Little Venice – the pursuit of pleasure
Warwick Avenue underground station, London
Guided by Claire or Peter G. or Richard III or Shaughan
Walk Times
| Day | Walk Type | Start Time | End Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday | Weekly | 2 pm | 4 pm | Summer | Reserve Online |
| Sunday | Weekly | 2 pm | 4 pm | Winter Summer | Reserve Online |
| Wednesday | Weekly | 11 am | 1 pm | Winter Summer | Reserve Online |
N.B. this walk will not take place on the following dates:
30-09-2023 24-12-2023Short read: Little Venice – the pursuit of pleasure
Short listens: Shaughan’s done three delightful podcasts about the Little Venice Walk. If you listen to one or more of them you’ll get to know him – he’s a very special guy – and get a very good feel for (learn a great deal about) the Little Venice Walk.
Short listen 1: Here’s Act I of Shaughan’s Little Venice podcast series.
Short listen 2: Here’s Act II of Shaughan’s Little Venice podcast series.
Short listen 3: Here’s Act III of Shaughan’s Little Venice podcast series.
Long read: If you fancy something completely different this is the walk for you. Little Venice is the prettiest and most romantic spot in town. A unique combination of white stucco, greenery, and water, it boasts the finest early Victorian domestic architecture in London; a Who’s Who of famous residents (Freud, Browning, Edward Fox, David Ben-Gurion, Ruth Rendell, Mark Bolan, Joan Collins, and Annie Lennox to name but a few); and a jewel of a “village” street. And that’s not to mention its canals. One of them – Regent’s Canal – is “the loveliest inland waterway in England.” Part of the walk is along the canal towpath – which to this day is studded with fragments of evidence that bring the Age of Canals to life. And afterwards you can have tea – or a bite to eat – at a stylish canal-side cafe. N.B. the walk ends back at Warwick Avenue Tube Stop.
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE GUIDING
Don’t just take it from us..
LITTLE VENICE – THE PRACTICALS
Little Venice takes place every Sunday at 2 pm and every Wednesday at 11 am.
On Sundays it’s guided by Shaughan. On Wednesdays it’s guided by Peter or Richard III. The meeting point is just outside the exit of Warwick Avenue Tube. N.B. the Little Venice Walk ends back at Warwick Avenue Tube.
In California? Or Bangkok? But fancy an hour’s retreat to Little Venice? Here’s the Little Venice Virtual Tour.
LONDON WALKS REVIEWS
“Even jaded Londoners find these London Walks a source of astonishing gems of information about the city in which they live.” Daily Mail, Top London Treats
“What can I say that hasn’t been said already? I’ve just come back from London having been on the Old Jewish Quarter and Little Venice walks and they were both excellent. Little Venice was a completely different experience but equally enjoyable. Shaughan was something else with his jokes and songs and obvious knowledge of the area. When you consider Warwick Avenue is only one stop on from Paddington on the tube you’d think you were in a different country.” Walt R., Somerset UK
“Went along with 3 friends & joined the group gathering at Warwick Road tube ~ we numbered about 25 ~ nice & manageable. Very knowledgeable guide walked us around this very beautiful area steeped in history & tales …. Name dropping through the neighbourhood full of celebs & musicians ~ blue plaques galore denoting its cultural history. The canal itself is very picturesque ~ brightly painted canal boats ….. It has old-fashioned pubs a plenty ~ a magnificent garden centre ~ boutique shops …. It’s a gem ~ beauty in a calm oasis of green, hanging baskets lining the wide avenues colour the roads ~ we had an exceptionally valued afternoon tea at the Colonnade ~ and then a few glasses of chilled white in a local hostelry ~ a fab day in a very beautiful spot!” ETO5 Chelmsford, United Kingdom
“Our favourites were the tours of Little Venice, led by the musical Shaughan; A Village in Piccadilly, kudos to the entertaining Simon; and Hidden London, courtesy of excellent guide Ann.
“Our guide was Shaughan. He was very knowledgeable about the area, both the history and the famous people who have lived there. He included some poems and songs relevant to our route. It was fun and interesting.” Patricia Broxbourne Herford, United Kingdom
LONDON WALKS PRIVATE WALKS
If you can’t make any of the regularly scheduled, just-turn-up, public Little Venice walks do think about booking one as a private tour. If you go private you can have the Little Venice Walk – or any other London Walk – on a day and at a time that suits your convenience. We’ll tailor it to your requirements. And – always with private tours and walks – we go to great lengths to make sure the guide-walker(s) “fit” is well-nigh perfect. Ring Fiona or Peter or Niamh or Mary on 020 7624 3978 or email us at [email protected] and we’ll set it up and make it happen for you. A private walk makes an ideal group or educational or birthday party or office (team-building) or club outing. Or indeed a fab present – be it a birthday or anniversary or get-to-know-your-new neighbourhood gift or Christmas present or whatever. Merchandise schmerchandise (gift wrapped or not) – but giving someone an experience, now that’s special. Memories make us rich.
MIND THE GAP
Jerry Fryer –
Visited on Wednesday with Richard the Third…
I know my rhyming slang & they say there are some things you just can’t polish.
Richard doesn’t need polishing he’s already an accomplished guide. Great company, knowledgable & informative. We learnt a few pearls of wisdom & facts that we’d otherwise have been completely ignorant of.
Always good to visit parts of London you’d otherwise probably never visit let alone understand much of the history. A wonderful tour that we’d highly recommend!!!
Irene Gawne – LCA Trustee. –
A couple of hours of delight – information, poetry, anecdotes, musical theatre. Thank you Shaughan for an entertaining and fun tour last Wednesday. Many of our members were totally unaware of this area – a highly recommended walk.
Helen Woolf –
The walking tour of Little Venice with Richard III was wonderful. This is such a pretty part of London and Richard was incredibly informative and helpful with suggestions post walk both for lunch and further places to go.
Del Borra –
Absolutely enjoyable . Very informative. I did not know the area at all. Richard 111 was brilliant . Gave us lots of information.
Great sense of humour.
We enjoyed our lunch at the local garden centre afterwards.
Cathja Maas –
Our Little Venice walk with Richard III, was wonderful. Now i know where to get a really cheap egg roll and a nice cuppa, without having to put the kettle on myself. And i know a bit more about the importance of facades for houses and men. St. Mary’s church is lovely and i finally understand a bit about tromps d’oeil. And alas. Owning my own houseboat at Union canal as my pied a terre will probably always stay a dream, personal finances and bureaucracy stand in the way.
Monica Richards –
Little Venice walking tour yesterday was wonderful. Richard 111 was such a droll and informative guide. Would thoroughly recommend
Anthony Brown –
This was a really interesting and enjoyable walk! Very educational, and Richard III was very knowledgeable. We learned a lot about Little Venice – previously this was a part of London we knew little about. Richard had a good sense of humour and explained everything clearly. We will come back for another walk soon!
Andrew –
Entertaining couple of hours walk through Little Venice with Richard aka Richard the Third. Really knowledgeable guide, relaxed and informal but full of information and story about the area and the people who lived and worked there. Highly recommended.
Richard –
Sean was an excellent guide, teaching us, long term Maida Vale residents, many things we didn’t know. His poetry and ditties added to the enjoyment of the tour and the detail from coal hole covers, boot scrapers, canal horses and sundry plaques all brightened our day. Add in excellent weather and a very good afternoon was had by all.
stephen –
Richard III was a delightful guide. His depth of knowledge and his ability to present a complete picture was well received. He was reminiscent of one of my college professors with overtones of animation and humor. A very enjoyable experience. Highly recommended
Mike and Lindy –
Shaughan took us on this walk in the last week of December, and it was marvelous. His positive energy was infectious, and his talents as a guide, storyteller, and poet were top-notch. This was our second walk of the week, and it was (again) a bargain at 15 pounds. We saw and learned things that we would never have discovered on our own, and we can’t recommend this walk – and Shaughan – enough. ‘Loved our time!
John –
Shaughan was outstanding. Knowledgeable, entertaining, informative. Londoners would hugely enjoy this walk, rediscovering their own city. Why let tourists have all the fun.
Deirdre Sieghart –
What fun! Claire’s Little Venice Walk on 15 June brought the canals, streets and buildings alive. Her stories were entertaining and the walk was peppered with good information.
Tim Gifford –
Very interesting and enlightening tour by Shaughan whose knowledge and humour made it a very interesting walk around a quiet area of the city. This walk is highly recommended.
Susan Yosef –
Really enjoyed this walk, with the always brilliant Peter G. I enjoy walks with all London Walks guides, but I confess that Peter is my favorite. Never dull, always informative. You can ask Peter about London art, theater, architecture, or anything really. Not much he doesn’t know.
Linda –
Really enjoyed our walk with Peter. It’s an area of London that I haven’t visited before and I found it to be so very interesting and well worth a visit.
P Brown –
Very enjoyable and interesting walk with Peter, who was friendly, funny and knowledgeable. Highly recommended and value for money.
M Bates –
Great walk, very interesting with a knowledgeable tour guide.
Freda Norsworthy –
Interesting walk with very knowledgeable/friendly tour guide
Andrew –
Excellent. Shaughn was entertaining and informative.
Jevgenija –
A wonderful walk with Shaughan. Thank you very much
Steve –
A wonderful couple of hours with Shaughn. He possesses a vault of knowledge about the area and he is highly entertaining. I would happily do this tour with him again.
Jo –
Very nice walk in little Venice by Peter. Interesting, beautiful and funny. Worth going!