The Worshipful Company of Tax Advisers

Weekend Walk – 12 May 2019

Once more, fine weather greeted us for another weekend walk. This time the route was along the Regent’s Canal, taking in both familiar landmarks, and not-so-familiar locations along the way.

The initial meeting point was the concourse of Paddington Station, busy even in the middle of a Sunday morning. Then UP the stairs to Paddington Basin, a canal humming with activity and boats whose owners were offering a diversity of refreshments, glinting in the sunlight.

Little Venice, with its range of very expensive houses was soon reached, and then the rest of the walk was in an easterly direction. Past a variety of animals on display at London Zoo, and the aviary designed by Lord Snowdon – although this was under repair, and there were no birds visible at the time – as far as Camden Market. Being a weekend, this was teeming with visitors, so a short diversion was taken to avoid the worst of the crowds.

There then followed a series of locks, taking us down to a slightly lower level, until the huge redevelopment of the St Pancras and King’s Cross area came into sight. This vicinity has changed beyond belief in recent years, and on display are many examples of the best of modern architecture. Who can believe what has happened to what once were enormous and rusting gas-holders? Or the area which was once full of coal, waiting to be loaded on to large steam locomotives, ready to head express passenger trains to Scotland?

It was an afternoon when important Premier League football matches on the last day of the season would prove to be an even greater attraction for some, but after a leisurely lunch in the shade from the sun, the rest of us progressed to the Angel, reached up a slight gradient to avoid a long canal tunnel where no tow-path ventures.

That may well prove to be the starting-point for our next weekend walk.