Stroll along past the houseboats on Regent's Canal - a favorite with local anglers and canoeists. Or, stop for a pint in one of its waterside inns and watch the swans glide by.

There are miles of towpath to walk along from the Angel - eastwards through Hackney or into the Thames at Limehouse, or westwards via Little Venice to the Grand Union Canal.

Explore the hidden new river - once the main source of London's water, hidden away behind busy streets in the centre of Islington. You can follow the source all the way out to Hertfordshire from the New River head, off Rosebery Avenue. The best part in Islington still above ground is the hidden New River Walk behind Canonbury Villas, leading up to St Paul's Road.

The entrepreneur who first brought water to the area, Sir Hugh Myddleton, is commemorated by a statue on Islington Green.