Apsley, Grand Union Canal, Hemel Hempstead

The canal is located at Stationers place, Apsley, Hemel Hempstead. Its opening put the town of Apsley on the main trade route to London since it cut through the town. Currently, the old towpath is now a cycling route from nearby Hempstead or Kings Langley. Apsley which was once a major centre for paper manufacturing, used this canal to transport large amounts of raw materials on barges to the paper mills. The full-scale production of paper however, ended after the Second World War and now the old industrial buildings have been turned to pubs, cafes and the Paper Trail visitor centre at Frogmore Mill.

One can access the canal by car or by train at Apsely station which is a five-minute walk. The Canal hosts a small kids’ playground close to the hump-back bridge just off the canal. Visitors with kids can let them engage in sporting activities like playing football, playing with their toys or the different equipment installed for them at the ground. Elderly people are not left out of the fun things to do there too since they can choose to engage in activities like fishing or even canoeing. A boat is provided for tourists interested in this and with the help of a guide, a visitor can safely have a safe ride through the canal while having fun.

The Grand Union Canal also provides a nice spot to have nature walks or walk your dog. The ample space that the canal sits on enables one to comfortably do this and its overall beauty provides a breath-taking scenario of a perfect nature walk. It is also surrounded by eateries meaning a visitor can choose to have lunch or even a snack at any time. The various eateries around the canal include; The Paper Mill, Woodys and Calzone Essential Pizza, and they all serve mouth-watering dishes.
Weekend-offs by families, lovers, or people interested in having a nice time while enjoying nature, are surely spent here. Bringing company along and spending time alone or with your dog will still gurantee one some fun because of this park’s infrastructure and general outlook.