Regent's Canal

As an antidote to culture and shopping overload, you might consider a walk along all or part of this 19th-century canal whose arc extends from posh and pretty Little Venice in west London's Maida Vale to atmospherically industrial Limehouse in the iconic East End. In between are the London Zoo, Regent's Park, Primrose Hill [possibly best views of London, adjacent to lovely and quaint neighbourhood], Camden Town [buzzy youth-culture-etcetera destination], King's Cross [lots of old and new London, including St Pancras railway station], Islington [hip lifestyle community and former home of gay playwright Joe Orton (1933–67) and ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair] and Hackney's Victoria Park. Warning: the towpath stops and starts again around King's Cross/Islington, so it's not an uninterrupted nine-mile stroll. Go on a grey day for a quintessential London experience.