What a beautiful day it was to enjoy a boat ride from Camden Town to Little Venice! The sun was shining, and the water was shimmering. Kaia and I excitedly got the train to Camden Town tube station, and walked along the high street towards Camden Lock, from where our canal ride was departing.
I have visited Camden Market many times for food and to wander around, shopping for things I don’t necessarily need. I have had some great days out in Camden Market, but have never visited Little Venice before. I was extremely excited to visit, especially as I was turning up on a canal boat!
We waited by the departure location, and the canal boat pulled up 15 minutes prior to the departure time. Some people got off the boat at Camden, but it didn’t look very busy. Kaia and I were the only two people to get on the boat, which was a bonus! We went on a quiet Wednesday so got a tour to ourselves, but our guide did say it gets busy on weekends and half terms.
The boat was called the Milton, and was made in 1975. It was a wooden black, cream and burgundy boat which was really cute. Throughout the boat ride our guide told us all about the history of the boat and shared stories with us whilst floating along. It was originally built to carry China as it didn’t cause the cargo any damage, however from 1986 the boat was for passenger use only.
We passed many people kayaking and paddleboarding down the canal which looked very fun; they have a school along the canal where you can have lessons or you are able to rent. I would love to go back and try paddle boarding down the canal!
The only drawback to kayaking or paddle boarding is that you’re not able to go through any tunnels. We also saw many people walking and cycling along the canal who kept waving to us; you can walk or cycle from Camden Town to Little Venice along the canal, which looked like a lovely thing to do.
Throughout the tour we passed some incredible buildings, including Noel Fielding’s house. Many famous people live on Bloomfield Road in Little Venice, including various band managers. However, the best thing we passed in the canal ride had to be London Zoo.
From the boat I could see the African Hunting Dogs and the Monkey Sanctuary that is currently being built, and will definitely go on this experience again once it is built so I can see the monkeys. The guide pointed out a Warthog that looked like Pumba from Lion King, and I am a massive fan of Lion King so this was probably the highlight of my canal ride.
Lastly we went through a dark tunnel that went on for what felt like forever. I’m scared of the dark, but faced my fears as it was worth it when we got to the other side and passed some beautiful houseboats!
We arrived in Little Venice, and it felt really clean and green! All the houses looked incredible - but extremely expensive. Little Venice certainly didn’t disappoint, it was stunning.
Thanks for reading!
I would like to say a massive thanks to the London Waterbus Company for a relaxing canal ride. I can’t wait to come back to Camden and walk along the beautiful path alongside the canal!
