Tag Archives: towpath

The Canal Cutting in the Dark

If you saw the previous post about the locks on the canal in Chester, you will know I was in the dark along the water. While it was very dark down there, this was a pretty busy place with people out walking their dogs or pushing their pushchairs and purchases along after some shopping in the city. I decided to walk along the canal back in the direction of the centre of town. For quite a stretch of this part of the canal, there was no lighting. A sign warned about this as you entered the darkest spot.

There was some ambient light coming down from the streets above. However, the canal course was cut into the rock so the light from above was quite a way off and things were really dark down along the path. What was slightly more concerning was that the water level was almost the same as the bank and, in the low light, it was hard to see where one ended and the other started. I was pretty cautious as I walked along.

As before at the locks, the camera was able to pick up way more detail than my eyes were seeing. There was an old bridge across the canal. According to a sign I saw further up the path, this was to connect the old prison with the chapel on the opposite side. It has since been joined by a larger bridge that carries traffic and this bridge now seems to be out of use. I was soon back out into the (relatively) lighter area and back towards the middle of Chester. As with the locks, this is somewhere I wouldn’t mind exploring in the day so I can see what it actually looks like!

Regents Canal

There was a time when the canals of London were not a good place to be.  They were risky areas to go and they were a good place to dump stuff.  How things have changed over time and now canals are getting a new lease on life.  Developments along them are springing up.  I wanted to check out Regents Canal while were were in London.  We started out at Paddington Basin and then walked along the canal through Little Venice, Maida Vale, Regents park, on to Camden and finishing up at Kings Cross.

You really do go through a wide variety of places on the walk.  Almost all of it can be along the canal but there is a tunnel it takes which requires a detour over the hill through which the tunnel cuts.  You go through some wealthy neighborhoods, some quite poor ones, past a power station and then suddenly in to the area behind some mansions in Regents park.  You even go through the zoo although the animals seemed intent on not being visible to those that hadn’t paid to visit!

As you get close to the popular areas, the canal can get quite busy on the towpath but for other sections, you are not exactly alone but you are definitely free to stroll without encountering too many people.  Meanwhile, boats will chug past you.

It is surprising how tranquil it feels along the canal.  You are very close to the heart of London yet feel you could be a million miles away.  You see all sorts of people as you go and, when it is sunny like it was when we were there, it all seems very picturesque.  To go between two of London’s main terminus stations, this isn’t the quickest route but, if you have the time, it is definitely one of the nicest.