On the hottest day of the year to date, eleven Poly Ramblers assembled at the Angel for a leisurely walk to Regents Park. We first wandered through Chapel Market with its variety of stalls before heading to the Regents Canal. We joined its towpath close to the headwall of the Islington Canal Tunnel and walked westwards. We soon came to the Battlebridge Basin which was constructed in 1820 and is now a narrowboat mooring and the home of the London Canal Museum. Battlebridge is the old name for the King’s Cross area which has been transformed in recent years with a plethora of new buildings, bars and restaurants. Of particular interest is Gasholder Park which is housed in the frame of a gasometer constructed in the 1850s. Three similar ones alongside now contain apartments. The next stretch was fairly peaceful but that changed when we reached Camden Lock with crowds visiting the various markets in its vicinity. We stopped here for refreshment at the Ice House Wetherspoons before carrying on to the vicinity of Primrose Hill where we left the canal for lunch at a cafe. Geoffrey joined us here having being delayed on his rail journey from Bedfordshire by signalling problems. Some of our number climbed the hill for its impressive views of the London skyline but the majority decided to stay cool in the shade. For the final part of the walk, we entered Regents Park and headed for the lake and its bandstand. We listened to some jazz numbers by the KIX orchestra before finishing at Baker Street where a few of us felt the need for further refreshment at the Wetherspoons above the station.

Danny
Photos courtesy of Rajesh Patel & Nita Patel