Where is the best place to go paddleboarding in London?

Macclesfield Bridge. © Jo Moseley

Regent’s Canal, London (text adapted from Stand-up Paddleboarding in Great Britain by Jo Moseley)

URBAN SUP ADVENTURES, THE PIRATE CASTLE, COMMUNITY AND CONNECTION ON THE CANAL AND LOOKING OUT FOR THE GIRAFFES

It’s a sunny, late-Sunday afternoon and I’ve come to England’s capital to paddleboard along Regent’s Canal with Anu, Josh and the social SUP club from Paddleboarding London. We pass the ‘guitar guy’ on The Music Boat, singing his enthusiastic rendition of ‘London’s Calling’ by The Clash. His passengers on the punt wave and smile at us. The towpath is buzzing with London life. It feels like we are both a part of and apart from it in our peaceful world on the water.

At just under 14 kilometres, Regent’s Canal runs through London from Little Venice to the Docklands. Completed in 1820, it is named after the Prince Regent (later George IV) and links the Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal, which starts in Birmingham some 220 kilometres away, with the River Thames in London. From its pretty collection of narrowboats moored at Little Venice’s Blomfield Road, the canal passes the edge of Regent’s Park and ZSL London Zoo. A huge aviary is being refurbished on one side and on the other you are invited to look out for the hunting dogs – friends have even spotted the odd giraffe. According to an ecologist I speak to the next day, the bushes along the canal are home to the non-native Aesculapian snake, found only in two other places in the UK. Further on in Camden, famous for its market, cafes and eclectic shops, the canal then runs to the redeveloped King’s Cross. Here you can enjoy the wonderful Word on the Water floating bookshop, a 1920s Dutch barge filled with books, a friendly parrot and cosy stove. From there the canal drops down to meet the River Thames at Limehouse. Paddleboarding London is based at the Pirate Castle, a 500-metre walk from Camden Town tube station. It is the home of the Pirate Castle charity that is committed to making the waterways available to more people, with a focus on children, young people and SEND (special educational needs and disability) groups of all ages. Every time a board is booked, Paddleboarding London donates to their work.

A beautiful day of SUP in the city. © Jo Moseley

We launch from the pontoon at the castle. Designed by the famous architect Richard Seifert and constructed in 1977, it has been referred to as the first defensive castle to be built since the sixteenth century. We head west towards Maida Hill Tunnel, passing the beautiful houses and gardens of Primrose Hill, some of which have their own moorings. The walls and bridges along the canal have some spectacular street art and we can hear the echo of pigeons cooing on the steelwork. This is urban exploring on a SUP. As we paddle along, Anu, co-owner of Paddleboarding London, tells me how city waterways offer a chance to find joy, well-being and adventure on our doorstep in the city, even better as they can be reached without a car.

At the Feng Shang Princess, a floating, three-tier pagoda at Cumberland Basin, we bear right. At this point the Cumberland Arm of the canal used to lead to Cumberland Market, London’s primary hay and straw market, in the 1800s. The market went into decline and in 1938 the canal was dammed off and drained. Rubble from the London Blitz was used to fill it and this was later covered in topsoil from Windsor Castle as the area was turned into allotments. Ahead lies a stretch of canal lined with beautiful willow trees, the branches gently touching the ripples on the water as we pass through ZSL London Zoo. The towpath is busy with walkers, cyclists and runners: families and friends stroll along chatting in the sunshine; a couple picnicking on a bench hold hands. The blue and green ribbon of the canal is bringing people together in the heart of the capital.

The waterways have their own community and Anu guides and advises us on the boat traffic. As paddleboarders we paddle down the middle of the canal, moving to the right when a boat passes. There are the waterbuses as well as the canal touring boats Jason’s Trip and Jenny Wren carrying passengers along the canal and GoBoats which can be hired for private parties. The speed limit is six kilometres per hour, which shouldn’t create a wash, but it is always better to keep a keen eye out for boats that may not see you. Anu knows people on and off the water too, chatting to an angler we pass and locals sunbathing on the towpath.

The pirate castle. © Jo Moseley

We soon arrive at Lisson Grove, a Canal & River Trust gated mooring for the community living side by side on their narrowboats. Flowers and plants blossom by the boats and it feels a huge privilege to paddle past their homes. At the gates of the grove lie old bikes, motorbikes and the odd trolley lifted from the canal by magnet fishing. A fascinating collection – I wonder what stories they could tell.
Pre-authorisation is required to SUP through the 249-metre Maida Hill Tunnel, so we turn back to Camden. You could of course portage your board to Little Venice and paddle on to Paddington. On our right, six magnificent, Quinlan Terry-designed villas stand tall on their manicured gardens. We pass back under the Macclesfield Bridge, known as Blow Up Bridge – at 3 a.m. on 2 October 1874, a barge called Tilbury carrying coffee, nuts, petroleum and gunpowder set alight, resulting in the deaths of three men on board. The bridge was rebuilt with the original pillars, but with one significant difference: the pillars were turned around to offer a smooth side for the ropes used to tow boats, so you’ll now see grooves on both sides.

‘Shall we go to Camden?’ Anu suggests, and of course we are all keen. We paddle on near the old gin distillery founded by Walter and Alfred Gilbey in 1857, which has been redeveloped into homes. She also points out the entrance to a tunnel, part of the Camden Catacombs, an underground network of passageways and engine vaults that allowed horses to move safely and work at Euston
railway station. As we return to the Pirate Castle, there’s music, dancing and laughter on the towpath. We say our goodbyes and wish each other well for the week ahead.

The next morning I return to Camden to walk along the canal through Little Venice and Paddington. Enjoying a cup of tea at the cafe in the beautiful gardens of St Mark’s Church, I reflect upon what Anu had said. Paddleboarding along Regent’s Canal isn’t the aspirational turquoise waters and ocean views many associate with SUP. What it offers instead is a sense of community, history, beauty and calm right in the heart of London. Feeling connected to others and to place is such an important part of the human experience and paddleboarding in the capital with Anu and her social SUP club I felt that. This is blue health in the city. Next time I’m in London I’ll book a SUP yoga lesson in St Katharine Docks or a moonlight paddle with Anu. I’d love to explore more of the canal from Little Venice to Paddington and King’s Cross. If London’s calling, my answer will always be a definite ‘yes’. I hope it will be for you too. 

Approaching Cumberland Basin. © Jo Moseley

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Difficulty
This is a lovely paddle for beginners and more experienced paddleboarders alike wanting to explore the capital’s canals. Be aware of boats and anglers.

Getting there
Camden can be reached by tube and bus as well as by car. The nearest tube station to the Pirate Castle is Camden Town. There are bike racks on Oval Road and bike sharing stations nearby. There is parking available around the Pirate Castle for two hours maximum (TQ 285839/51.540, -0.1481).

Route information
Please note that launching from the pontoon at the Pirate Castle is only available to customers of Paddleboarding London. If you wish to SUP here independently there are plenty of places to launch from the towpath and I met a couple of paddleboarders who regularly do this – simply walk down the steps from Oval Road.

To give yourself space to pump up your board I would advise getting there early in the day, as the towpath does get busy. You will need a Waterways Licence.

Eating and drinking
» Camden has lots of great cafes. I had a delicious lunch at It’s All Greek to Me! in the North Yard.
» St Mark’s Church garden cafe can be reached from the canal towpath or Prince Albert Road. Instruction, guided tours and equipment hire.
» Paddleboarding London offers SUP lessons, tours and SUP yoga. It does not hire boards but does hold supervised SUP sessions.
» Active360 at Merchant Square in nearby Paddington Basin offers lessons and board hire for experienced paddleboarders. It works out of Kew Bridge and Brentford Lock as well, where it offers lessons, tours and board hire. If you want to paddle on the River Thames, Active360 offers Thames skills and knowledge courses.

Further information
» The Pirate Castle: www.thepiratecastle.org
» The Music Boat: www.themusicboat.org
» Word on the Water: www.wordonthewater.co.uk
» Canal & River Trust: www.canalrivertrust.org.uk

DISTANCE
4.75km round trip.

LAUNCH LOCATION
ENTRY AND EXIT POINT TQ 285840/51.540, -0.148
TURN AROUND POINT TQ 270824/51.526, -0.171