London Calling Week 7 - Limehouse Basin to Dapdune Wharf

Monday 15th July - Limehouse Basin to Paddington Basin

Last night we moored up against the wall of Limehouse Marina and shared the space with some very large sea going vessels.  This is all over looked by a vast number of apartment buildings and the DLR - Docklands Light Railway.

The DLR is an automated light metro system opened in 1987 to serve the redeveloped Docklands area of East London.

The first lock out of the Marina, we begin to climb up towards Paddington Basin.  The third lock refused to fill so that we could open the gates and after 30 minutes of waiting we used the boat to push the gates open, another report to Canal and River Trust.

A floating bookshop, what a great idea.  There appeared to be a lot of people milling around and browsing inside the boat.

At this lock we were joined by the boat behind us and we were able to share the locks with them.  Always a good thing as it makes full use of the water in the lock.  Here we also saw Andrew Marr, who cheerfully responded to our greeting.

I was impressed with this street graffiti advertising a bar and nightclub, a few years back I went on a graffiti tour in London with a friend and I am always on the lookout for eye catching graffiti.

Camden Lock, once again a huge crowd of onlookers, and we were lucky to have volunteer lock keepers to help us through. The crowd was very supportive and wished us well on our journey.

This bridge beside Regents Park is known as Blow Up Bridge, the Macclesfield Bridge was blown up by a barge full of gunpowder killing all on board in October 1874, this second bridge uses the iron columns from the original bridge which survived the explosion.

We arrived back in Paddington Basin and moored up at on of the pre-bookable pontoons.  Unfortunately we had unwittingly moored at a widebeam mooring and had to move when the wide beam arrived to claim its mooring.  We just moved to the other side of the pontoon! 

We also spent a lovely couple of hours catching up with our niece Jasmin, who is studying in London, and took time out to pay us a visit.

8.5 miles, 12 locks, 6 hrs 30 mins cruising time.

Tuesday 16th July - Paddington Basin to Engineer's Wharf

This morning we left Paddington after doing a quick shop on our final few days heading towards the Thames at Brentford.  We had seen this duck over the days we were in the Basin and today she was proudly leading her brood of ducklings around the basin.  There are a lot of ducklings!

We pulled in to fill up with water, empty rubbish and use the Elsan, this is a bubble machine which, we were told, keeps the rubbish and duckweed out of Little Venice and Paddington Basin.  

Further on you can see what happens when the duckweed grows at its alarming rate.  This craft is collecting the weed and sending it for recycling, but it seems to be making very little difference!

Wembley Stadium is over there beneath the arch, but that is the best we can do.

We have moored up for the evening just before Engineer's Wharf and tomorrow we head for Brentford and if the timings are right get onto the River Thames by the middle of the afternoon.  Very exciting! 

10.75 miles, 0 locks, 4 hrs 30 mins cruising time.

Wednesday 17th July - Engineers' Wharf to Teddington Lock

We set off nice and early this morning in order to catch the afternoon opening of Brentford Lock onto the River Thames.  This lovely picture of a green tree is hiding a dozen parakeets which were flying noisily around as we cruised beneath these branches.  I'm afraid I can't see them so you will have to take my word for it!  The ring-necked, or rose-ringed, parakeet is the UK's most abundant naturalised parrot. It became established in the wild in the 1970s after captive birds escaped or were released.

These are the first swans we have seen since being in London, the cygnets look well and growing happily.

We have now reached the end of the Paddington Arm and will turn left here to rejoin the Grand Union Canal.

Very quickly we came past these houseboats, but this time they were two story buildings, and some had really pretty gardens.

As we came down Hanwell Locks into Brentford we passed Hanwell Hospital, a Victorian mental asylum which is all bricked up.  Hanwell was the first pauper lunatic asylum for the county of Middlesex. It opened in June 1831, originally to take 500 patients, but the building was enlarged in 1831, 1837, 1857 and 1879 to cope with the increasing demand for beds. In 1888 the Asylum had 1891 patients.   The bricked up arch was a delivery arch for the hospital.

This iron roving bridge is made by the same foundry as the bridges at Braunston.  The boat behind us has been sharing the locks with us.

Brentford looked very attractive with moored boats and modern canal side flats and apartments.  We went down through the gauging lock here and moored up in front of the Thames Lock to wait for the opening time of 2.15.

We have locked down onto the River Thames and are now beginning to leave the lock along side nbOleanna.  We followed them out of the lock and then turned right to go upstream with the incoming tide...

...and here we are on the River Thames.  This is the first time we have travelled on a tidal river and I have to say I was incredibly nervous, Dave said he had never known me to be so quiet!!!

We passed beneath the flight path of planes coming in to land at Heathrow.  

Passed beneath Twickenham Bridge, been over that bridge a few times on our way to rugby at Twickenham Stadium.

We are approaching Teddington Lock, heading to Launch Lock on the right of the photo.  We had to breast up with nbOleanna and a widebeam as an enormous boat was coming down the lock.

Once we were in the lock and were locking up, we were then challenged by the EA as they didn't accept our email copy of our Gold Licence.  It was most unpleasant as there were two other boats and gongoozlers witnessing us being called liars and we would have to buy a licence.  We moored up out of the lock and Dave called CRT and returned to the lockkeepers to let them sort it out with CRT.  We now have a new copy of the licence on our phones and ipads, should we be challenged again, and apologies were made and accepted all round.  Not a pleasant welcome to our Thames experience!  However, we did a little exploring of Teddington and found a very pleasant pub with a garden to have a calming drink in.

13.75 miles, 14 locks, 6 hrs 54 mins cruising time.

Thursday 18th July - Teddington to Hampton Court

This Dutch Barge had been moored behind us over night, it had been for a new paint job and was heading back to its moorings in Staines.  Very smart it was too.

We left Teddington behind and made our way up river as far as Hampton Court and managed to get a mooring beside Hampton Court Palace.

We spent a lovely afternoon exploring the grounds around Hampton Court as far as we could go with Toby and in the evening we left Toby on the boat and enjoyed a delicious French meal in a lovely French restaurant Le Petit Nantais across the river in East Molesey.

 4.25 miles, 0 locks, 1 hr 24 mins cruising time.

Friday 19th July - Hampton Court to Pyrford Lock

Our second lock of the day was very pretty with a delightful lock keepers cottage dating back to 1959. Unfortunately what promised to be a dry morning changed to heavy rain and we approached the River Wey Navigation in full wet weather gear and everything was soaked.

We took the straight Desborough Cut and headed south down the River Wey.

Having found the right channel for the River Wey, we headed for the Stop Lock, put on water and then went through theThames Lock.  Here we met the lock keeper, bought our licence for the River Wey, which is owned by the National Trust, and pulled over onto the lock landing to wait for the heavy rain to pass over.  

Once it began to look a little brighter we continued on a short distance to Pyrford Visitor Moorings and moored up for the night.  The locks on the River Wey are different from anything we have experienced before, and it took a while to get used to them, the windlass is different, we were able to loan one free of charge and hand it back when we leave the Navigation.

10.5 miles, 6 locks, 6 hrs cruising time.

Saturday 20th July - Pyrford to Cartbridge

We woke this morning to clear skies and a much improved feel to the day.  Our second lock was Walsham Flood Gates which are left open unless the river is in flood, it is the last remaining turf-sided lock on the navigation.

Moored above the flood gates we found nbElla, had to take a picture of her!

Newark Priory is a 12 Century Augustinian Priory standing in a meadow alongside the River, it was dissolved during the reign of King Henry VIII, and is on private land.

Two species of geese we don't see very often from where we come from, the Greylag Goose and the Egyptian Goose, both very attractive to look at.

Papercourt Lock is arguably the prettiest on the river with a stepped weir and charming garden.

We moored at Cart Bridge for the night and had a lovely visit from Annie and Alba, Alba is 2 months old today and is taking a well earned nap!

3.75 miles, 4 locks 2 hrs 18 mins cruising time.

Sunday 21st July - Cartbridge to Dapdune Wharf

Woke to sunny skies and a gentle breeze and set off through the second set of flood gates, the river then resumes its rural navigation, very pleasant and gentle cruising.

There are some very sharp bends on the river some with weirs and others before going into a lock, meant for very careful manoeuvring of the boat.

Just north of Guildford is Dapdune Wharf, where we called in to use the services only to discover you could moor overnight for free.  So we moored up and took a stroll into Guildford for some essentials and Sunday Lunch!  Dapdune Wharf is the historic home of the Wey barges that worked the waterways from Guildford to the Port of London in the first half of the nineteenth century.

5.75 miles, 4 locks, 2 hrs 54 mins cruising time.

Week 6 - Berkhamsted to Paddington Basin

Monday 8th July - Berkhamsted to Nash Mills

We left early this morning and made our way down the first of 17 locks.  We spoke to the owner of the lock keeper's cottage and she described it as long and thin like a narrowboat and originally was one room, it looked beautiful though.

The Rising Sun at this lock was flying 2 important flags, the European Union and LGBT flags, both close to our hearts.

An interesting boat, not sure how it works, but someone has worked hard on it!

This was one of the few key operated swing bridges we have come across on this canal.  It is beside a pub, so lots of people watching as you hold up the traffic.

This was taken having come through Fishery Lock - it was such a leaky lock that we had to harness the power of the boat to open the gates, Dave tied the bow rope to the gates and I put the boat into hard reverse and gradually the gates opened!  Fortunately there was a cafe at the top and we had cake as a reward for our hard work!

We moored at Nash Mills for the night.  The boats on the left of the picture are all widebeam tour boats, providing day trips for the good people of Hemel Hempstead.

This building is what remains of an old paper mill, the Gade River in this area was known for a number of paper mills, Nash Mills being one of them, the clock has Basildon Bond written in place of the numbers.

5.75 miles, 17 locks, 6 hrs 18 mins cruising time.

Tuesday 9th July - Nash Mills to Stocker Lock, Rickmansworth

We left Nash Mills and collected a single boater on the way to share the locks with.  Here we have our first view of the M25 and behind it is overground in to London.  We are getting closer to London!

Bridge 164, Grove Bridge was ornamented at the request of the local landowner, and gives access to The Grove, an 18th Century mansion.

Between the bridges in Cassiobury there is to be a floating market, much of the mooring has been suspended to make way for the canal market traders.  It should be a very colourful event.

At this lock we were photographed so often, I decided to return the compliment!

At this lock the cottage is below the level of the lock, what we can see is the upper windows, and the front door is below the white fence.

Much of the route of the canal along here follows the course of the River Gade, with weirs in several places along the canal.

I don't think I have enough plants on our boat, they suggested I could squash them up and put a few more on!

We moored up opposite Stocker's Farm and had a walk around the numerous lakes just south of Rickmansworth.

Toby enjoyed a cooling swim in the river, I think he must be the only dog who shakes himself whilst in the water!

8.5 miles, 14 locks, 6 hrs 48 mins

Wednesday 10th July - Rickmansworth to Denham Deep Lock

We left our mooring early and made our way towards Hillingdon, this boatyard has narrowboats for hire for disabled and disadvantaged groups.

We stopped to put on water and after the lock we found a slalom course set out as the water came back from the weir.  

At Black Jack's Lock was a cafe where Dave bought homemade cakes from, delicious they were too!  We moored up above Denham Deep Lock for the night and went for a lovely walk through the country park and around the village of Denham. 

This is an example of some of the very attractive buildings in Denham.  It was the site of the Denham Film Studios, and has been home to a number of notable residents including Cilla Black, Paul Daniels, Sir John Mills and Sir Roger Moore.

5 miles, 4 locks 4 hrs 12 mins cruising time.

Thursday 11th July - Denham Deep Lock to Paddington Basin

A very attractive duck on the canal, taken just before we set off on our way to Paddington Basin.  We were lucky and shared the few locks today with another boat also on its way in to London.  

On the way we passed the entrance to the Slough Arm, we had wondered about cruising down the Arm but we decided that we would leave it for another time, as some of the reports had suggested it was rather unpleasant.  

This was the site of the Nestle factory which is being totally demolished, the dust rising from here was amazing, leaving our windows quite dirty!

Here we are at the left turn onto the arm which leads down to Paddington Basin, totally lock free and an easy run into the capital.

Or so we thought - it was really not the most pleasant journey we have ever made.  The canal was choked with green weed, rubbish lay on top of the weed and this made it difficult for the boat to pass through.  There was a tree down which left a narrow passage to pass through causing the boat to tip alarmingly as we were very close to the edge of the canal, much of the surroundings were undergoing redevelopment which made it busy, noisy and dirty.

However, once we got to Little Venice and the turning into Paddington Basin, the weed was constantly being cleared up and it became much prettier and busy with tourists and sightseers.

Here we are moored below St Mary's Hospital in the last available spot before the winding hole at the end of the Basin.

We retired to the green space in front of the big screen for a well earned drink and a spot of tennis.  Toby was allowed on the grass so long as he didn't make a mess(!) and we celebrated our arrival in the capital!

20.25 miles, 3 locks, 7 hrs 36 mins cruising time.

Friday 12th July - Paddington Basin

Today we went for a walk along the Regent's Canal as far as Camden Lock and back through Regent's Park.  Here is the famous Paddington Bear just outside the main line station.

We had a good look around Camden Markets, around 200 stalls jostle for space in the narrow alleyways off Camden High Street/Chalk Farm Road. This market was originally known as Buck Street Market. Many of the stallholders sell their own jewellery and clothes designs.  

A life-sized bronze statue of Amy Winehouse stands at the central point of Camden’s Stables Market, as a tribute to the late, great singer and Camden girl.

Camden Lock was formerly a wharf with stables, it has twin locks only one of which is used.  It is very popular with gongoozlers watching the boats going through the lock.

Sunday 14th July - Paddington Basin to Limehouse Basin

This morning we woke to rain, so we waited until it had stopped and then set off on our trip to Limehouse Basin via the Olympic park.

We turned right at the junction and headed in to Little Venice.

There are boats moored both sides of the canal, often double breasted, very colourful and everybody on their boats were smiley and waving as we cruised past.  In the distance is the mouth of Maida Hill Tunnel, a single working tunnel, simply because you might meet a wide beam coming the other way!

On the way to Camden Lock there are a number of these huge mansions which reach down to the canalside.  Needless to say there is no mooring along this stretch of the canal!

At the Chinese Pagoda we turned left towards Camden and Hampstead Lock, the only set of double locks on the Grand Union Canal.

We attracted an enormous crowd as we negotiated our way down this lock, fortunately it all went very smoothly indeed and as we were leaving the lock there was a spontaneous round of applause!!!

These old gas works have been renovated and turned into flats, a good use of space, and they look pretty smart.

We turned left onto the Hertford Union Canal heading towards the Olympic Park and then left again into The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

All of the sights were still there and the waterways have been opened up, but you weren't allowed to moor in the park and it all looked very sad and drab, not how I remember it when we went to the Olympics 7 years ago.

The Stadium is now home to West Ham United Football club.

Here we are moored in Limehouse Basin, surrounded by expensive flats and huge sea going boats, we feel pretty small, but also very pleased with ourselves for having achieved the aim of this whole journey.

13.5 miles, 12 locks, 7 hrs 18 mins.