On the Tuesday in the middle of our stay in Uxbridge we got
a job counting train passengers at Finchley Park. As our shift finished at half
past one in the morning we were given a hotel room. Not the most luxurious
establishment in North London, but it was clean and we got breakfast, and best
of all it had a bath! Re-sult! It wasn’t until we got back to said room at half
past one that we realised that there was no bath plug. No doubt removed by the management in an
attempt to persuade guests that showering is better for us, for the environment
and for their profits. However, we boaters are made of sterner stuff. The little complementary soap in the
bathroom, although completely useless as soap, was the perfect size for ramming
in the plughole.
After breakfast we mingled with all the commuters, waving
our Oyster cards around like we’ve been doing it for years on our way back to
Uxbridge. We untied the boat and set off towards Cowley Junction.
We pulled
over for lunch while a patch of rain went over then at the junction turned
right onto the Slough Arm. It’s an act of faith turning in; there’s a big
widebeam moored right on the junction and you have to start turning before you
actually see the entrance.
Although it sounds a bit rubbish, looks boring on a map,
and the “basin” at the end is nothing more than a winding hole, the Slough Arm
is – mostly - rather lovely. Contrary to what we’d heard, it wasn’t silted up,
there wasn’t miles of blanket weed, (well, not so much that the occasional blast
of reverse wouldn’t clear it) and, over the space of three hours on a Wednesday
evening, we cruised to the end, turned round and came back to Cowley Junction.
Going under the M25 on the way back
As dusk was fast approaching we banged the pins in just before the main line
and had an early night.
Our London adventure continued the following day from
Cowley to Bulls Bridge where we turned off the main line onto the Paddington Arm and on to Horsenden Hill. Almost as soon as we started
off we were mooring up again, outside a very handy massive Tesco, for essential
supplies. Well, you never know when you’re going to be near civilisation again
do you?
The turn at Bulls Bridge is quite pretty, nothing like it must have been in the working days with lots of noise, boats all over the place and horses everywhere.
Lindsay had told us about a nice off-line mooring at Horsenden with
paths leading off up the hill, but by the time we’d spotted it we were too
late. We’d just decided to turn round and have another go at it when we spied a gap
on the towpath side opposite the little country park so we nipped in and tied
up.
In the afternoon we walked through the park and up to the top of the hill
to look out over the Big City.
Horsenden Hill was our last mooring before heading into the
metropolis. We had expected the GU to get more and more urban after Uxbridge
but, despite glimpses of industry and housing through the foliage, for the most
part it’s surprisingly green until you cross over the aqueduct over the scarily
busy North Circular.
The North Circular Aqueduct from the top.
Even after that,
the canal and towpath remain a haven of peace away from the frantic hustle that
surrounds them.
It’s not the first time that we’ve been surprised by how far
this green winding snake worms its way into the grey solidity of a city;
Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Liverpool are all the same. There is,
however, always a point where concrete and bricks encroach right up to the
water’s edge. In London that happens just after Kensal Green Cemetery.
From
there it is about a mile to Little Venice, the whole length of which has ever
smaller houses and ever taller office blocks looking down on it and, where it's possible to moor, a
seemingly endless line of boats two abreast.
Trying to find somewhere to
stop can be a very stressful experience but luckily we’d managed to secure one
of the two bookable moorings alongside Rembrandt Gardens at Little Venice.
Long before we had our own boat we came to the IWA Canal
Cavalcade at Little Venice and were enthralled by the melé of
colourful boats and friendly people. By then we’d pretty much decided that this
was what we were going to do eventually, and no doubt we imagined ourselves
boating under the bridge, past the gauging stop and turning into the basin… but
to be actually bringing our own boat into this famous iconic waterways junction
with flowers on the roof and hundreds of people taking photos was about the
most exciting thing we’ve ever done.
It looks really empty when the Cavalcade isn't on!
The mooring at Rembrandt Gardens is fabulous. It has only been
available for booking for a year or so and is, as far as we’re concerned, a
tremendous success. We had it for a week and made sure we filled up every day.
The afternoon we arrived we went for a short walk to Clifton Nurseries; a
little oasis of floral loveliness surrounded by suburbia. After a lengthy
discussion we returned to Legend with purple petunias, unidentified yellow
things and Berlotti beans, all of which Ann-Marie planted up while Dave gave
the wooden troughs a fresh coat of paint.
The next day was a day in the Park(s). We walked down to
Kensington Gardens, passing Paddington Basin where we noticed that all the
visitor moorings were taken...
...but, encouragingly, none of the boats looked to
have been there for ages. Just inside Lancaster Gate we found the Italian
Gardens that Prince Albert had made for Victoria when they were first married.
What a wonderful romantic gesture. Mind you he never got his hands dirty. Dave
once planted some snowdrops in a heart shape for Ann-Marie. You decide.
From there we wandered past Peter Pan...
...past the parakeets, into
Hyde Park to see Isis...
...and the lovely Princess Diana Memorial Fountain. Walking
through the gate we were impressed with how very low key and timeless it was
and how respectful all the visitors were.
Very calm and tranquil.
Our meander next took us back into Kensington Gardens and
down to the Albert Memorial which neither of us, on previous visits to London,
can remember seeing before. How we managed to miss something so spectacular is
a puzzle, however the relatively recent restoration may have something to do
with it.
It is quite stunning. Even the railings are an over-indulgent
configuration of wrought iron and gold paint and make the barriers surrounding
Buckingham palace look like a garden fence.
From the memorial we went along the aptly named and
beautifully planted Flower Walk to Palace Gate where we exited onto Kensington
High Street. After a quick diversion into M&S for some free tasting we
turned into Holland Park. We’d never been into this park before so we didn’t
know what to expect. It was quite beautiful.
If you’ve not been there we won’t give it all away, all we’ll say is go and see it, you won’t be disappointed.
Back on Kensington high Street we filled a salad box in the
Wholefood Market, got a coffee from Waitrose, and then walked up Palace Avenue,
past all the embassies for our lunch date with Wills and Kate.
Sadly they
didn’t show up.
After lunch we went back across the gardens to Hyde Park and
over to Speakers Corner.
There was no-one speaking so Oxford Street and Baker
Street took us to Regents Park. We were about four weeks too early for the rose
gardens in the inner circle; when Bob and Mandy get here with Matilda Blue they
will be stunning.
The roses weren't out but this wisteria was perfect.
From there it was a short walk back to the boat along the
towpath, with just a short diversion to bypass the Maida Tunnel.
Frankie and Harry came to see us the next day, so we nipped
out to Marylebone Farmer’s Market in the morning. We shouldn’t have taken so
long with the fruit tasting; when we got back they were already sitting in the
boat drinking tea! In the afternoon we had a little boat trip through Regents
Park and the zoo to Cumberland Basin where we turned round.
In the evening
Coops dropped in for a flying visit on his way home from an “assignation” in
the city.
After our Park Day, we decided to theme the rest of our London
visit. Market Day was next. A bit more research would have helped, mainly in
the timing department. Petticoat Lane on a Monday isn’t a patch on what it can
be and Leather Lane, despite providing us with a yummy lunch, was starting to
close when we got there at quarter to two. However Leadenhall was lovely...
..and
Camden was all it should be, much more our kind of place and Ann-Marie got a
new ring.
On the trek between markets we passed a few other places of interest.
The next day we had a bit of a rest. Dave finished the pole
bunk that he’s been working on; this is our temporary kid’s hammock/stretcher
affair that will go crosswise over the end of the bed.
While that was going on
Ann-Marie planted up the tomatoes that we got from Marylebone.
In the afternoon Anne came to stop for the night. After tea
we all hopped on the tube and went to see The Taming of the Shrew at
Shakespeare’s Globe.
Oh Wow, Oh Wow! What a fantastic performance!
When we came out it was dark and a lit-up London was spread
out before us.
In the morning we said goodbye to Anne and then, as a couple
of spaces were available in Paddington Basin, we chugged our way under the
bridge and moored up alongside Nb Lorien just outside the station entrance.
Our
Little Venice mooring didn’t expire for another two days but, as we wanted to
stop until the Sunday, we thought it would be a good idea to move when the
opportunity arose.
So here we are, right in the middle of London. We were a bit
apprehensive on the way down here, rumours abound about how difficult it is to
find somewhere to moor, but we’ve managed to find somewhere without too much
trouble. We’ve had some good luck, but we’ve also done good deal of planning. If
we’d just rocked up and hoped for the best, it would certainly have been a
different story.