It is hard to believe that my journey on the 38 bus from Hackney to Islington connects the same two destinations as my walk back along the canal. The bus route is an exercise in familiarity, the same shops and streets I’ve seen for years, so recognisable I barely register them. The walk by the waterside feels a world apart.
As soon as I walk down the incline from street level to City Road Lock I’m aware of a change in tempo. It’s a Sunday and the canal is full of life; it’s easy to see that this spot is one of the busiest towpaths in the country, yet, today at least, the mood is relaxed. The canal cafe is bustling and its customers are not the only ones enjoying their food. A pair of ducks are feeding their ducklings, bobbing industriously and diving for titbits to share with their eager little brood.
Just a few metres down the path is the gorgeous Hanover towpath garden, a row of boxed flowerbeds and greenery looked after by kids from the local school. The project came about as a partnership between Hanover primary school and the Canal & River Trust, who raised the funds and built the garden three years ago. Now it gives residents and schoolchildren a chance to engage with the natural world in ways that were not previously available, as well as encouraging the return of local wildlife; you may even see a kingfisher or heron.
On the other side of the canal stands Crystal Wharf, a gorgeous glass development housing offices and apartments. Both the light and the views must be phenomenal. As I marvel at it, I can’t help but think about the housing situation in the city, and the struggle that many Londoners face to find decent, affordable places to live. I see no reason why sunlight – that most necessary of human requirements – should be the preserve of only the rich.
The building’s namesake, Crystal Hale, also felt that certain things should be available to Londoners. Hale was instrumental in saving the City Road basin of the Grand Union Canal in the 1960s. In the 1970s she went on to found the Islington Boat Club, which is still going strong today.
Farther up the path, the canal is dotted with little barge shops, selling vinyl and vintage clothes, and after a few pit stops and pleasant distractions I come apace to Haggerston.
The newly transformed stretch of the waterway here has been dubbed the “Haggerston riviera”, the type of pretentious moniker designed to make my blood boil, but pulmonary concerns prove unfounded.
There are art shops and restaurants, such as the Proud Archivist, and, overlooking the Kingsland Basin on the Regent’s Canal, a real gem: kid-friendly cafe Toconoco, which translates from the Japanese as “kids on the floor”. Despite the kids-first ethos, it’s a relaxing spot for adults, and serves superb homecooked Japanese food – a great spot to recharge before continuing my walk.
Heading down towards Broadway Market, the buildings on the opposite side of the water look like 80s squats, with an air of anarchic liberty. In the new London it’s difficult to know whether they house squatters, or merely millionaires playing at “slumming it”.
Approaching the market, the landscape shifts again. This area was razed to the ground during the blitz and has since been home to the sprawling estates of postwar housing that back on to the towpath. There are all types of people on the towpath, the contrast best conjured by the cyclists who simultaneously passed me by at one point, heading in opposite directions – one playing Plastic Bertrand’s Ça Plane Pour Moi, while the other blasted out Kendrick. London at its finest!
The canal is a fantastic way of engaging with the city anew. There is something almost alchemical in discovering new routes in this city – secrets hidden in plain sight.
With so much going on, it’s amazing how peaceful London feels along the waterways. The canal path provides welcome respite from the stresses of the city, yet still benefits from access to many of its delights, from good coffee to fine Japanese food. There’s also something rejuvenating about being close to water, especially in the heart of our grimy old city. Go – and see for yourself.
The Canal & River Trust cares for 2,000 miles of waterways across England and Wales – a fascinating network that’s full of life and free and open to all. Discover more
