Little Venice, the green canal - England

Special feature England: Little Venice, the green canal

It is not a park, but certainly the most typical green area of London. At the start, nothing natural, but a waterway, Regent's canal, that joins in the East the river Thames estuary via Camden Lock, and opens to the West on Grand Union canal at the level of Paddington. From Grand Union canal, towards the Midlands, more than 124 miles away. Built or completed in the Nineteenth Century, those waterways were used to transport merchandise. Nowadays, the central part, called "Little Venice", has become a liquid avenue lined with trees (and very sought after, according to the pretty barges mooring along the canal). Run up and down by cruise barges and bus-boats, especially between Camden Lock and Warwick Avenue. Daily departure every hour from April 1st to September 30th. It is also possible to do the same journey (2.5 miles) by foot along the banks: we recommend early in the morning (before 9 am) or late in the evening (after 7 pm) to avoid the noise and the smell of oil. Little Venice is yours!
Little Venice, the canal is open every day, from 5 am till dawn for some parts. Accessible from Warwick Avenue by the tube station with the same name or from Camden Lock by the Camden Town station.
© Text: Estelle Mariotte. Photography: Jean-Bernard Barsamian.

The pelicans of Saint James Park Regents Park, London's forest