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A Canal Walk in London

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This canal walk in London is simple and fun, and it takes you through some of London’s major tourist attractions – all while avoiding the crowds and staying outdoors!

Join my gal pal Mel and me on a walkabout through Baker Street and the fictional home of Sherlock Holmes, through Little Venice and along the Regent’s Canal, and all the way to Camden Town and my favorite London market.

Sleuthing out the Locals on Baker Street

Bangers and Mash and Speedy's in London - fueling up before a canal walk!
Speedy’s is the home cafe of Sherlock Holmes in the television series

Any good day of touring in London should start with a solid English breakfast. We found our bangers and mash at Speedy’s, which prides itself on being the café of Sherlock Holmes since it is located beneath the fictional flat of the detective in the television series “Sherlock”.

Then we set out for the “real deal” and snapped a picture or two in front of 221B Baker Street in honor of Sherlock. Though the address is as fictional as the detective, the museum looks authentic enough and the gift shop is worth a stop.

Sherlock Homes Museum in London
Sherlock Holmes gift store and museum at 221B Baker Street

Little Venice is the Start of a Beautiful Canal Walk in London

We hopped on the Tube at Baker Street and hopped off at Warwick Avenue. A friend had told me to check out Little Venice for a change of pace, and this was a solid piece of advice.

Little Venice is the start of a beautiful canal walk in London
Mel taking pictures of the houseboats and cafes along Regent’s Canal
How to Travel Deeper

The walkway along Regent’s Canal winds alongside houseboats whose residents feed the ducks and the swans, swap books, set up colorful shrines, and barter for household goods, all while the city buzzes somewhere in the distance.

It feels like a different world from the hustle of London’s city center.

Little Venice London where houseboat residents swap books alongside the canal walk in London
A book exchange along the canal in Little Vence

With Regent’s Park spreading out somewhere to our left, we stuck to the canal, ducking beneath the branches of willowy trees and waving as the occasional gondola went by.

A gondola on Regent's Canal
A gondola on Regent’s Canal

We wandered along the mossy waterways and under the colorful, graffiti-filled overpasses until we could hear the bustle of Camden Lock Market in the distance.

Little Venice, Regent's Canal, London

End Your Canal Walk in London at the Camden Town Markets

Camden Town London at the end of this canal walk through London

One of my favorite things to do when visiting a new city is to find the local market, so London, with its dozens of marketplaces, is a city I could wander for months (and still not see them all!)

Camden Lock Market London
I love a good market experience anywhere and London’s Camden Town brings it

Camden Town is the jewel of the crown, though, with six separate and distinct markets in a condensed space around Camden Lock.

The  Horse Tunnel Market in Camden Town is at the end of a canal walk in London
The Horse Tunnel Market

We strolled past the piles of pasta, vats of tacos, and tempting sangria stands, through the Horse Tunnel Market with its back-to-back stands stocked full of jewelry and scarves, and into the Stables Market, where we capped off our day with live music and a much-deserved adult beverage.

Stables Market, Camden Town, London at the end of a canal walk in London
There is live music daily on the roof of the Stables Market in Camden Town

I came to Europe for many reasons, one of them being to spend some time alone. That being said, when I get the chance to catch up with a friend from home while traveling, it reminds me of just how special good friendships really are. 

Laughing over a beer during a canal walk in London
Thanks for a great day, Mel!
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About the Author

Hi! I’m Jen!

I’m a freelance writer and travel blogger who quit my nine-to-five after my fiancé, Jeff, died of cancer at the age of 40. When he died, I realized that life is just too short to delay our dreams. Since my dream was to travel and write, I now travel and write full-time. Today I wear hiking boots instead of heels and collect experiences instead of things.


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