Grand Union Canal; Paddington Arm

The Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal is 13.5-miles long, lock free, and runs from Bull's Bridge in Hayes to Paddington in central London; its only junction is with the Regent's Canal at Little Venice towards its end.  The Paddington Arm was opened in July 1801 to give boats access to central London rather than via the River Thames and encouraged the establishment of many well-known firms along its route.

From Bull's Bridge, the canal towpath is shared with the Hillingdon Trail for the first couple of miles as it passes through Southall to Northolt; Northolt is the home for Engineer’s Wharf with its pricey moorings and adjacent Grand Union Village, which was built on the site of an old brick works.  The route passes through a long stretch of open countryside as it goes through Horsenden and Alperton - Greenford, Perivale, and Ealing are a little further south.  A large aqueduct takes the canal over the busy North Circular road (A406) before we pass through an area where Wormwood Scrubs open space is on our right and then the huge Kensal Green cemetery, resting place of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, is on our left. 

We pass the outskirts of North Kensington and Maida Vale; Trellick Tower, a Grade II listed tower block on the Cheltenham Estate in North Kensington with a separate access tower and abutting plant house, is an example of the so-called "Brutalist architecture" of the 1960s.  We are getting close to Paddington now and finally reach Little Venice - it has been a long day, an almost 21-mile walk (along the flat).Read more