Floating my boat

When I was 13 I remember taking my first trip along the Thames to the Tower of London with my impossibly miserable (even compared to me) French exchange. Nothing made her happy. But I adored the boat trip, and it's one of the first times I remember thinking how great London is. Since then I've tramped up and down the Thames in London on a regular basis - from Thames Ditton through to Greenwich by foot - between Teddington and Kew is gorgeous; around Limehouse on the north bank, and Rotherhithe on the south bank is magical. I didn't realise until I moved to the gritty penthouse earlier this year how much the river bends. A good disruptor of the north/south divide argument.

There are loads of ways of playing on the thames which I haven't yet done but would like to. The trips around Kingston and Hampton Court look great. The tate-to-tate boat (ok, I've done that one lots but would happily do it again and again). The boat to the new O2 dome, which I'd also like to see. Oh and also those Rib boats which tear up and down the river, for any time when speed is what you're looking for.

But as I found out not so long ago, Regents Canal is another waterway that snakes its way through the city - and one that I've explored much less. Really want to go on this - a mercifully commentary free trip (if I want to know, I can read) offered by the London Waterbus company. They even do a day-long trip through 12 locks...