Little Venice and the canal walks of London

We have been having a glorious summer in London.

I thought I would make the most of the weather and my dose of Vitamin D.  I had to meet my brother to pick up Millie so decided to go the scenic route.

 I started in Paddington Central which is a modern development right by Paddington station for your guide. 

What you see in the picture above are old warehouses that would have received delivery of goods of stoneware and wool from the industrial North of England.

Due to the sun, the water has a green overgrowth that looks like astro turf if you didn't know better.

The bridges are main arterial roads that lead to the A40 and the Marylebone Road.

Even houseboats are squeezed in every possible berth.

Gardens and barbeque sets are just as important to boat dwellers.

There are a few local turns but you should look for the

Jubilee Walk ( click for link ) and follow the canal if in doubt.

Some of the canal houseboat neighborhoods are private so you would need a key for water sidewalk access.

I was admiring the view when a canal boat aptly named Idle Moments sailed by.
These boats amble at such a rate that I could walk at the same pace!

The couple with their dog relaxing on their motorboat is England at its finest...

There is a café called La Ville which is on the Edgware Road

in Maida Vale which is a busy area but

you wouldn't know it from this angle.

This is the bit where you could lose track of the canal so come prepared or ask around.

There was this special chalkboard where people were finishing the sentence below.

It is a mixture of council housing with a phenomenal view juxtaposed against twee houseboats.

Mature gardens and a green thumb at work even in this conditions.

People lead normal lives and have pets with dogs guarding the

front door and cats roaming the streets.

If you are really game then you might want to canoe down the canals.

Like most of London, the canals have 

a diverse socio economic mix of public homes and then homes that would cost an amount that would include

at least 7 or even 8 zeros.

In fact, one of these homes were bought by the Sultan of Brunei for £40 million pounds back in 1994.  

Another one of these homes called Grove House was owned by the Australian tycoon Robert Holmes a Court that had the second largest garden in London after Buckingham Palace.

I can't tell which is which from this view but 
the owners are the usual array of various royal families 
( not the British one ) and oligarchs.

But the views are unique albeit not as private so some would be put off for security reasons. 

 The other side of the houses is Regent's Park.

The pathway is an easy commute without cars nor traffic lights that I decided to walk back with Millie.

There are also canal boat tours for those who don't want to walk and just take in the views with the sound of water rippling.

The London Zoo is one of the many attractions and you can see the giraffes without having to queue nor buy a ticket.

Which is handy when the queues today were about
half a kilometre long.

I picked up Millie who was watching my brother's volleyball game without much enthusiasm.

This walk often gets neglected and under publicized but would highly recommend it not only to tourists but locals who want a different way to explore London and enjoy the best of England without having to get on the motorway.

Hope you had a good weekend x