I walked along the canal from east (city centre from Wilford Road) to west (the marina). One of the main things I noticed was the amount of cyclist who use the tow path along the canal going both to and from the city centre. I visited the site at around 3:30-4:30 so it was quite close to rush hour which may have had an impact on it but some of them may just have been exercising. I think that it must be a quicker/ safer route into/ out of the city centre for many people.
There were not very many people walking however, and those who were mainly turned off the path at one of the cuts through to the retail park or the HMRC buildings. Because of this, it meant that there was not very busy and there was not a lot of noise, apart from the traffic on Castle Boulevard on the other side of the canal. I found that, despite this traffic, it was a very calm and peaceful place.
As you would expect on a canal, there were boats tied up, especially near the marina, but I also saw several when I first joined the canal at Wilford Road, who were moving between the lochs there.
The buildings along the canal vary in size and style massively; near the city centre, lots of the buildings are old industrial buildings which have been converted to have commercial uses such as bars or restaurants. This is common of lots of the buildinings by the canal nearer to the centre of town. As you move along the canal towards the marina the buildings become more residential and are a lot more modern; they are usually set further back from the waterway than the old industrial buildings which would have used the canal for their business. This may be to prevent flash flooding damages or just because it is easier to access if it is a little bit further away. On the south side of the canal there are lots of industrial looking buildings in the retail park and also the HMRC buildings; these cannot all be seen directly from the pathway.
There were not very many people walking however, and those who were mainly turned off the path at one of the cuts through to the retail park or the HMRC buildings. Because of this, it meant that there was not very busy and there was not a lot of noise, apart from the traffic on Castle Boulevard on the other side of the canal. I found that, despite this traffic, it was a very calm and peaceful place.
As you would expect on a canal, there were boats tied up, especially near the marina, but I also saw several when I first joined the canal at Wilford Road, who were moving between the lochs there.
The buildings along the canal vary in size and style massively; near the city centre, lots of the buildings are old industrial buildings which have been converted to have commercial uses such as bars or restaurants. This is common of lots of the buildinings by the canal nearer to the centre of town. As you move along the canal towards the marina the buildings become more residential and are a lot more modern; they are usually set further back from the waterway than the old industrial buildings which would have used the canal for their business. This may be to prevent flash flooding damages or just because it is easier to access if it is a little bit further away. On the south side of the canal there are lots of industrial looking buildings in the retail park and also the HMRC buildings; these cannot all be seen directly from the pathway.
Image above taken from brief, all photographs below are my own.
The photos I have taken show the emptiness and quietness of the anal, which does become more busy as you get closer to the marina (there are more boats, but only a few more people) and I haven't deliberately chosen photos with no people in them.