Little Venice to Harlesden: Angels, Parrots and Galicia

Good to know.

• Check Kensal Green Cemetery’s current gate time and remember that it is an active cemetery, not only a heritage site.
• The canal and Roundwood Park are exposed; wet weather makes the long outdoor middle less appealing.
• Confirm Centro Galego is open on the day rather than building dinner around remembered hours.
• Check The Lexi’s current programme if a film is part of the plan.
• Brent lists public toilets in Roundwood Park, but works or temporary access changes may affect availability; use venue toilets as backup.

Last walked.

Walked in person by Slightly Elsewhere from Warwick Avenue to Willesden Junction. The westward order, cemetery, Paradise rooms, Kensal Rise section, Roundwood Park and Centro Galego finish have been checked on foot. Paradise itself was visited; its karaoke was not. Opening hours, cemetery access, park toilets, screenings and event listings can still change.

No field notes from readers yet — share one if you walk it.

Start without guessing.

Open the whole walk (opens in a new tab)

Use live walking directions at canal access points and road crossings. Check cemetery gates, the current Paradise programme, Lexi screenings and Centro Galego before setting out. Roundwood Park is listed as having public toilets, but renovation or temporary access changes may still affect them.

We never ask for your location.

West London gradually loosens its tie: canal edges, cemetery angels, community institutions, municipal parrots and a Galician room near the railway.

Start among the narrowboats of Little Venice and keep walking west: the pretty canal becomes a more functional one, Victorian monuments give way to a darkly theatrical room, and community Kensal Rise leads to a municipal hill with parrots. If the opening hours agree with reality, the walk lands over Galician food in Harlesden before the short practical finish at Willesden Junction.

Who it suits, and who it does not.

• A long afternoon that can become dinner
• A date or small group who like noticing odd details
• Someone who knows central west London but not what lies beyond it

Not ideal for

• A late start after the cemetery and park have lost their daylight
• A step-free promise without checking live access
• Anyone who needs every venue to keep predictable hours

Not a conventional tourist itinerary and not a pub crawl. Paradise is one atmospheric room; Centro Galego is the food finale.

The route.

1. Warwick Avenue → Little Venice

   start · 10–15 min · 2–5 min to next

   Warwick Avenue station and Little Venice basin, London W2

   From the start Leave Warwick Avenue station and walk south to the canal basin, then turn west rather than circling the water.

   Give the basin ten minutes: narrowboats, bridges, still water and a very polished version of west London. Its job is to set the baseline. The route becomes less curated from here.

   Walk here from the station to Warwick Avenue → Little Venice (opens in a new tab)Official information for Warwick Avenue → Little Venice (opens in a new tab)

2. Grand Union Canal – the long transition west

   walk · 40–50 min · 5–10 min to next

   Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal, Little Venice towards Kensal Green

   From the previous stop Join the Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal and follow it west towards Kensal Green, using the live route at bridge and access changes.

   The water stays the same while its surroundings become more residential, industrial and functional. Boats give way to railway edges and the backs of buildings: London becoming less curated, without needing to turn that into a drama.

   Walk from the previous stop to Grand Union Canal – the long transition west (opens in a new tab)Official information for Grand Union Canal – the long transition west (opens in a new tab)

3. Kensal Green Cemetery – monuments and two crematorium mysteries

   walk · 45–60 min · 15–20 min to next

   Kensal Green Cemetery, Harrow Road, London W10

   From the previous stop Leave the canal for the public cemetery entrance and check the gate time before committing to the interior.

   Opened in 1833 and influenced by Père-Lachaise, the oldest of London’s Magnificent Seven is a city of Victorian monuments, mausoleums and listed structures. Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Charles Babbage and Harold Pinter are enough of a roll call. Alan Rickman was cremated at West London Crematorium within the complex; his ashes went back to his family. Freddie Mercury was cremated here too, although what happened to his ashes afterwards remains one of London’s more persistent cemetery mysteries. A small plaque naming Farrokh Bulsara appeared here and later disappeared: treat that as an unresolved story, not a burial location.

   Walk from the previous stop to Kensal Green Cemetery – monuments and two crematorium mysteries (opens in a new tab)Official information for Kensal Green Cemetery – monuments and two crematorium mysteries (opens in a new tab)

4. Paradise by way of Kensal Green – find the Reading Room

   pub · 30–45 min · 15–20 min to next

   19 Kilburn Lane, London W10 4AE

   From the previous stop Exit towards Harrow Road and use the live crossings to reach 19 Kilburn Lane.

   Come for the rooms, not to turn the route into a crawl. Portraits, chandeliers, dark furniture and church-like references make it theatrical, slightly sinister and decadent rather than cosy. Find the Reading Room: the library looks more scholarly than it really is, but the room is still worth finding. The venue currently presents itself online as The Belvedere@Paradise, so check the current name, access and programme before going.

   Walk from the previous stop to Paradise by way of Kensal Green – find the Reading Room (opens in a new tab)Official information for Paradise by way of Kensal Green – find the Reading Room (opens in a new tab)

   Optional event

   Stay for whatever Paradise is doing tonight

   The venue advertises a changing programme of live events and parties; karaoke may appear, but do not build the route around an old listing. Check what’s on before you go. The rooms have been personally visited; the karaoke has not.

   Open this point (opens in a new tab)Check the current programme (opens in a new tab)

5. Kensal Rise Library – the one the neighbourhood brought back

   view · 10–15 min · 20–25 min to next

   Bathurst Gardens, London NW10 5JA

   From the previous stop Continue north through Kensal Rise to Bathurst Gardens at College Road.

   A neighbourhood library opened by Mark Twain in 1900, closed more than a century later, then effectively fought back into existence by the people around it. It now runs independently with volunteer support. Check the live hours if you want to go inside; the community story is the stop.

   Walk from the previous stop to Kensal Rise Library – the one the neighbourhood brought back (opens in a new tab)Official information for Kensal Rise Library – the one the neighbourhood brought back (opens in a new tab)

   Want to turn the walk into a film night?

   The Lexi Cinema

   A volunteer-supported independent cinema and social enterprise rooted in Kensal Rise; its distributable profits go to charity. Use it as a bad-weather branch, an alternative ending or a deliberate film night, not a compulsory two-hour pause before dinner. Check the live programme rather than relying on a remembered title.

   Open this point (opens in a new tab)Check the current programme (opens in a new tab)

6. Roundwood Park – The Knowle and the aviary

   walk · 35–50 min · 15–20 min to next

   Roundwood Park, Harlesden Road, London NW10 3SH

   From the previous stop Walk north-west through the residential streets to the Harlesden Road side of the park; take the Lexi branch first only if using it.

   This late-Victorian municipal park opened in 1895 and earns its place three times. Climb The Knowle: it is not much of a mountain, but London is flat enough that the view towards Wembley is surprisingly decent. Then find the modest aviary, where small parrots and other birds provide one of the walk’s odder discoveries. Brent lists public toilets here, although access may still vary while renovation work finishes.

   Walk from the previous stop to Roundwood Park – The Knowle and the aviary (opens in a new tab)Official information for Roundwood Park – The Knowle and the aviary (opens in a new tab)

   Optional daytime stop

   Roundwood Lodge Cafe

   Simple, old-school and useful for coffee or a panini rather than speciality brunch. It often closes relatively early, so treat the cafe as a bonus rather than a plan.

   Open this point (opens in a new tab)

7. Centro Galego de Londres – Galicia for dinner

   dinner · 60–90 min · 7–10 min to next

   869 Harrow Road, London NW10 5NG

   From the previous stop Leave Roundwood Park towards Harrow Road and follow the live route to number 869.

   This is not simply a Spanish restaurant: it is tied to London’s Galician community and feels like a social and cultural centre with food. The room is familial, communal and unpolished in the useful sense; dinner is the reason to finish here. People who love it tend to be unusually enthusiastic about it. Check that they are actually open before setting off. Opening hours here should be treated more as useful information than a binding contract.

   Walk from the previous stop to Centro Galego de Londres – Galicia for dinner (opens in a new tab)Official information for Centro Galego de Londres – Galicia for dinner (opens in a new tab)

8. Willesden Junction – finish here

   finish · 5 min

   Station Approach, Harlesden, London NW10 4UY

   From the previous stop After dinner, take the short walk to Willesden Junction and use the entrance shown by the live map.

   This is the clean linear ending: Bakerloo, Lioness and Mildmay lines home, with no reason to send the route back east.

   Walk from the previous stop to Willesden Junction – finish here (opens in a new tab)Official information for Willesden Junction – finish here (opens in a new tab)

Finish and easy exit.

After dinner, take the short walk to Willesden Junction. The Bakerloo, Lioness and Mildmay lines make this the clean linear ending; do not send the route back east.

Open Willesden Junction (opens in a new tab)Check the current service (opens in a new tab)