When the Grand Union Canal was cut through Apsley, it put the town on the main trade route to London. Today, the old towpath serves as a wonderful cycle route from nearby Hemel Hempstead or Kings Langley.
Apsley was once an important centre for paper manufacture. The Grand Union Canal transported huge amounts of raw materials on barges to the paper mills here. Full-scale production of paper only ended in the Second World War. Today, the old industrial buildings are now cafés and pubs.
