I had never been to London’s Little Venice on my previous trips but had heard that it’s a beautiful waterway worth visiting. When I found out that the Canalway Cavalcade festival was on right when I was in town, I knew I had to go and take a look.
On the way to the canals, I could not but stop and admire the gorgeous white houses and the trees planted in their yards.
It was easy to find out which way to go, as most people were going to the cavalcade. The festival has actually been organised for over 30 years.
There was an area dedicated to children’s activities.
Punch and Judy is just something so very English to me. I did not stop for long, as I wanted to see what else the festival had to offer.
There were many different food stalls to choose from.
Festival-goers were enjoying the sun and everyone was in a cheery mood.
There were many merchants selling their ware but as I was not into buying anything, I went on to have a look at the boats.
There are 6500 miles of inland waterways in England. In the waterways, 30 000 licensed boats cruise the canals and many have made these boats their homes.
To access the canals with your boat, you must pass a lock. A lock is like a chamber with gates. As the chamber fills or empties of water, a boat can move up or down the canal. As a newbie boater, I find locks way too intimidating.
We don’t have these kinds of boats in Finland, so it was very interesting peering inside and admiring the colours. People had really gone out to decorate their boats.
Boats are cheaper than housing in London, so I can see why someone would find living on one a feasible option.
I learnt a lot about canals on my visit. Back in the day the canals provided transport routes for industrial goods. At one point the canals deteriorated as commercial traffic died down but the Inland Waterways Association worked to develop the waterways for leisure and commercial use. These days canals are places where families and friends can go boating, fishing or walking.
The waterways have an abundance of wildlife. These Canada Geese had come out with their little chick to see what was going on.
Again, leaving Little Venice, I could only admire the flowers on the way. If you visit London – I recommend you take a walk along the canals, even if there is no cavalcade going on at the time.
Have you been to Little Venice or attended the Canalway Cavalcade?
xx
The Life and Travels of Mrs Suvi 
those vibrant colors are so full of joy 🙂
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Everyone was in such a great mood too! 😊
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Great post. Yes I went to Little Venice early one Sunday morning on my last trip to London. Its amazing.
And those big houses! I was speechless! you get such a great view of them from the canal towpath.
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Hi Helen! So lovely of you to take the time to comment 🙂 I really had fun discovering the London canals. I am happy that you have visited Little Venice as well and enjoyed it!
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Never been on this area. Very interesting and inviting.
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Yes I agree! I hadn’t heard of this area before this trip. 😀
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I used to live in this area and a great walk is along the canal from Little Venice all the way past Regents Park to Camden Market – you can go almost the entire way along the canal.
You can also take a canal boat ‘bus’, although I doubt it runs on this particular day. It makes a stop at London Zoo so you might see some penguins along the way.
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How lovely to have lived nearby, lucky you John! The next day my friends and I walked from Camden to King’s Cross 🙂 The canal boat sounds great too, might have to do that next time!
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So glad you had the opportunity to visit Little Venice and what a weekend to be there xx
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Yes, it was lovely! I have many more posts coming up on my adventures 😉
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I’m looking forward to reading them too Suvi!
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Looks like you picked a great time to visit – the cavalcade looks so colourful and fun!
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Yes I am glad I went! I had never heard of Little Venice on my previous trips. London is so diverse on things to see!
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What day was this? Looks like I missed it this year, but maybe I can catch it next year 😉
Yesterday, I saw 2 Canada geese with 6 little chicks about them. Wish I’d had my camera. So sweet!
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I went on Saturday the 30th April. It feels like such a long time ago, hehe! The chicks really are cute 😊 Thank you for your visit 🌸
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