Our London office is moving and I’m considering a bike commute from Marylebone / Baker Street over to Hoxton. Regents canal looks to head in the right direction so I might be able to fit in ten miles a day of pleasant flat-track plodding. Does anyone here use it and if so what’s it like in terms of surface and density of walkers / cyclists / obstacles to cycling / average speed at peak commute time?

It’s not ride able the whole way, you have to come off around Islington. It’s tarmac or flagstones for most of it, quoter in the cold and dark but is much busier in the summer

To be honest if I was doing that if mix it up on the road too. Quiet ones or fast ones, it’ll be much easier and faster

Don’t live in London or cycle the regents but I do use the grand Union in Milton Keynes and I find I have to ditch it in the winter as it turns to slop and I get caked in mud… Something to consider maybe?

I live near the grand Union at home and it’s a similar muddy slop problem here. Benp says it’s mainly tarmac & flagstones in central London so the main concern looks like pedestrians and other cyclists.

Very very busy – average speed needs to be low in rush hour. Walkers, joggers, cyclists going both ways and a narrow path.

Surface is mainly paved.

Not somewhere I would choose to ride in the dark outside of ‘peak’ commute time either in winter. In fact, I probably wouldn’t ride it in winter in the dark even in peak time.

Much faster to go by road but makes a nice change from the pollution!

Did it once. 😉

I’ve used it a few times on hire bikes (Santander Cycles) when I’m not in a hurry. It’s very slow, forever stopping/slowing for joggers, anglers, dog walkers and other riders. But it’s very scenic and generally reasonably well paved so at least you don’t get muddy like on most towpaths!

I once did Wembley to plaistow by canal, well as much as I could. Daytime, I was terrified most of the way you re a sitting duck, no pun intended, most of the way. Been some bad things happen all along the canal. At night, absolutely no chance.