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Venice, famed for its gorgeous canals, quaint coffee terraces and romantic atmosphere, is on many people's bucket lists of places to visit.

But did you know that there is a similar beauty spot right here in England?

In fact it's less than one hour's drive from Surrey.

Located a few side streets from one of London's busiest train stations is Little Venice - and you would never know it was there.

The name actually has nothing to do with the Italian city and is widely believed that Lord Byron gave the area its name as it reminded him of the canal network of Venice, although the poet Robert Browning claimed it was he that coined it.

The main junction of the canal, Browning’s Pool, is named after him.

(Image: Roger Butler)

Positioned where the Grand Union and Regent’s canals meet near Paddington Station, narrowboats, day trip boats and water cafés line the oasis of peace and tranquillity making it a wonderful spot to enjoy a relaxing stroll and a bite to eat.

After soaking up the natural beauty and fresh air, visitors can hop on a boat to ZSL London Zoo or Camden to prolong their jaunt in the capital.

Easily one of the city's most picturesque hidden treasures, a group called IWA Canal Walks run regular meet ups to help guide anyone interested in exploring the historic gem.

Guided tour:

The IWA Canal Walks run every first and third Sunday of the month at 2.30pm, come rain or shine.

The expert canal guides provide full commentary and have some fantastic stories about life on the waterways.

These include details about some of the historic canal-side buildings, famous residents who chose/choose to live alongside there and tales of adventure, plots and ghostly goings-on.

(Image: Tim Lewis)

The walks last around two hours.

There is no need to book and walks cost £10 per person (£8 concessions and kids go free).

Fees from the Canal Walks are donated back to IWA and go towards helping to protect and restore the UK’s 6,500 miles of waterways.

A full calendar of all walks can be found at walks.com.

How to get to Little Venice: