Sunday 27th April
We didn't travel far today, as we espied The Globe Inn, and went in for Sunday lunch. It was a fairly mediochre meal, actually, not a lot of taste for a roast, but the pub is a lovely old building and the staff were very pleasant. After lunch we moved on a little way, as the weather was so nice that lots of people decided this was a good day for a trip to the pub. We went on through Leighton Buzzard and moored out in the country near Church lock.

Monday, 28th April--Tuesday, 6th May
You know, this all passes in a blur for me! We've had such long days every day to be sure of reaching our destination on time, that I can't remember each individual day--which might be a blessing for you anyway, dear reader! It's what comes of not writing my website up more regularly, I really must try harder.

We came to Marsworth Junction, where the Aylesbury Arm goes off to--yes, you've guessed it, Aylesbury, and moored up there for two nights whilst friends Sheridan and Ron came to visit us.

The weather was awful for a couple of days and we were cold and wet, but continued manfully, in true British spirit! We passed the turn to the Wendover Arm, which is being restored, and went on through Berkhamsted and Hemel Hempstead, and moored up below the attractively named Sewer Lock. Fortunately it didn't have an aroma!

In the morning we were shaping up ready to move when a narrowboat came by. We asked if we could join them as all of the locks on the GU are wide locks. It makes life much easier when there are four people doing the locks. Yes, the woman said, but we're moving on fast, we want to be in Little Venice for the festival. That suited us so we set off. Our travelling companions were Pat and Terry on Quercus, and we got on really well together. Terry runs training courses for novice and experienced boaters.

You can see his website here

By the time we moored up at Rickmansworth, we'd done thirteen miles and twenty-five locks, and were really tired. But we'd made good progress and new friends! We went on board Quercus for a drink before eating a very late supper. In the morning, Pat and Terry left before I was up--which isn't a difficult thing to do--and were aiming for Little Venice. We left later and had a much easier day, mooring up at the Horse and Barge, where we went for a meal in the evening.

We spent May 3rd, 4th and 5th in Packet Boat Marina at Uxbridge, as we were now too early for our arrival in Little Venice. We're meeting my brother there on May 7th, and had originally planned to get in a few days before, but then discovered that there was a Canalway Cavalcade, and there wouldn't be any space for us. So we enjoyed a chill out in the marina . On the Saturday we went into Little Venice on the bus and train, to see what it was all about. It was a meeting of lots of narrowboats, many decked out with flags, bunting, etc., and there were stalls and eating places etc. it looked very pretty, but we're glad we didn't go, it was a bit too crowded and busy for us. On Monday evening we went for a drink at The Water's Edge pub near the marina, and who should come by but Pat and Terry on Quercus, on their way home from the cavalcade. So we stayed and had a meal with them.

Tuesday, 6th May
We set off for Little Venice today. It's sixteen miles from Packet Boat Marina, but no locks. The route goes through North London, passing such places as Southall, Kensal Green, Kilburn, over the North Circular and eventually Maida Vale and Paddington. It's interesting if not exactly scenic! We bought fuel at Willowtree Marina for 70p per litre, which seemed very expensive, but I think it will only get worse.

When we got to Little Venice, there was nowhere to moor, lots of boats were still there from the Carnival. Boats are allowed to moor here for fourteen days, which seems unusually generous, given its proximity to the centre of London. We went on through into Browning's Pool and along the Paddington Arm, but we didn't fancy that, it was a bit enclosed and noisy, so we went back into little Venice and asked a boater if we could breast up to his boat. He was very welcoming and so we tied up. We were the third boat out, which actually was an advantage as it gave us better security, and, as we later found, kept us away from the 'club', a group of men who meet there regularly, complete with supermarket bags full of tinnies!

Wednesday, 7th--Saturday, 10th May
We slept well, protected from the noise of the towpath by the two boats between it and ourselves. Today is the big day, the deadline we had to meet. My brother lives in Spain and is flying in today to meet us and 'do the tidal Thames' next week. So when we left Llangollen on April 1st, this is the day we were aiming to be in London by. (My English teacher at school wouldn't have let me get away with a sentence like that! One must never end a sentence with a preposition! I should have said "This is the day by which we wished to arrive in London!")

Anyway, we went to Paddington to meet my brother at W. H. Smith's. After we had established that there are two W. H. Smith's at Paddington, we found him, and took him back to the boat for a welcoming drink. Lots of chatting and catching up, then we went to and Aberdeen Steak House for a meal.

We spent the next few days on a sightseeing whirl, visiting the Science Museum, The National Gallery, The V&A, The London Eye, Regent's Park and a play--"The Vortex" with Felicity Kendal.

The two boats on the inside of us moved and we understood why, now that we were against the towpath! The 'club' provided some light entertainment. They seemed to be permanently drunk and put the world to rights in very loud voices, using the same obscene adjective/verb for almost every other word. After a while it began to be amusing. They met at 7.00 a.m. and stayed a couple of hours, then regrouped later in the evening and stayed until about eleven o'clock.

The best bit was one evening around nine o'clock, when there was a knock on the side of the boat. We decided to ignore it. Then we heard, " 'Ow d'you get into this ****ing thing? Where's the ****ing door?" and further knocking. We still sat tight, and then heard a splash and thrashing about and banging on the side of the boat. We felt there were enough of them outside to sort it out and so still didn't open the door. More colourful language on the lines of: "Get him out of the ****ing water. Pull the ****er out, " etc. Eventually the noise stopped, and was followed by a gasping for breath, when we realised it was the ****ing dog who'd fallen in the ****ing canal and he was trying to get his breath!

Eventually a space became available further along the canal and so we felt we'd done our stint with the club, and someone else could have the pleasure!

Sunday, 11th May
Today we set off for Limehouse. The trip was uneventful--eleven locks and about nine miles. We waited half an hour in Johnson's Lock whilst another boater filled his water tank and numerous bottles and carboys belonging to his friends from the Lee & Stort. Incredibly, the water point is situated at the side of the lock and unless one has a very long hose pipe, the only way to fill up is by sitting in the lock--which this man did, without a care in the world. I suggested to him that we could all go down together and then he could come back up whilst still filling up his water tank, but he didn't want to do that. so there we were--stuck!

Eventually we managed to let the water out, and we went on down to Limehouse, where Sheridan and one of her grandsons were waiting to do the last lock for us. We cruised into Limehouse Basin, and moored up next to Merlot, Sheridan and Ron's boat. Warm hellos and a quick drink, but they had their family visiting, so we went back onto our boat and had a lovely roast--Welsh lamb from Gwyn the meat in Llangollen. We've nearly finished all of his meat, sadly. We spent some time with S&R in the evening when everyone had left. They've come down from their mooring near Reading to join us on our trip up the Thames.

BUT--------------the very best bit about arriving in Limehouse was that I picked up my post; and there was My New Book!! Yes, the one we spent all last summer working on. It looks great and I am thrilled with it. Click here to see it. In fact you can even buy it here if you wish!

This huge British Columbia Ferry came down the Thames. It was advertising the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paraplegic games in Vancouver.



































Monday, 12th May
Today turned into a very special day. First Trev and John went to Greenwich Observatory, and then at lunchtime we all piled onto Merlot and went out of Limehouse, and DOWN the Thames to the Barrier. What an experience. We went right through the Barrier and then turned round and came back up again. It was a lovely calm day and Merlot rode the water like a veteran. This was a trial run for Sheridan and Ron, as, in July, they are going right down the Thames Estuary as far as Margate--or it might be Ramsgate--and then across the Channel to France! Trev's going with them, but not me! I'm not that bold. They will have a pilot with them all the way from Limehouse.

In the evening we went to the pub on the corner of Limehouse and the Thames. It used to be called the Barleymow, but now Gordon Ramsay has taken it over and called it The Narrow. But the prices are not very narrow, and I thought we paid a lot of money for what we had. But then, I'm just a country girl, and not used to city prices.

Tuesday, 13th May
At last the day is here when we set off in Liberty Belle up the Thames. We locked out of Limehouse at 6.00 a.m. and there wasn't any traffic on the river--which is why we went at that time. Merlot came out with us and away we went. We had perfect conditions, clear skies and eventually sunshine as the day wore on. We passed the old dock area, went under Tower Bridge and London Bridge and passed in front of the Houses of Parliament, on and on, past MI5, the Battersea Power Station, Fulham Football Ground, The Boat Race section, Hammersmith, Barnes, Kew, Strand-on-the Green, Brentford, Isleworth and arrived at Richmond just as the weirs were being llifted. We went on past Twickenham and eventually through Teddington Lock and now we were off the tidal Thames. This took about three hours. We carried on through Kingston-on-Thames and moored up at Hampton Court Palace, as my brother wanted to visit. He went on his own whilst the rest of us recovered from the early start. We shopped in Molesey and ate on board this evening. We'd had a wonderful day, a great experience and felt pleased with ourselves at what we had accomplished.

Wednesday, 14th May
We continued on up the Thames through Sunbury and Shepperton, shopped in Staines and moored on the meadow at Runnymede, with Merlot, where we had a grand barbecue, and a good evening, our last all together.

Thursday, 15th May
We set off fairly early as we wanted to try to get a certain mooring in Windsor--and we did! Tonight Ron is going to London to pick up two grandsons for the weekend. He's going by train, staying overnight and bringing them back in the morning, so Sheridan will be on her own on the boat. We moored Merlot against the bank and then breasted up against her (the boat that is, not Sheridan.....) so that Sheridan felt safe.

We walked around Windsor in the afternoon. I hadn't realised that there was such a good shopping area there, and I had a really good browse! In the evening we found a Chinese restaurant where we could eat as much as we liked for GBP12.50. The food was freshly cooked and brought to the table, not a buffet, which I feel are not very hygienic. We ordered from a menu and ate for England. We could order as much and as often as we wanted. It was a very good system.

Friday, 16th May
All good things come to an end, and today John caught a bus to Heathrow to join his wife on holiday in Scotland and Sheridan and Ron set off for their home mooring. That left us on our own, which was a pleasant change after all of the business of the last nine days. We went back downstream, moored at Runnymede Meadow again and enjoyed the peace and quiet. It's been a hectic time but we've really enjoyed it. Now it's a change of pace for us.

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