Blomfield Road, Little Venice, London W9 1AB

Blomfield Road and the Regent’s Canal

route · Waterside walk

Source image

4.2

Wildland

1–2 hours

Time

Check

Cost

Atmospheric

Feel

RiversideUrban historicWalkersPhotographersHistory lovers

Why it's Wildland

4.2

At Little Venice, the canal slips past moored boats and Regency streets before disappearing beneath Maida Hill. The Blomfield Road stretch is a particularly close-up encounter with canal life—but its towpath beside the private moorings is not a through-route for the public.

This is a rewarding way to see London from the water’s edge, with canal history, houseboats and an unusual tunnel-side detour. But the Blomfield Road towpath itself is reported inaccessible to the public, so the useful walking experience is the verified Little Venice–Camden route, not a walk along the moorings.

Atmospheric · Quirky

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Blomfield Road, Little Venice, London W9 1AB

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The experience

For a supported walk, start at Little Venice and follow the Canal & River Trust’s two-mile route to Camden Lock. It passes the canal scenery around Blomfield Road, but detours around Maida Hill Tunnel; do not treat the private moorings towpath as a public path.

Things to do

Walk the Little Venice–Camden route

Follow the Canal & River Trust’s two-mile canal walk. Its instructions include a detour around Maida Hill Tunnel; the public route is not a walk along the Blomfield Road private moorings towpath.

Two miles; walking time not specified

Look for the canal’s working-waterway details

At the Maida Hill Tunnel, the Trust’s route account explains the canal’s towpath detour. A local history account describes the tunnel as 248 metres long and notes that it has no towpath through it.

See the Blomfield Road moorings from accessible public route sections

Boats and canalside gardens characterise this stretch, but the local history source reports that the towpath beside the private moorings is not open for public walking. Keep to the signed public route.

Make a day of it

Quick escape · Check before visiting

A short look around Little Venice

01
Explore the publicly described canal setting at Little Venice and Browning’s Pool.
02
Do not continue along the Blomfield Road moorings towpath: the supplied local-history source reports that it is occupied by private mooring space and is not walkable by the public.

Half day · Two miles; walking time not specified

Little Venice to Camden Lock

01
Begin at Little Venice.
02
Follow the Canal & River Trust route, including its described detour around Maida Hill Tunnel.
03
Continue along the canal towards Regent’s Park and Camden Lock; use the Trust’s route instructions and map.

Verified history

Regent’s Canal was built in stages, with the Canal & River Trust stating that it first opened in 1820. A local history account says construction began in 1812 and reached Camden by 1815, with the extension to the Thames completed by 1820. The same account describes the Maida Hill Tunnel as 248 metres long and without a towpath. It also compares photographs from 1951 and 2018, recording how boats and private canalside gardens now occupy the Blomfield Road towpath space.

Hidden details

The towpath that is no longer a public walking route — A local history account reports that the Blomfield Road towpath is occupied by private mooring space and is not publicly walkable. It also describes surviving metal supports and concrete blocks visible from beside the railings, though visitors should stay in public areas and not enter private moorings.

Maida Hill Tunnel’s missing towpath — The tunnel has no towpath through it; the Canal & River Trust route therefore describes a detour above the tunnel before rejoining the canal towpath.

When to go

· Not established by the supplied sources.

The supplied sources do not identify a best season.

Check current conditions and route information before setting out.

The route

ascent: Not specified
stiles: Not specified
surface: Not specified
distance: Two miles for the Little Venice to Camden route; no distance is supplied for the Blomfield Road section alone.
duration: Not specified
difficulty: Not specified
waymarking: Use the Canal & River Trust route map and instructions; waymarking is not specified.
route shape: Point-to-point: Little Venice to Camden Lock
start point: Little Venice (OS Grid ref: TQ262818)
parking start: Canal & River Trust lists a chargeable car park at Paddington; check current details.
shorter alternative: A short visit around Little Venice is possible, but no verified shorter walking route or distance is provided.

Little Venice and Browning’s Pool
Maida Hill Tunnel and the route detour
Regent’s Park canal-side stretch
Camden Lock

Worth pairing with

Little Venice

The Canal & River Trust route starts at Little Venice, where the route account describes Browning’s Island, moored boats and a boat café.

Camden Lock

The two-mile Canal & River Trust walk ends at Camden Lock.

What to look for

01
Notice the moored boats and canalside gardens
02
at the Maida Hill Tunnel, remember that this section has no towpath through the tunnel and the public walking route diverts above it.

The story

Industry

Best time to go

Any season; no season-specific advantage is established by the supplied sources.

No best time of day is verified. Check route conditions and access before setting out.

How long to spend

1–2 hours

Perfect for

Walkers · Photographers · History lovers

Route at a glance

Duration

1–2 hours

Terrain

Riverside, Urban historic

Parking / start

The Canal & River Trust lists a chargeable car park at Paddington for its Little Venice to Camden walk. Check current availability and charges before travelling.

Before you go

Google Maps

Address

Blomfield Rd, London W9 1AB

Google rating

4.0 · 4 reviews

Practical information

Opening & access

Important: the towpath alongside the Blomfield Road moorings is reported as occupied by private mooring space, with no public walking access along that stretch. A separate Canal & River Trust route runs from Little Venice to Camden and describes a short detour from the canal around Maida Hill Tunnel. Check the current route and access before setting out; the supplied map pin is not an entrance. Access arrangements are unconfirmed. Check before visiting; do not enter private land or restricted structures.

Check before visiting

Parking

The Canal & River Trust lists a chargeable car park at Paddington for its Little Venice to Camden walk. Check current availability and charges before travelling.

Check before visiting

Toilets

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Food & drink

The supplied sources describe waterside cafés and pubs around Little Venice; check current opening and availability.

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Dogs

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Accessibility

Route distance is listed as two miles, but the sources do not establish step-free access, surface, gradients or accessibility at the detour. Check before visiting. The Blomfield Road moorings towpath is reported inaccessible to the public.

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Cost

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Water

Canal