27th Sept Friday
The 6.30 early start at Teddington in order to catch the tide was well worth it. It was an absolutely glorious morning and the Thames was calm. Locked through with a flotilla of other boats including Emma Jane whom we'd met at Wallingford. There was a sense of comradely excitement!
We passed all our old haunts through Teddington, Twickenham and Richmond - lots of memories not least of which was our first trip out on Kitty Hough, Pete's barge, when we moored at Eel Pie island for a night and woke up on a slope as the tide had gone out. We wondered why all the doors had swung shut! Another memory was of getting the (then small) boys off at Brentford Dock - they climbed a vertical wall ladder from a pontoon. What kind of mother was I?! mad!
Turned in at Brentford and started the Grand Union - filthy, black water and lock full of rubbish. The first part of this through Hanwell, then on the Paddington arm; Southall, Alperton, Greenford, Alperton, Park Royal etc is pretty boring, lots of light industry and nasty smells! (Stale curry at one point!) there are also 11 heavy locks which we shared with Phil on Eladie Rose, a cheery chap who had been with us all the way from Teddington and Pete had met at Marlow.
After Kensal Green Cemetery, where there are stacks of moored boats, at Portabella Dock at the top of Ladbroke Grove, it got much more interesting. Lots of old mixed with new buildings of flats and businesses. Plenty of arty studio looking places overlooking the canal, which I could peer into; a lady painting at an easel in one. The area was thrumming as it was the end of the working day - people walking, running and cycling the towpath. Pubs,cafes and restaurants all full with plenty of people still sitting outside despite a drop in temperature today.
On one of those boats at Kensal Green, as we passed by, a rastafarian guy with a wide white smile and a chuckle popped up in the bow holding a bottle of engine oil aloft and said "cheers" to me, which cracked me up, he laughed loudly and followed with "know what I mean?". (Wish I could write the accent).
We finally arrived in posh regency Little Venice and moored up around 6.30. Both absolutely exhausted - it having been a 12 hour day and we are not used to that.
Little Venice and Paddington Basin lit up as the evening went on. Lots of life still humming around us as we showered and had dinner. We felt happy to be here as opposed to some of the moorings we had seen en route, which we feared would be risky after dark.
Roll on tomorrow......the kids arrive.
The flotilla
Towards Richmond
Richmond half lock
Marble Hill House
London Apprentice (to the left) - once our local
Syon House
That ladder
Hanwell
Got rather badly pushed out by side flow here - ended up widthways across canal. Bad Sara driving, still, I got out of it!
The ugly
The good
And the Gloriana
Who knew the Thames had beaches and they're clean!
The 6.30 early start at Teddington in order to catch the tide was well worth it. It was an absolutely glorious morning and the Thames was calm. Locked through with a flotilla of other boats including Emma Jane whom we'd met at Wallingford. There was a sense of comradely excitement!
We passed all our old haunts through Teddington, Twickenham and Richmond - lots of memories not least of which was our first trip out on Kitty Hough, Pete's barge, when we moored at Eel Pie island for a night and woke up on a slope as the tide had gone out. We wondered why all the doors had swung shut! Another memory was of getting the (then small) boys off at Brentford Dock - they climbed a vertical wall ladder from a pontoon. What kind of mother was I?! mad!
Turned in at Brentford and started the Grand Union - filthy, black water and lock full of rubbish. The first part of this through Hanwell, then on the Paddington arm; Southall, Alperton, Greenford, Alperton, Park Royal etc is pretty boring, lots of light industry and nasty smells! (Stale curry at one point!) there are also 11 heavy locks which we shared with Phil on Eladie Rose, a cheery chap who had been with us all the way from Teddington and Pete had met at Marlow.
After Kensal Green Cemetery, where there are stacks of moored boats, at Portabella Dock at the top of Ladbroke Grove, it got much more interesting. Lots of old mixed with new buildings of flats and businesses. Plenty of arty studio looking places overlooking the canal, which I could peer into; a lady painting at an easel in one. The area was thrumming as it was the end of the working day - people walking, running and cycling the towpath. Pubs,cafes and restaurants all full with plenty of people still sitting outside despite a drop in temperature today.
On one of those boats at Kensal Green, as we passed by, a rastafarian guy with a wide white smile and a chuckle popped up in the bow holding a bottle of engine oil aloft and said "cheers" to me, which cracked me up, he laughed loudly and followed with "know what I mean?". (Wish I could write the accent).
We finally arrived in posh regency Little Venice and moored up around 6.30. Both absolutely exhausted - it having been a 12 hour day and we are not used to that.
Little Venice and Paddington Basin lit up as the evening went on. Lots of life still humming around us as we showered and had dinner. We felt happy to be here as opposed to some of the moorings we had seen en route, which we feared would be risky after dark.
Roll on tomorrow......the kids arrive.
The flotilla
Towards Richmond
Richmond half lock
Marble Hill House
London Apprentice (to the left) - once our local
Syon House
That ladder
Hanwell
Got rather badly pushed out by side flow here - ended up widthways across canal. Bad Sara driving, still, I got out of it!
The ugly
The good
And the Gloriana
Who knew the Thames had beaches and they're clean!
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