Monday, July 02, 2018

Canal Walks: Little Venice to Aplerton


Key facts:

  • Start: Warwick Avenue
  • End: Aplerton tube station
  • Distance: 9.8 km

This leg has character, and yes that is implying both a good and a bad thing.

When I mentioned this walk to the chap selling books at the London Canal Museum it was this leg that he considered a bit iffy, and he was a narrow-boat owner himself.

Certainly there's nothing wrong about the start, which is the lovely Little Venice:


Both Lord Byron and Robert Browning are possible sources of the name Little Venice, which is the basin where the Regents Canal meets the Paddington Arm of that canal. It is surrounded by rather nice Regency properties, all very expensive indeed.

However as it heads west its seems to fall down the social ladder, becoming industrial and at times post-industrial, below roads and beside abandoned factories and gas works:




In the EU Referendum London as a whole was firmly Remain but this corner seems to have a Brexiter angle:


Of course its not all industrial and there are some interesting structures such as this aqueduct which is over both the North Circular Road and also the River Brent:


This was probably my least favourite leg, but it was interesting to see the canal integrated into the industry and housing of a part of west London I'd never visited before:



2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I used to cycle along this same path to work. Just by the North Circular there was always a smell of pies! I think a pasty factory is nearby. I was a bit grim at times, but avoided the car fumes.

Hornblower said...

Re your latest blog ( the first occasion I have seen and read it ) and I thought I know London pretty well but must admit not being familiar with some parts of the walks.

The writing is fascinating and the images accompanying the text remarkable;obviously the photographer has an excellent eye for super imagery and how to use a camera.Some technical info could add an extra dimension,maybe.