London Parks Way
Stage 4 Baker Street to Trafalgar Square 12 mile
This stage starts with a circuit through Regents Park and then proceeds to visit Primrose Hill and the Regents Canal and then provides a route through Hyde Park, Green Park and St James Park. The stage finishes at Trafalgar Square.
Leave station by the exit onto the north side of Marylebone Road, where there is a statue to Sherlock Holmes. Turn left to pass Madame Tussauds on left. Turn left along York Gate, opposite the grand facade of Marylebone Parish church. Cross bridge over Regents Park Lake and continue to reach junction with Inner Circle. Enter Queen Mary’s Gardens through the imposing Jubilee Gates. Take first path on right to go anticlockwise around lake (rose garden begins on your right). Continue to take first left over boardwalk crossing reed beds. Take path on half right and then take right fork up hill. At top take right fork and then turn left up steps onto viewpoint above waterfall.
Descend steps and turn left along path. At bottom take first path on left and cross bridge. Ignoring the boardwalk, which was crossed earlier, take right fork followed by another right fork. At junction turn left through main part of rose garden. Just before notice board turn left to pass toilets on right. Take next path on right up hill then descend to junction and turn right. Continue past mermaid fountain and take second path on left. Take right fork passing Regents Park Open Air Theatre. Take next path on left and then first path on right (paving stones) to junction. Take path on half right to pass café on right and exit Queen Mary’s Gardens through gate to re-join Inner Circle (1.3 miles).
Cross road and turn right eventually reaching gate marked Longbridge beside notice board. Turn left to enter main part of Regents Park. Cross bridge and take first path on left passing lake on left. At junction turn left over blue bridge and again over 2nd blue bridge. Turn left to go between pond on right and café on left. Go ahead with lake on left ignoring bridge on left to go around lake eventually crossing York Gate. Note again Marylebone Parish church, on right (2.5 miles).
Go ahead through gate and take right fork eventually reaching Avenue Gardens. Take first left to go through gardens. At end turn right through gate to cross Chester Road and re-enter Regents Park through gate opposite. Pass café and toilets on left and later pass another café (currently Smokehouse Burger) on left. Go ahead to Victorian drinking fountain. Turn left and then take first path on right past Regents Park Zoo on right to exit Regents Park (3.8 miles).
Cross Outer Circle and then go along Primrose Hill Bridge over Regents Canal. Cross Prince Albert Road and enter Primrose Hill. Toilets can be found on your right. Climb to top of Primrose Hill straight up grass or by using tarmac paths. There are splendid views of London skyline. Facing view, take left hand path downhill and continue left at fork and continue to exit Primrose Hill at the junction of Primrose Hill Road and Regents Park Road. Cross Regents Park Road and turn right. Turn left along Chalcot Crescent. At Chalcot Square turn right along Chalcot Road. At junction turn left along Princes Street. At end turn right and just before bridge, at sign to Regents Park Canal turn left to join towpath and turn right (5.1 miles)
Go along towpath for 1 mile passing Regents Park Zoo Aviary, with its many exotic species. Continue past Grand Mansions, on the left bank of the canal. Just after a railway bridge you reach a green pedestrian bridge. Cross and turn right. Cross Lisson Grove at crossing and turn right. Just past canal turn left along footpath and continue ahead to Aberdeen Place, passing pub on corner. Cross Edgware Road and go ahead along Bloomfield Road. Just before road junction with Warwick Avenue turn left on to towpath and turn right under blue bridge to enter large canal basin, Little Venice (7.2 miles).
Cross second blue bridge at junction with Grand Union Canal and turn left. Continue by side of canal past statues and restaurants on right. Turn right into Paddington Station. Turn left and at large overhead notice board, turn right and continue alongside platform 8 to main concourse. (7.6 miles)
Refreshments are straight ahead through automatic doors. If you wish use the escalator to right of sushi bar to reach the CAMRA recommended “Mad Bishop and Bear Pub” that serves Fullers beers and has good toilet facilities. Leave Paddington Station to left of W H Smith. Cross Praed Street and go along London Street. Cross Sussex Gardens and continue on right hand side of Sussex Place. Turn right along the attractive Bathurst Mews (between 8 and 10 Sussex Place). At the end of the mews is the Hyde Park Riding Stables. Turn right along Bathurst Street and then turn left along Westbourne Street to cross Stanhope Terrace and Bayswater Road and enter Kensington Gardens (8 miles).
Turn right and then turn left at the Italian Gardens with Long Water on right. Continue passing Henry Moore’s restored arch with views of Kensington Palace in distance. Just before Serpentine Bridge go up steps on left and turn right to road (Serpentine Sackler Gallery is on the left). Turn right across bridge. Cross road with care and go ahead to enter Hyde Park and continue to reach Princess Diana’s Memorial Fountain (8.7 miles).
Go ahead with Serpentine on left to pass Serpentine Lido on right (free toilets). Continue around the Serpentine until reaching the Serpentine Bar and Kitchen (former Dell café) on left. Turn right and take first path on left to reach Rose Garden. Continue straight on through garden. At distinctive statue of a man and a fish turn left to road then turn right to reach road. On the left you can see the massive statue of Achilles made out of captured canons from the Battle of Waterloo and also a memorial to the victims of the 7th July bombings (9.3 miles).
Turn right and cross road to reach large gates (note Apsley House former home to the Duke of Wellington on left). Do not go through gates but instead turn right and go down steps on left next to ladies toilet. Take subway on left and pass entrance to Hyde Park Corner tube station. At junction turn left (exit 2) passing drawings on walls depicting Wellington’s victory at Waterloo. Reach Wellington Arch Traffic Island (9.7 miles).
The New Zealand War Memorial is on your left, Wellington Arch is straight ahead and the Australian War Memorial is on your right. Cyclists at various speeds come through the Wellington Arch and it is safer and more interesting to take the route on your right to pass the Australian War Memorial (10 miles).
Cross road into Green Park. Turn left to reach the recently built memorial to Bomber Command depicting the crew of a Lancaster Bomber. Take first path on right and then take path on right just before distinctive lamp post. Go past Canadian War Memorial on left and exit Green Park (10.4 miles).
Cross Constitution Hill at traffic lights and pass front of Buckingham Palace. The Victoria Memorial on left is worth a visit (be careful of cyclists). Cross road with care using pedestrian crossings to reach right hand side of St James's Park. Go up steps to path overlooking lake. Turn left passing metal notice board on left containing map of area. At junction turn right and immediately turn right to enter St James’s Park and continue past kiosk on right to lake (10.7 miles)
Turn left with lake on right. Continue to cross bridge on right. Turn left to pass Pelican Rock and Swiss Chalet. Turn right to exit St James’s Park. Cross road with care and pass through Horse Guards Parade to reach Whitehall (11.5 miles).
To the right there is the Cenotaph, Downing Street, and the Houses of Parliament, however turn left towards Trafalgar Square. At end of Whitehall turn right to cross to traffic island then immediately turn left to traffic island containing equestrian statue of King Charles I. This is the official centre of London being the original site of King Edward I’s main Eleanor Cross. Continue to Trafalgar Square (12 miles).
The nearest station is Charing Cross (Overground and Northern Line). There are plenty of pubs selling food along Whitehall. Covent Garden is a short distance away.
