This picturesque running route from Coal Drops Yard (near King’s Cross) to Little Venice (near Paddington) takes you along the Regent’s Canal Towpath, reaching 11km if you run there and back.
The path is pavement throughout, however, there are some steps at the Maida Hill Tunnel, where the towpath stops and you need to head up to Aberdeen Place before joining the path again by Cafe Laville. The route will take you from the historic Coal Drops Yard which now is home to a range of shops, bars and restaurants, before heading along the picturesque path and reaching Camden Town. Here you’ll need to divert through the food stalls of Camden Lock before rejoining the towpath towards Regent’s Park.
Although you don’t go into Regent’s Park, you’ll run along side some of London Zoo’s enclosures, including Monkey Valley and the hyenas. A great diversion here is to head up onto the road and into Primrose Hill for spectacular views of the London skyline.
Once back down, continue along the route through Lisson Grove Mooring, a unique place where a few Londoners are proud to call home. From here, you’ll get to Maida Hill Tunnel where you’ll need to head up to the road and run along Aberdeen Place. When you get to the cafe, you can join back up with the route. Be sure to stick to the right hand side so that you reach the Puppet Theatre Barge as your midpoint, before running back the way you came.
There is a free public toilet at the start (and end of the run if you’re returning) at Coal Drops Yard, however, there aren’t any others on this route.
There are several running routes on Strava for the towpath depending on where you are starting from.
