Campaigners are calling for the southern stub of the City Road basin - drained and covered some years ago - to be reflooded and turned into an inner-city lake. Citing the covered portion's current lack of use, and the popularity of a waterfront view for some of the proposed developments in the area, campaigners told the Islington Gazette that they believe it could be converted into a popular recreational facility with minimal fuss. Given the......

Now, we don't want to get into another slanging match over cyclists not being careful when using public pathways. Been there, done that. So here's a brief mention that - following (in the Camden Gazette's words) "more than 10 incidents involving cyclists crashing into pedestrians at speed" since January - a towpath ranger has been appointed to bring order to the chaos of the Regent's Canal and ensure users respect the rules. Joseph Young's beat......

Is it just us, or has anyone else noticed an upsurge in abandoned teddy bears just lately? We found this soggy ursine lurking on the Regents Canal towpath a couple of weeks back. Then today, we encountered this equally maudlin fellow clutching the railings of Primrose Hill. No teddy bears' picnic for you, matey. The cosy, marmalade-filled life of Paddington is a rose-tinted fiction. In truth, London is a tough place for bears and always......

Little Venice today welcomes one of its big sister's more notable icons - the gondola. Well, sort of. British Waterways have licensed a number of paddle-powered taxis to plow along the Regent's, Grand Union and Hertford canals, and today the fleet of ten take to the water for the first time. 'Expert' canoeists (of which we've currently got a few doing rather well in Beijing) will pilot anybody willing to fork out £50 per......

What is it? Walking down a rail-side industrial backstreet, an ornate wrought iron entrance with busy events and wildlife sightings boards assures passers-by that this is no ordinary green patch. Within lie a shoebox wetland, a wildflower meadow and mixed woodlands, attracting avian, mammalian, amphibious and arthropod refugees from far and wide. Where is it? A little two acre patch of Farthing Wood in brownfields Camden, Camley Street is a haven known to many......

Indie/punk/folk/reggae ensemble The King Blues, whom you might recall us mentioning several months ago, spent about half an hour warming up for their Dingwalls gig in a rather innovative style this afternoon. A few dozen lucky fans, and a similar number of bemused passers-by, got to see them belting out a handful of songs from a barge, ambling up and down the Regent's Canal by Camden Lock. We stumbled across the performance and captured......

As anybody who's tripped and fallen after a pissed perambulation along its bank can tell you, the Regent's Canal doesn't have the most palatable taste. This hasn't dissuaded one mercurial bud-tickler, however, who has created an ice cream with a taste based on things found alongside the canal's murky waters. Eschewing the flotsam of rubber boots, trolleys and countless knows how many chthonic creepies, Arthur Potts Dawson, a restaurateur from the Kings Cross area,......

Sorry, sorry, sorry. We just can't help it. Tox spotting is our annual hobby. As usual, the moronic tag is plastered all along the Regents Canal, and we spotted it on the side of a Tube train the other day. This plucky yet monotonous scamp (or perhaps a one-trick phoney) just doesn't know when to quit.......

A survey of watery wildlife carried out this summer by British Waterways and enthusiastic public twitchers and nature lovers has confirmed that the flamboyant kingfisher is thriving in Regents Canal. Excellently, to make the canal an even better home for our birds, British Waterways are planning habitat improvement projects for Regents Canal including the installation of kingfisher boxes and tunnels (for them to nest in, rather than create their own underground network) and posts......

This week, we dip into the London, Old & New Flckr pool for a couple of shots of Camden Lock. Hard to beleive the Camden has had a market for only around 30 years, so strong is the association these days. Today, there are officially six separate markets, collectively attracting half a million visitors a week. The first of the market spaces nestled up against the Regents Canal at Camden Lock in 1972. Old warehouse......

It’s not often we feel the need to applaud a lawyer, but Lewis Pugh will deserve a pat on his sodden, algae-plastered back if he successfully swims the entire length of the Thames over the next few weeks. Mr Pugh, a veteran long-distance swimmer, is attempting the insane journey to raise awareness of environmental issues. Speaking of global warming, he commented: I'm hoping my swim down the River Thames will bring the message home......

Did you hear the one about the woman and the dolphin? Friends say they just clicked. Oddly, that rather satisfying pun is based on actual events. Londoner Sharon Tendler found a new porpoise in life, after marrying a male dolphin. Named Cinderella. Yes, the silly season has peaked early this year. The tragedy is that their life together was all too brief. Alas, Cyndy’s lifeless body was discovered last week, after a long battle......

Found near Harrow Road, alongside the Grand Union Canal. Someone (allegedly Banksy) has gone to a lot of trouble for a very weak punchline. In case you can’t read it: Once upon a time there was a Bear and a Bee who lived in a wood and were the best of friends. All summer long, the Bee collected nectar from morning to night while the Bear lay on his back basking in the long......