Partings at Paddington, and back towards Bulls Bridge.

We had a day off cruising yesterday, the first for over 2 weeks! I took Meg for a good long walk around Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, and we spent the rest of the day relaxing.

Meg has been missing having grass under her paws. She’s very much a rural dog; these city centre moorings don’t appeal at all.

Grass, Grass!
Paddling in the Serpentine
(Part of) Princess Diana’s Memorial Fountain
Dave and Barbara spent the evening with us, we left them here today, and may meet up again further up the Grand Union.

The girls (Christine and Diane) had popped round on Wednesday night to say goodbye, they were going off to visit Di’s son who’s studying over here.

All the girls. Barbara, Mags, Di and Christine. And not to be left out, Meg.
We toddled off out of the basin at around a quarter to nine. Back to the pool at Little Venice, then turned right onto the Regents Canal.

Canal Cleaning. More of our canals could do with one of these…
Bridge 1
We headed just a couple of miles along here, turning around at Cumberland basin and coming back. We wanted to have a look at the posh houses on the edge of Regents Park, home to ambassadors and diplomats, and also to see a bit of Regents Park Zoo.

But first we went through the 270 yard long Maida Hill Tunnel.

Maida Hill Tunnel

It has a café built across the portal. Interesting views of boats appearing and disappearing under your feet…

On Regent’s Canal

Posh Houses
The Snowdon Aviary Floating Chinese Restaurant at Cumberland Basin
Back at the junction we made use of the facilities, then retraced our route back towards Bull’s Bridge.

Dave was on the deck of Liberty Bell as we went past.

Bye, Dave
The weather had started to get a lot cooler yesterday, and today we had the first rain for over a week. Mainly short showers, they started as we arrived at Cumberland basin, and were on and off for the rest of the day.

We made a stop at Sainsbury’s at Kensall Green, handily alongside the canal with moorings adjacent. We were just going in when Barbara came out, so had another chance to say goodbye. It was raining in earnest now, though, and she wanted to get back so we didn’t hang about.

I hopped off at the North Circular Aqueduct to get a shot of the road below. Not too busy at half past one in the afternoon.

North Circular
Then it was a steady plod out of the main built up area, till we pulled in near Yeading. We noticed this spot on the way in, it’s on the offside, against a park and there are a few boats moored here so I guess it’s OK.

Moored near Yeading
Here’s a solution for a space shortage. Bolt 2 narrowboats together.
Fine for down here on the broad canals, then you could just single them up for narrow locks. I wonder if you have to pay for 2 licenses….

Locks 0, miles 14½

Pottering along to Paddington

It was a bit of a noisy night, with the Tesco being open 24 hours. It’s amazing what people find they need at 2 am!

We had an early start. We’re wanting to get moored at Little Venice, which must rate as the busiest mooring spot on the whole network. The theory is that arriving just after lunch we’ll be able to occupy the spots left vacant by those boats that have recently moved on.

Dave, Barbara and crew set off, but we didn’t follow on for about half an hour, needing to fill with water before we got underway.
We turned right under the white bridge you can see behind Mags on the last picture of yesterday’s post.

The bridge from the other side.
We’ll see this again in a few days time. We’re planning to go through Regent’s Park, but turning back at Cumberland Basin, at the top of the 11 locks dropping back down to Limehouse. If we went down these, we’d only have to come back up again.

The canal is broad and deep, very reminiscent of the Bridgewater in Manchester. Similarly, it has semi-rural stretches, with wooded banks.

It was in one of these that we spotted this muntjac deer in the canal.
The banks along here are piled and impossible to climb out on. We pulled in and I ran back, but, obviously frightened, it kept ahead of me and on the opposite side of the channel. It finally got in between some houseboats. Luckily there were a couple of women on the moorings who, when I told them what was happening, were able to help it out.
It disappeared off into the undergrowth, not the worse for it’s adventure.

The ducks, of course, are more at home in the environment.

Home, sweet home.
The canal crosses the busy North Circular Road on an aqueduct….

North Circular Aqueduct
And passes another group of residential moorings. I don’t think there’s too many deer around here though.
At West Kilburn the houses are built right on the canal….

And the Westway is cantilevered out over it.

Approaching Little Venice both sides of the canal are lined with moored boats. Visitors on the right, residents on the left.
Liberty Bell managed to drop into a slot along here, but there were no more available.

At Little Venice, the Regent’s Canal goes off to the left, while the Paddington Arm terminates in about half a mile at the basin.

Little Venice.
We turned down to the basin, spotting a likely spot on the way down and another couple on floating pontoons further along. We turned and moored on the hard edge about half way back.

Paddington Basin

Over the adjacent wall is Paddington Station, so it’s a bit noisy here at the moment, but I expect it’ll quieten down later.

It’s been very much cooler today, hazy sunshine turning to grey clouds this afternoon. The wind has increased again, now from the north.

Locks 0, miles 12

Contrasting Cruising

I spent an hour or so sprucing up the outside of the boat this morning. Brushing off the dead flies, clearing out the cratch, mopping the decks and cleaning the windows.

The side paddle wheeler I photo’d at Kingston yesterday passed, on it’s first scheduled run of the day. It was then I realised that the paddle wheels are a sham, she’s actually driven by a conventional propellor.

MV Yarmouth Belle

If you look closely you can see the prop wash under the stern.

Liberty Bell arrived at around 10:30, so we untied and chugged down to the lock.

Teddington Locks. Skiff lock on left, launch lock in the middle and the barge lock on the right.
The barge lock is 650 feet long, built to accommodate a tug and a string of barges.

Elegant suspension bridge over the weir stream.
Frankly it was a bit of an anticlimax, being on the tideway. It was pretty much like the river above the locks. No significant current, at least not at the top of the tide.

Fine views of Richmond Hill, though.
Someone’s taken over a tiny island on the edge of the channel.
There’s a boat under there somewhere!

Three bridges at Richmond. Rail, road and foot.
The foot bridge is over the half-tide weir and lock. To maintain a reasonable level upstream of here, the weir gates are closed at below half tide, and the lock must be used instead. As we’re chasing the tide down, the gates are open so we went straight through.

Richmond half-tide weir
The gated are lowered from below the bridge.
5 miles and about 55 mnutes after leaving Teddington Lock we were turning in to the cut to Thames Lock, which took us back onto BW canals.

Brentford Junction
Thames Lock, Grand Union Canal

The lock keeper brought us up the foot or so onto the canal, into the contrasting scenery of Brentford. The canal is built up to and over, claustrophobic after the wide open spaces on the river. Time for a change of gear.

Queuing at the Gauging Lock

That far, eh.
Brentford transhipment warehouses.

For the first couple of miles the canal intermittently shares it’s course with the River Brent, easing you gently into the transition. But then the first of the “proper” locks is reached, and you know for a fact that you’re back on broad canals.
Now, where did I put that windlass?

2 locks, separated by a few minutes, took us to the bottom of the Hanwell flight of 6.

Hanwell Flight
The gates are heavy, but we met a couple of boats coming down, which helped. With the assistance of Diane and Christine, we made good time.

Near the top of Hanwell

Clearing these we had another couple, spaced out again at ½ mile intervals, before reaching the long pound.

The last lock of the day, Norwood Top Lock
This pound runs to Cowley Peachey on the main line and also to Camden on the Paddington Arm. 27 miles in all.

There are some lengths given over to residential moorings, with some unusual craft tied up.

Someone must have thought it was a good idea…

Another couple of miles and we moored, breasted up, outside the large Tesco store at bulls Bridge.

Moored at Bulls Bridge

This used to be a maintenance and repair depot, but was bought and redeveloped by the supermarket chain.
Whatever your views on the change of use, it’s undeniably handy being able to moor 100 yards from a superstore. I made 2 trips to top up the cupboards.

It’s been very warm today, the hottest so far. There’s a change coming, though…

Locks 13, miles 12

Past Kingston to Teddington

The traffic on the river quietened down by evening, so Meg could relax. We had a bit of a lie in this morning, there’s no rush to get off with only 4 miles to go to Teddington. This is the lowest lock on the Thames; below here it’s tidal.

We knew that Dave and Barbara were going to be arriving at some point. Their guests had arrived and they wanted to have a look around Hampton Court Palace being joining us tomorrow morning. So we hung around till they arrived, not long after 11.
The guests are D & B’s daughter Christine, and her Canadian friend Diane. They flew in from Canada on Saturday.

Liberty Bell crew posing outside the Palace “Golden Gates”.
We were in about the best spot, so they breasted up alongside till we moved.

On the mooring
We pulled out around 12:15, to let them get on the wharf and get on with the sightseeing.

Liberty Bell on the Hampton Court wharf.
Today’s cruise only took an hour. Steadily plodding downstream through Kingston Upon Thames. Although there weren’t that many boats about, there were plenty of people enjoying the sunshine on the riverside.

Ravens Ait is an island in midstream opposite Hampton Court Park. Until last November it was a wedding and Conference Centre, but went into administration.


Ravens Ait
A group of “eco warriers” took possession of the unoccupied island and buildings in February, much to the annoyance of the local population and the local council.
Read the Independent from 20th April here.

Then on May 1st, the “squatters” were forcibly evicted by a team of police officers, arriving under cover of darkness by inflatable.
2 differing viewpoints of the operation here (the establishment one, the Surrey Comet) and here (the eco-warriors one, earthfirst.org.uk ).
It’s interesting to compare the differences…..

3 different types of cruise boat on the wharf at Kingston. Paddle wheel, conventional screw, stern wheeler.
Kingston road and railway bridges.
Unusual houseboats for sale.

Details here (don’t bother looking unless you’re prepared to shell out £625,000 – for a lease!)

There are EA moorings on the small Steven’s Eyot a bit further downstream. 24 hrs free, next 48 hours £5 per day, after that £50 per day. I think that’s a non-too subtle hint!

Want to buy an island? Stay here for a couple of weeks and you might as well!
A long bend in the river took us past the sluices at Teddington, to the lock cut and the extensive moorings opposite the weir.

Teddington river sluices
I had a walk up to chat to the lock keeper, to confirm passage in the morning, and to pay for the mooring as per the signs. I said earlier that the moorings were extensive. Substitute the t for a p. £8.50 a night! The most we’ve paid all the way down the Thames, by a considerable margin. If we’d known, we’d have stopped on those riverside moorings near Kingston Bridge.

I asked about VHF radio requirements (again). I was advised to ring London VTS (Vessel Traffic Services) to get the information straight from the horses mouth.
And here it is.
If you’re travelling by narrowboat between Brentford and Teddington in either direction, there is NO requirement to have marine band VHF radio aboard. However, it is recommended that ANY vessel travelling on the tideway should have it.
So there you have it.

Meg and I had an enjoyable walk up the Thames Path to Ham House, and then back across the grounds (now a nature reserve) to the river.

Locks 0, miles 4.