Dating from the early 19th century, the Grand Union Canal actually finishes up in Birmingham (you can journey much of its length by bicycle): horse-drawn barges were ideal for carrying coal and other bulk commodities such as grain or ice (the latter was imported from Norway by ship to Limehouse and then conveyed along the canal). Little Venice is an important mooring point for narrow boats (many of them permanent homes), which keeps the boating spirit bubbling away.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
18.36 MILES
The world’s largest and oldest continuously occupied fortress, Windsor Castle is a majestic vision of battlements and towers. Used for state occasions, it…
2.84 MILES
A splendid mixture of architectural styles, Westminster Abbey is considered the finest example of Early English Gothic. It's not merely a beautiful place…
3.74 MILES
One of London's most amazing attractions, Tate Modern is an outstanding modern- and contemporary-art gallery housed in the creatively revamped Bankside…
1.76 MILES
With its thunderous, animatronic dinosaur, riveting displays about planet earth, outstanding Darwin Centre and architecture straight from a Gothic fairy…
3.7 MILES
Sir Christopher Wren’s 300-year-old architectural masterpiece is a London icon. Towering over diminutive Ludgate Hill in a superb position that's been a…
4.72 MILES
Few parts of the UK are as steeped in history or as impregnated with legend and superstition as the titanic stonework of the Tower of London. Not only is…
3.83 MILES
Seeing a play at Shakespeare's Globe – ideally standing under the open-air "wooden O" – is experiencing the playwright's work at its best and most…
2.45 MILES
With almost six million visitors trooping through its doors annually, the British Museum in Bloomsbury, one of the oldest and finest museums in the world,…
Nearby Notting Hill & West London attractions
0.05 MILES
It was Lord Byron who dreamed up this evocative phrase to describe the junction between Regent’s Canal and the Grand Union Canal, a confluence overseen by…
0.78 MILES
The ‘home of cricket’ is a must for any devotee of this particularly English game. Book early for the Test matches here, but cricket buffs should also…
0.79 MILES
The elegant, ornamental Italian Gardens, believed to be a gift from Prince Albert to Queen Victoria, sit at the head of the Long Water, connecting Hyde…
0.81 MILES
Beatles aficionados can't possibly visit London without making a pilgrimage to this famous recording studio in St John's Wood. The studios themselves are…
0.83 MILES
This 900-year-old tree stump is carved with elves, gnomes, witches and small creatures. One of the photos in the gate-fold of the Pink Floyd album…
0.91 MILES
This is sculptor George Frampton’s celebrated statue; close to the Long Water. Kensington Gardens were an inspiration for JM Barrie, author of Peter Pan,…
0.95 MILES
A delightful collection of manicured lawns, tree-shaded avenues and basins immediately west of Hyde Park, the picturesque expanse of Kensington Gardens is…
0.96 MILES
Completed in 1977 this striking large white mosque is topped with a glistening golden dome and a minaret, and can hold more than 5000 worshippers…