Transport on the Regent's Canal

Regent's Canal

Locale	London, England, UK
Waterway	Regent's Canal
Transit type	Waterbus services
Operator	Jason's Canal Boat Trips Jenny Wren London Water bus Company
No. of lines	1
No. of vessels	Narrowboats: Jason's - 1 Jenny Wren - 1 London Waterbus Co. - 4
No. of terminals	3

Transport on the Regent's Canal includes a number of water transit services which run along the Regent's Canal in London, England, UK. Several privately owned boat companies operate services which are open to the public, providing both leisure cruises and regular scheduled "water bus" services along the canal between Little Venice, London Zoo and Camden Lock.

Operators

The boat companies running services include the London Waterbus Company, the Jenny Wren and Jason's Canal Boat Trips. The companies operate on the canal under licence from Canal and River Trust,^[1] and are run independently of other London public transport services and therefore cannot use Oyster Cards or contactless payment on these services.

Vessels

A water bus near London Zoo

The London Waterbus Company has a fleet of four traditional canal barges or narrowboats which have been converted to carry passengers as a water bus service. Three of the vessels are of historic interest and are noted on the National Register of Historic Ships.^[2]

Services

The London Waterbus Company runs scheduled water bus services run all year round, with an hourly service running daily during the spring and summer months (April–September). In the autumn the company runs a reduced service four days a week, and in winter there is a weekend service only.^[3] They also provide charter hire services and regular day-long trips along the Regent's Canal to the Limehouse Basin, and on the Grand Union Canal.^[4]

The Jenny Wren operates a similar route, offering a scheduled pleasure cruise service from Camden Lock to Little Venice and back with a tour guide.^[5] During the winter months, the boat is available for private hire only.

Jason's Trip has operated public trips from Little Venice to Camden since 1951. Jason operates from the first weekend in April to the first weekend in November.^[6]

The Floating Boater, based at the Waterside Cafe in Little Venice, operate two private charter boats, bookable in advance. Lapwing is a historic narrowboat built in 1913 and The Prince Regent is purpose built especially for entertaining in Edwardian style and launched in 1990.^[7]

Route

London Waterbus
Little Venice  Warwick Ave. A5 Maida Hill Tunnel(272 yd) Chiltern Main Line bridge A41 London Zoo Cumberland Basin A5205 West Coast Mainline bridge 1 Camden Lock  Camden Town   Camden Road

At the western end of the canal, water bus services run from the area known as "Little Venice" in Maida Vale, north-west London, at the junction of the Regent's Canal and the Grand Union Canal. This part of the canal was originally called Browning's Pool, after the English poet Robert Browning who lived here from 1862 to 1887, and who is believed to have coined the name "Little Venice".^[8]

From Little Venice, the canal passes under the ancient Roman Road of Watling Street (today the A5 road) through the 272 yards (249 m) Maida Hill tunnel, and then passes through St John's Wood, curving parallel to Prince Albert Road around the northern edge of Regent's Park. The London Zoo water bus stop lies on the zoo side of the canal and can only be accessed by London Zoo visitors (there is no access to Regent's Park without buying a zoo ticket).

At the Cumberland Turn, the junction with the former Cumberland Basin, the canal bends left past a floating Chinese restaurant. The service terminates at the Grade II listed Camden Lock, only twin-lock remaining on the Canal. The locks were constructed in 1818–20 by James Morgan, and are located in the popular Camden Town area.

See also

References

External links

• London Waterbus Company
• Jason's Trip
• Walker's Quay (the Jenny Wren)
• The Floating Boater (Lapwing and The Prince Regent)