18th London Flickr Group Photowalk - Regent's Canal - Saturd

After trips to the salubrious north London villages of Stoke Newington and Crouch End, we're heading back to grittiness and gentrification along the Regent's Canal. And no buses!

Date: Saturday 20th April

Start: Bethnal Green underground station (Zone 2) - not the overground train station!!!)
Start Time: 2pm [NB 'summer' start time!!!]
End: Angel tube (Zone 1) at about 5pm.

Route:
We'll walk past the Young V&A, York Hall, the RIBA award-winning Town Hall extension, before following the railway arches up to The Oval (not the cricket ground!). We can have a close look at the Bethnal Green gasholders before they are refurbished into luxury flats, then we'll cross the canal and follow it towards Islington. Expect narrow boats, coots, reflections, graffiti and street art, varying signs of gentrification and a brief detour to look at some interesting modern buildings.
We'll leave the canal to see some impressive rows of Victorian houses, some modern mosaics and visit a quiet local pub. Then it is back to the canal and to the finish at Angel, Islington.

Facilities: We'll stop for refuelling and toilets at Cafe Route half way along in Haggerston, and for drinks at the Wenlock Arms towards the end of the walk.

Meeting place: We'll meet by the "Stairway to Heaven" monument for the Bethnal Green disaster. It is just inside the gates for the Bethnal Green Gardens. There are multiple exits at Bethnal Green tube - aim for the Roman Road / park exit.
What Three Words: fries.axed.hills

Walking and accessibility: Unsurprisingly, the route is mainly flat. A few steps and some uneven ground. The towpath gets narrow in places, there are hazardous cyclists, so keep a good lookout.