APRIL 21st--27th

I slept badly. I couldn't relax--there was constant traffic coming in to and out of Tesco,
including large delivery lorries.
Trev was undaunted--delighted to be able to walk in to to Tesco and buy his newspaper,
and have a Mega Breakfast for £2.99 to boot!

We set off down to the end of the Grand Union which is at Brentford.


A MOST UPMARKET TWO STOREY HOUSEBOAT!

The beginning was a bit grim, with derelict factories and poor housing estates,
but it did brighten up as we went on, and the surroundings were quite attractive.
There were nine locks, which I did, cycling from one to the next.
At the last lock we met a very helpful BW man called Sam, who helped us through the lock
and told us loads of useful information about where to moor,
and what we could do and see.
The Visitor Moorings were in a large basin which is being redeveloped
with the inevitable upmarket apartment blocks,
but I think it will look quite good when it's done.

At this point on the canal we were only half a mile from the river Thames.
Just below where we were moored was a gauging lock and that led into the semi tidal Thames,
and then there was the last lock which led directly in to the Thames.
Quite a few people use this route to go out on to the Thames and thence up river.
But we shall come out at Limehouse which is much further along, in the centre of London.
To get there, we shall have to retrace our route back up
from Brentford to Bull's Bridge, where Tesco is,
and turn along the Paddington Branch and the Regent's Canal.
You really need to look at a map, to see how the system is laid out.

Brentford was a significant point for us, as it is the beginning of the Grand Union Canal,
which runs through Braunston and up in to Birmingham.
We were pleased to be able to see the very start of it,
and to see the Milestone which says "Braunston 93 miles".



There have been milestones to Braunston all the way along the canal.

Sam, the BW man, had told us that he was letting a boat out through the lock
on to the Thames at 3.00 p.m. and so went to see how it all worked.
It seemed fairly easy, and allayed my fears of the Thames route a little,
though I know that the river here is less than half the width it is at Limehouse
and not so fast flowing.

We walked along Brentford High Street and found the library so that I can use the internet.
Then, in the evening we had a meal at an Italian restaurant in Brentford.

The next day--Thursday--we caught a bus, well two buses actually, and went to Kew Gardens.
It was a perfect Spring day, and we really enjoyed it all.
The daffodils were over, but the blossom was just beginning,
and there were still some magnolias in bloom.
We went in to the Palm House and saw bananas growing,



and there was a marine centre,
with the most exquisitely coloured tropical fish.
We walked along the riverside and realised we were exactly opposite
the lock we had been to yesterday.

The next day I turned the boat round and was rather pleased with myself,
and we set off back up the canal to Bull's Bridge Junction.
The workmen at the flats gave us a cheer!
Some other people who were moored alongside us said they were going to make a dash for it
to get back to Bull's Bridge before the children came out of school,
as it was "bandit country up there"!
Although we hadn't found it the prettiest of trips, we didn't think it was that bad,
and indeed, we had no trouble all the way.
Quite a few people talked to us or waved as we went along.

This time we went past Bull's Bridge and on up the way we had come down.
We wanted to get to Packet Boat Marine, where we were going to meet friends on Friday.
We pulled in and had a lovely reception from Charles Day, the manager, and moored up.
It was good to stop again, and we walked to the pub next door to the marina
and sat out by the canal and had a drink.
The weather was glorious.
(Trev has now gone in to shorts mode....)

On Saturday, our friends Jane & Pete came to stay with us for two nights.
We set off with them to Little Venice, which is in Westminster.
This meant going back yet again to Bull's Bridge but this time
turning left along the Paddington Branch.
Again, this wasn't the most scenic of trips, though there was plenty
of urban architecture to view!
Also, loads of rubbish in the canal to avoid.
One of the interesting things in the canal is the number of coconuts floating around.
Someone told me that they are thrown in during festivities, I believe it is Hindu weddings.

There are lots of moorhens and coots on the canal around here.
Trev said he can't understand why they don't go somewhere more rural,
but, as I pointed out to him, if they were born around here,
they wouldn't know anything about the countryside, the poor little things!
They nest in the funniest of places.
I saw one in a tyre, suspended from the side of the canal
which was really to be used as a fender.
There was also a couple who had cleverly found a rectangle of
wood and had nested in the middle of it, floating around.
Some of the materials they had used were interesting--loads of polythene, bits of paper, plastic bottles as well as the more usual vegetation. We saw one swimmming along with a big piece of paper in its mouth,
and Jane suggested it had been out to get the newspaper!
Some of them were sitting on eggs, but some had the tiniest of chicks.
There were no swans around, we usually see lots of them.

After about five hours, but no locks, we eventually arrived at Little Venice.
Guess who was there........that's right, Anne & John on Phantom!
We moored just past them in the last mooring spot.
Little Venice is a pretty and colourful place. there are lots of boats,
visitors like ourselves and permanent moorers.



It's in a lovely part of London, with very expensive and well kept properties.
In the evening we went to a pub and had a Thai meal.
On Sunday we went on the tube to Camden market.
What an experience. There were hundreds and hundreds of stalls
selling such a variety of arts and crafts, clothes, carpets, shoes, and food.
Food from all sorts of ethnic origins. We had a Vietnamese lunch,
but we could have had West Indian, Indian, Chinese, Italian.......
And the number of people.
It was almost impossible to move, they were everywhere.
And what outfits!!! Punk, semi naked, hair of all colours of the rainbow,
Platform shoes 6" high, body piercing in all places imaginable--
there was one man who had a complete row of rings through his bottom lip,
there was hardly any lip left to see.
Yet it was all good humoured, everyone was having a great time,
and everywhere was clean, due mainly to the army of street cleaners
who were working all the time to keep everywhere litter free.

We went back by waterbus, and that took us along Regent's Canal, right through the middle of London Zoo.
In the evening we ate on board, played cards and went to bed most sedately at 11.00.
Well, I have omitted to tell you about the state of us the night before,
so we had to do something to make up for it!

On Monday we set off back along the Paddington Branch to--yes, Bull's Bridge again, and all the way back to the Packet Boat Marine, where our friends had left their car.
The weather was glorious again, and we sat out and enjoyed it all.
Trev went back with our friends to get our car out of the garage where it is stored,
as we need it to go off to Derbyshire for a few days.

We shall stay here at the marina for a few days now.

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