Islington / Hackney / Tower Hamlets · managed by Canal & River Trust
Regent's Canal: Islington to Victoria Park via Hertford Union
linear · easy
Off-lead rules
Off-lead rules unverified
We could not find an official source stating the off-lead position here, so we are not stating one. Public Spaces Protection Orders are enforceable and carry fixed penalties — check the borough council’s current order before letting your dog off the lead.
The Canal & River Trust requires dogs to be kept under close control but does not mandate a lead. Whether the Hackney or Tower Hamlets PSPO on-lead schedules capture the towpath is not stated in either order.
On-lead areas: Keep dogs on a short lead around busy spots like locks and bridges. Dogs are not permitted to swim in the canals.
Seasonal: Canal & River Trust advise keeping dogs on a lead in winter when a frozen canal can be mistaken for solid ground.
A Public Spaces Protection Order applies here. Tower Hamlets' dog control PSPO (made 30 April 2025, 3 years) and Hackney's dog control PSPO (updated 18 March 2024) both apply borough-wide to public places, though neither names the towpath in its on-lead schedule.
The walk itself
- Start point
- Wharf Road, City Road Basin N1
- Nearest station
- Angel
- Terrain
- canal towpath through inner east London
- Surface
- surfaced towpath
- Accessibility
- level; unfenced water's edge throughout
- Mud
- low
- How quiet
- low
- Suits a reactive dog
- poor
- Water access
- Yes
- Swimming allowed
- No
- Livestock
- No
- Wildlife
- medium
- Stiles
- Not stated
- Gates
- No
- Lighting
- Not stated
- Toilets
- Not stated
- Waste bins
- Not stated
- Parking
- No
- Café on site
- Yes
“Not stated” means our source did not cover it. We leave gaps rather than fill them.
Notes
Connects Islington and Shoreditch to Victoria Park. Very busy with cyclists. Distance not verified.
Rules changed?
PSPOs get renewed and amended. If the signage on the ground disagrees with what is here, the signage is right and we are wrong — please tell us.
Submit a correction