Cycling the Regent’s Canal towpath: the rules and the pinch points

Short version: cycling the Regent’s Canal towpath is free, needs no permit, and is fine if you ride slowly and give way to pedestrians. Camden Lock is where it gets difficult. If you are in a hurry, use the roads.

The rules

The old British Waterways permit has gone. The Canal & River Trust (CRT) welcomes considerate cyclists, and the one condition is the Towpath Code: give way to pedestrians and take care when passing (Cyclescheme).

• Ring a bell and slow down. CRT’s Two Tings campaign line is “ting twice, be nice”.
• Pedestrians have priority. The London campaign line is “Share the Space, Drop Your Pace”, and under the Greenways Code walkers come first.
• No official speed limit. cycle.travel says not to expect much more than 12mph, and less in busy urban areas. Boats are limited to 4mph.
• Walk when it is tight. CRT has said that on busy or narrow stretches the safest option may be to get off and push.
• Watch for signs. CRT allows cycling on nearly all its towpaths, apart from a very few short signed “no cycling” sections, usually very busy pedestrian areas or steep lock flights (cycle.travel).

CRT has also told cyclists not to be the “trucks of the towpath” and has asked fast commuters to slow down or find another route.

Hazards

The canal is unfenced, so careless riding could put you or someone else in the water. Hawthorn hedge clippings cause punctures, especially in spring. Towpath closures usually happen in winter, so check CRT’s website before you set off.

The busy stretches

The towpath is a busy commuter route. cycle.travel says the east to west Regent’s Canal can be congested at rush hour and that riders in a hurry should stick to the roads (cycle.travel).

Camden Lock and Camden Market are the pinch point. One walking guide says Sunday is when Camden is at its most crowded, and that Thursday’s Night Market runs to 9pm. Another describes the move from quiet Little Venice to the Camden crowds as hitting you “like a wave”. Hawley Wharf market sits beside the towpath here too. Camden Market says you can enter Camden Market Lock from the towpath, so expect people stepping on and off.

Our advice: ride through Camden Lock early on a weekday, or get off and walk. Do not try it at speed on a Sunday afternoon.

King’s Cross to Camden

This is the easy bit. A walking guide says the towpath runs continuously from below Granary Square to Camden Lock, about 1.2 miles, with no tunnels and no road crossings (London Travel Geek). The bridges you pass, in order, are the railway bridge, Camley Street, St Pancras Way, Royal College Street, Camden Road, Camden Street and Kentish Town Road. On foot that is about 20 minutes.

Camden Cyclists have flagged the canal access points at Camley Street and Kentish Town Road as needing attention, so take the ramps and steps gently.

Some work is planned north-west of the Camley Street access, for a new footbridge over the canal, with a floating pontoon planned to keep walkers and cyclists moving. This comes from a secondary source, so confirm dates and details on CRT’s stoppages page before you ride.

Towards Regent’s Park and Little Venice

CRT’s Regent’s Canal cycling route is 4.6 miles, starting in Regent’s Park and running past London Zoo’s enclosures (CRT). The whole canal is 8.6 miles, from Little Venice through Camden Town and King’s Cross.

There are tunnels at Maida Hill (251 m) and Lisson Grove (48 m). A 2016 Camden Cyclists ride report said the towpath ends abruptly before Maida Hill tunnel, and riders exit at Lisson Grove and use small streets such as Frampton Street. That report is old, so check the current signs on the day. The same ride reached the canal from the Broadwalk in Regent’s Park by a walk-down ramp.

East of Camden, the Islington Tunnel has no towpath at all. You leave the canal and follow the streets over the top.

The better routes

If you want speed, cycle.travel’s advice is simple: use the roads. For a calmer approach to the canal, that 2016 Camden Cyclists family ride used back streets, Broadhurst Gardens, Fairhazel Gardens, Ordnance Hill and Charlbert Street, to reach Regent’s Park before joining the water (Camden Cyclists). Check that these are still the best streets before relying on them.

Camden Cyclists have also proposed a bypass of Camden Lock, but it is only a proposal, so do not look for it on the ground.

Before you go

• Cost: free. The Camden Lock canalside is free to explore.
• Bring a working bell and use it twice.
• Check CRT’s website for closures, especially in winter.
• Avoid Camden Lock on Sundays if you can.