For Christmas, my mom got us a book of London walks to help us see the city! We've covered most of the stops in our home neighborhood and, today, decided to try another one!
We hopped on a bus and headed to Warwick Station. It was Spark's first time on the London bus system. She was a little unsure at first but quickly settled in for a nap. For the curious - London buses generally allow dogs but it's ultimately at the discretion of the driver to decide if a dog should not be allowed to ride along. The default seems to be they are allowed and the driver will let you know if there is an exception.
Tip: Buses in London are an amazing way to get around! They run frequently, are clean, and you can use Apple Pay to pay a single low fare for an hour of bussing (any number of transfers).
Walk Highlights: This walk covers a lot of great parts of North London! You'll see some pictures in the gallery below.
- Little Venice - Shortly after you arrive at Warwick station you'll find the confluence of two canals termed "Little Venice."
- D1 Coffee Shop (link) - Shortly after we started the walk, we realized that we hadn't had any caffeine yet—a no go for us before a 3.5-mile walk. We happened upon D1. It's an amazing little cafe with a welcoming proprietor who took the time to come out and tell us that little dogs are welcome in his cafe. Definitely worth a stop for an Americano or mocha to keep you going on the walk. They also have sandwiches and delectable-looking pastries.
- Regent's Canal and Regent's Park / The London Zoo - As you keep walking, you'll eventually find the entrance to Regent's Canal. This pathway takes you by beautiful houses on the edge of the park. Spark had fun with the wildlife here.
- From the canal, you can pop up and see part of the London Zoo on the right. Crossing the street from here will lead you directly into Primrose Hill Park - a beautiful park with views overlooking the London skyline.
- Primrose Hill - The Primrose Hill borough is a colorful and quaint area with cute shops, pubs, and pastel-hued houses that remind me of San Francisco's colorful streets. They also have a shop with gluten-free fish and chips every Wednesday (not sure why it's just Wednesday).
To conclude the walk, we stopped at the first pub we visited together back when we were looking for areas to live - The Stag in Belsize Park. This time Spark was with us and enjoyed a welcome nap (3+ miles is a lot for her little legs) while we enjoyed a nice meal. They have specials almost every night and we just missed their 50% off lunch deals that run until 3pm.
After that, we made our way back to Hampstead where we passed the Tube station - conveniently located for anyone who may be completing this walk and needing to get elsewhere in the city.
You can find the Google Maps Version of the walk here! I've also embedded it below.
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