Monday, April 13, 2015

Despite the numerous trips we’ve made to London, I had never visited the well-known Camden Market.

This time, I visited twice and was inundated by the 700+ stalls that make up Camden Market and the funky, quirky, retro stores that line Camden High Street. Wow! The storefronts are like giant, in-your-face billboards screaming their particular product – a lot of shoes. I couldn’t resist buying a new pair of Vans with neon pink shoe laces!

Hubby and I playing along Camden High Street and stopping in one of the local pubs for a pint.
Warning: on the weekend, this street and the markets were absolutely mobbed with tourists and potentially some locals as well when we first visited. However, stop by on a Monday like I did or another weekday and you’ll find the markets much less crowded.

Continue walking up the street and you’ll find the lively Camden Market, which is actually made up of three separate markets – Union Street, The Lock and The Stables. The Stables Market gets its name from its previous incarnation as a horse hospital because, in Victorian times, the stables were where horses injured pulling barges down the canals were treated.
Today, you’ll find a catacombs of stalls selling everything from Turkish lamps and kilims to military jackets, cheap T-shirts and homemade clothes, belts and more.
The Camden Market is enormous! I spent about five hours wandering around the tiny lanes on a Monday afternoon; I still didn’t even cover all the stalls because there’s just too much to see and photograph! Every turn yields a new discovery in the numerous nooks and crannies here.
I love these old doors in the Stables Market!
The view along Regent's Canal in Camden.
After I wandered through the markets and ate a delicious gluten-free falafel lunch, I strolled through some of the neighboring side streets and found colorful houses like I did in Notting Hill as well as come cool street art.
Every time I visit London, I discover something new and I love photographing those little discovery moments. That’s the joy of big cities – they are constantly morphing and changing – meaning there are always reasons to visit.

Have you visited Camden Market?

My Traveling Joys

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2 comments:

Heather | Ferreting Out the Fun said...

Colorful is right! This looks like a super fun place to explore. I really need to get back to London. I visited twice as a teenager and so have opted for new-to-me places instead. But there's so much there I haven't seen!

Joy said...

@Heather, We've mainly been to London so much bc of my husband's job...it's been easy to tag along. I always find something new to explore! :)