GUC Paddington Branch Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Originally built to link Paddington with the Grand Union Canal, the Paddington Branch is 13.5 miles long, and offers surprisingly serene cycling in the heart of London. It can get very busy at times, and further along can get rather narrow.
Of course, when the Paddington Branch meets the main Grand Union Canal, you can simply turn right and cycle all the way to Birmingham, but I suggest you read this first.
Surface
The surface is good throughout. However, the ramps to get up to several of the bridges over the canal are often very steep, and will catch you out.
Bikes
Normal bikes are best suited to this route, both because the towpath is narrow in places, and because of the steep ramps. Tandems will cope just fine though.
Toilets
There are toilets at Paddington station, and at several pubs along the route.
Ratings
Safety: ⭐⭐⭐
Hilliness: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Flat)
Refreshment stops: ⭐⭐⭐
Barriers: ⭐⭐
Surface: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐
Points of Interest
Spend some time at Little Venice, and look out for several historic bridges along the route.
Routes in Greater London
- River Wey Navigation traffic-free cycle route
- Thames Path traffic-free cycle route
- Escape The City
- Grand Union Canal – Paddington Branch
Barriers
There are no barriers as such, but occasionally towpath maintenance results in a floating temporary path being used, and these can be rather narrow.
Forecast for the GUC Paddington Branch
What it looks like
More Routes
To find more routes, click this link.
Interactive map for the Paddington Branch of the GUC
You can download the GPX file from the map below, simply by clicking the GPX button. Hovering over the elevation profile will show the elevation for that point along the route, in both metres and feet. It will also show the gradient.
And finally…
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