Commuting in London on Grand Union Canal to Paddington?

Julie H · #1 (**permalink**) 05-01-2008, 07:22 PM

Does any-one have experience of using the Grand Union canal to commute into Paddington from Greenford, Perivale. I cycled along it on a Sunday afternoon a couple of weks ago and was a little intimidated by some of the groups of kids hanging around making comments etc as I cycled past. Does any-one commute along this route and what have your experiences been?

carina · #2 (**permalink**) 05-01-2008, 07:22 PM

on Sunday afternoon you would get groups of kids hanging around, but I doubt very much they would be there in the mornings through the week

it sounds like a good idea, but my concern would be the homewards trip in the evening ... might not be too bad during the summer but I surely wouldn't want to be on a canal towpath when it's dark ... and the groups of kids would probably be hanging around at that time of day too

Midatlantian · #3 (**permalink**) 05-01-2008, 07:23 PM

i am not sure how far out Greenford is, but I used to jog from the Sainsbury's on Ladbrook Grove for a few miles west on the canal.

Now, I often bicycle to Paddington from the Sainsbury's on the canal - by the two humped bridges - and I occasionally go west for an extra 15 minutes of riding as a sort of work-out.

Compared to the Grand Union around Islington, it seems quite innocent. I have never had a bad experience nor have I felt concerned. But I am a reasonably fit guy. I would be a bit more cautious about recommending the route to a woman riding alone. Why not try to find someone to ride with?

Having said that, there do seem to be a reasonable number of bicyclists commuting on that route.