Guided Towpath Walks

London Walks Along The Canal

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Explore the Regent's Canal on foot with a guide from London Canal Museum. We walk from the museum to Camden Town, taking a short detour via the west portal of Islington Tunnel, then past St. Pancras Lock, and the three Camden Locks, finishing at the last lock. This is a London walk into a past age when the canal was busy with cargo, horses, and boats. The Camden walk is leisurely and the walk is suitable for anyone including wheelchair users, but you should of course be able to cope with the distance of about a mile and a half (2 km). It lasts about 90 minutes and ends up at London's famous Camden Markets, which you can explore when we arrive (not evening walks). Your guide can advise you about the frequent bus and Underground services which can take you back to King's Cross if you need to return, for example to collect your car, or you can walk back in under half an hour.

A group at Kentish Town Road lock during a towpath walk

Public Walks:

Camden Walk

Dates 2012

Arriving for the walk

There is no need to book in advance. (except groups) If you are on the way and are late please call 020 7713 0836, we will wait up to 10 minutes or will arrange to meet at a convenient point part of the way into the canal walk. If the weather forecast is poor, please bring an umbrella or raincoat as there is limited shelter. The walk will not be cancelled due to rain.

After the walk

There are many things to do after the walk!

The Cost (public walks)

In advance, booked online Booked in person, or by telephone, or paid on the day
Walk including museum admission £7.50 (Concessions £6.50) £8.50 (Concessions £7.50)
Walk without museum entry £4.50 (Concessions £3.50) £5.50 (Concessions £4.50)

Advance booking is not essential for towpath walks and you are welcome on the day without a reservation. Online Booking System.

Water Tower Panoramic Walk

* walk involves negotiating a lock and climbing stairs to the top of the tower. Those unable to do this may participate in the first part of the walk as far as St. Pancras Lock, towpath side.

Walks available to pre-booked groups:

If you are considering bringing a group of at least ten people a special walk may be possible for your party by prior arrangement, combined with a group visit to the museum. Walks for groups can take place at any time of year. The following walks are suggested, subject to availability of a guide. Group walks are not offered without a museum visit.

Cumberland Arm Walk

"Footsteps" Walk

"River Fleet" Walk

Other walks to try and ways to walk

Towpath walks are also offered by Original London Walks in co-operation with the Inland Waterways Association. These cover various routes. They do not start from the museum.

There are local guided walks available from Clerkenwell and Islington Guides Association, known as Clerkenwell Walks.

The Guide booklet

We offer a short colour guide booklet to the towpath walk from the museum to Camden, in our shop, at a price of £1.50. This is suitable for people to use on their own without a human guide.

The Mobile Walk

The Mobile Walk is a guided walk on the same section of canal but walking west to east, from Camden to the museum. The Mobile Walk can be undertaken at any time (not reccommended after dark) with the assistance of your mobile smartphone. The museum's mobile Internet home page is at www.canalmuseum.mobi and the walk page is at www.canalmuseum.mobi/mobilewalk.htm

The MP3 Towpath Tour

You can also download a guided tour of the towpath from Camden to the museum in audio format from this website. Use your Ipod, MP3 player, or MP3-playing mobile phone to listen to the history of the canal as you walk along it. Please go to our podcasts page to download the file (or a script for the hearing-impaired visitor)