A stroll along Regent's Canal – Angel Islington to Broadway Market

London's Regent's Canal may not have the obvious, picturesque charms of the famous European waterways – take a stroll along the canal, particularly the section in the East End, and you're unlikely to mistake your surroundings for Venice, Amsterdam or Bruges. But historic architecture, romantic photo opportunities and flocks of swans are not the be all and end all. Look beyond the gritty exterior (and the tourist traps of Camden Lock and Little Venice) and you'll find that London's canal has plenty going for it.

I've lived within walking distance of the canal all my life, first in Islington, then in Hoxton, now in Dalston, and have seen it evolve from a rubbish-filled, super scary, never-go-there-at-night sort of place, to a destination its own right, complete with cafes, restaurants and bicycle maintenance shacks. Go on a sunny Saturday and you won't be able to see the ducks for all the trendy young folk hanging out in their moustaches and onesies. Make no mistake: it's still pretty grubby and I wouldn't be thrilled to walk along the towpath after dark on my own, but it can be a real joy, for either a leisurely visit or as a means of getting from A to B by bike or on foot. 

Narrow boats moored at the mouth of the Islington Tunnel

A natural place to start this little introduction is where the canal emerges from the 886-metre Islington Tunnel (access from Colebrooke Row, a few minutes' walk from Angel tube station), which was completed in 1818. There's short-term mooring available along the waterway between this pleasant, quiet spot and City Road Basin to the east, so there are always plenty of boats around, the smoke from their wood-burning stoves perfuming the air.

Just after City Road Lock and Basin you'll come across The Narrow Boat, one of very few London boozers on the canal this side of town. It's a jovial place serving reasonable food and a few real ales on tap. In cold weather the fun is mainly indoors, but in the summertime drinkers spread out towards the lock and beyond. In terms of real ale though, this area's mecca is not The Narrow Boat, but multiple-CAMRA-Pub-of-the-Year-winning The Wenlock Arms, just around the corner. This is a proper old man pub – none of your east London trendiness here. Just a fantastic range of ales, lively live jazz on Friday and Saturday nights and a selection of booze-soaked regulars who've been in situ since it re-opened in 1994.

The artistically-minded ale fans among you (not that this blog is special interest you understand) might want to stop off at Victoria Miro Gallery or Parasol Unit on the way. Both galleries, which you'll walk past coming from the canal to The Wenlock, host changing exhibitions of the work of contemporary British and international artists.

Alex Hartley's I'm tired of travelling (2011), from 'Alex Hartley:
The world is still big', running at the Victoria Miro Gallery
until 21 January © Alex Hartley

Back on the canal, continuing east, we pass Holborn Studios, where all manner of famous photography, film and musician types have worked over the years, from David Bailey to Bjork. A little further on is Gainsborough Studios, a massive, swanky housing development built on the site of the cinema studios that produced Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes and a whole host of 1940s melodramas.

From here on in the landscape begins to get a bit grittier, with graffiti becoming more prevalent and increased numbers of algae-covered shopping trollies visible in the murky depths of the canal. Badly bombed during the Blitz, this part of Hackney is home to sprawling estates of postwar housing, the gardens of which back onto the towpath in various places. There's a huge amount of cash sloshing around in Shoreditch and Hoxton, but there's still plenty of deprivation too, which makes for a really interesting mix here, demographically-speaking. Every six months work starts on another new private canal-side housing development – the area's changing fast.

Detail of i am here, a site-specific photography installation by 
Andrea Luka Zimmerman, Lasse Johansson and Tristan Fennell 
addressing gentrification in Hackney 

Just past Whitmore Road Bridge you'll find Towpath, a fantastic, if pricey, canal-side cafe open from March to November. They serve delicious breakfasts, Italian-inspired lunches and excellent coffee from a tiny kitchen that gives directly onto the towpath. The petite seating area is more or less open to the elements, so Towpath isn't the best option for wet weather dining, but there are heaters to keep out the chill and on fine days there's nothing nicer than locking your bike up and stopping for a snack in the sunshine.

Towpath. Image courtesy of D1V1d on Flickr

Across the canal (accessible from Orsman Road) is Water House, an eco-restaurant serving modern European dishes. The modest portion sizes may disappoint those with big appetites, and the service can be hit and miss, but the food is of a very high standard and the canal-side terrace is a civilised spot. Deserts change regularly, so I can't guarantee they'll have home-made ice-cream, but if they do, you should definitely order it.

Me eating home-made ice-cream on the
terrace at Water House © Steve Pretty 

The next section heading eastward is barer of diversions, but keep your eyes peeled for street art, including various examples by Banksy and King Robbo, as well as Bob & Roberta Smith's Shop Local: Ron's Eel and Shellfish Van, a large-scale mural across from Denne Terrace. It's also worth having a peek into Kingsland Basin (opposite Water House), where a community of boaters grow their own vegetables in a specially adapted garden barge. And if you're in the area on a weekend, pop into The Pattern Market, just past off Kingsland Road, for crazy vintage clothing, bric-a-brac and furniture. 

CHUG boaters' community 

A little further on, past the lock, and you reach Broadway Market and a whole world of tasty food and shopping opportunities. My personal highlights include Lock 7, the friendly cycle cafe on the bridge; The Dove, a pleasantly ramshackle freehouse serving excellent food; Black Truffle, an expensive but lovely clothes shop; Off Broadway, which serves tempting cocktails in a room lit so low you can barely see what you're drinking; the Argentinian steak heaven, Buen Ayre; and La Bella Vita, a very decent, permanently busy pizzeria. 

Visit Broadway Market on a Saturday (until 2 o'clockish) and you'll find the market in action, with dozens of stalls selling vintage clothing, crafts, gifts, and food and drink. And if you're there on a Sunday, check out the farmers' market held in the playground of London Fields Primary School, which you get to by turning right at the top of the road.

Broadway Market stalls © Aidan Brooks

In the next instalment I'll continue the journey eastwards to introduce you to the delights of Victoria Park, Mile End and Hackney Wick. If you think I've missed something in this section, be it a pub, restaurant, shop or interesting local fact, please tell me about it, either in a comment below this blog or via Twitter.