Camden Lock Market

I was a little surprised to see all these entries about it being crowded, because when I went today I was one of the only people there. Perhaps a Thursday late afternoon is a good time to go (assuming you don’t have a 9-5 job and are a tourist like me).

I had a small snack, but had forgotten to take my insulin with me so couldnt’ eat a proper meal and had to go home a little earlier than planned, ugh!

I wanted to buy so many things but couldn’t because my bags are jam-packed full from a year in new york, and I still have to get to the Netherlands and Hong Kong.

This place seems to have much more character to it than the more touristy parts of london, even if it is a little posed.

lot’s of food, clothes, and everything else!

Oh, and the street corner pictured… that’s where you can get the most AMAZING, refreshing orange juice.

The markets cover a huge area. On a Sunday there are 6 different markets open for business; selling crafts, clothing and antiques. Such a huge area and it was still full of people. It’s spring and London is crawling with tourists. A sunny day also encourages Londoners to head out and enjoy the weather. The narrow market paths were jam-packed and difficult to navigate. You couldn’t really stop to look at market wares properly as you’d hold up the queue of people behind you. Like most of my shopping outings in London, the crowd spoiled my browsing enjoyment. I’m obviously not equipped to live in a city of 8 million people.

My favourite part of the day was lunch. There were a number of food stalls and a variety of cuisines to choose from. Natalie recommended the arepa rellena, a Venezuelan / Colombian specialty. An arepa is a flat pancake of cornmeal, which is grilled, baked or fried. An arepa rellena is an arepa which has been split in half and filled with cheese and deli meats. Our arepa rellenas were fried and we choose to fill them with cheese, shredded beef and plantain. They were delicious. We topped off our meal with dorayaki, Japanese pancakes. We had two dorayaki, a custard filled and a red-bean filled pancake. To think we started our meal in South America and finished it in Asia.

Wear good walking shoes! Lots of stalls and shops to poke about in. Easily accessed by the Tube.

I used to live in Camden Town, just down the street from the Lock. My flat mates and I would walk down every weekend to try something new to eat… I miss it!

Went two days in a row actually…but didn’t buy anything but food. Maybe I should get a Camden Tee next time.

Too many people, too much overpriced quasi-ethnic tat, stallholders that leap on you and try to faux-friendly you into buying their shit. Samey-samey-samey shops, so much so that you get confused about whether you’ve been in them already. Even the floor got on my tits – really annoying cobbles and decking that play hell with your shoes. Didn’t like it here at all.

I imagine this place to be one of the best places ever. And I’m going in September. It’s on my agenda!

Interesting, intriguing, diverse, bizarre. Love it!

I have some clothes I love from the marketplace.