house boats and the little parks along the path. Do the walk, check it out. Worth it. Relaxing place to enjoy with kids and loved ones.

Gutes Fruehstueck, tolles Flair, was will man mehr, und das 5 min. von Paddington entfernt.

The Grand Union Canal was the backbone of the south’s canal network, running from London up to Birmingham. Nowadays you’re less likely to see coal barges — it’s mainly used for narrowboaters on their holidays. The section in this review runs from near to Warwick Avenue tube up to Harlesden tube.
Not quite pretty enough to justify a walk (for me), this stretch of canal is used for several purposes other than narrowboating: canoeing lessons, jogging, fishing, and a place for drunks to hang out and leave empty cans lying around. It is also a nifty cycle route from the Paddington area out to Queens Park and Harlesden and beyond, avoiding traffic altogether, which is what this review will focus on.
The towpath is generally pretty good for cycling — any litter generally ends up in the canal, so the way’s pretty clear. The main issue is that in the summer, the towpath can get a bit overgrown, making it tricky in places for cyclists going opposing ways to pass without being mauled by nettles or falling in.
Some parts of this section of canal are actually rather pleasant. Little Venice itself is lovely, with several permanently moored boats, and lots of boat-​top floral displays. Once you are through Queens Park, there is a lovely arcing stretch framed by trees and hedgerow with the struts of a large gas tower in the background. Along the entire route there are loads of coots, moorhens, swans, ducks and canada geese. I’ve also spotted many fish, and even terrapins (!) in the water, so it must be pretty clean.
It’s also so satisfyingly fast to bike down a towpath. No traffic lights and no idiots in 4WD monsters accidentally ramming you. Just the lap of the water, the sound of your wheels on the slabs, gravel or whatever and the honking of waterfowl.
Some areas are also not particularly pretty (but actually, biking under the frequently stationary Westway flyover just makes me feel smug). I wouldn’t use it at night, and, as with all canals in cities, it attracts its fair share of dropouts. However, during the day, it’s a nifty shortcut, and on a fine day, a much more pleasant journey north-​west than the Bakerloo Line.