May 19th--25th

This week we shall leave Little Venice at last.
Although I've enjoyed the experience, it's really gone on rather too long for me.
But unfortunately we had no choice.
Trev had to go up to Coventry on business on Friday, so we had to stay put.
The transport links are easier from here.
On Wednesday we went by tube and Docklands Light Railway to Greenwich.
Greenwich is a delightful spot, rather like a village.
We visited the Cutty Sark, which is on the harbour.
It was a fascinating insight into life in the nineteenth century.
It was built to be a tea clipper and brought tea from India,
and returned with fabric, woollen goods, steel, etc.
There was always a race between the clippers to be first back with the new tea crop.
When its use as a tea clipper was outlived, it brought wool from Australia.
You can read about it here:

Click here to read about The Cutty Sark

In the evening we had a moment of high drama, and sadly I couldn't find my camera to record the moment!
I dropped a brass rod in to the canal. It supports the rear cover.
Sadly brass is not magnetic, apparently, and so there was only one thing to do!
Trev went in, in only his underpants!
I know you'd have loved a photo, but I'm sorry, I just couldn't get you one.
I couldn't find the camera in time!
The water came up to his chest, and he had to feel around with his feet to try to find the rod.
The water is filthy, and he had no intention of going under to find it.
Eventually he located it, after bringing up a beer glass and a variety of other debris.
He brought it up with his foot and I took it from him.
Isn't he a hero?

On Thursday evening we went to see "Round The Horne" at the Revue Theatre, in Leicester Place.
(That's H o r n e--the way it's come out it looks like h o m e)
It was set in the style of a fifties BBC recording studio, and signs flashed when we had to applaud!
The characters were well cast, and it was great fun.

On Friday Trev went up to Coventry and stayed overnight with friends.
He and his friend came back on Saturday evening
and on Sunday they went to watch the test Match at Lord's--we're only a short walk from there.
On Saturday I went by train to Rugby where a friend picked me up and we went to a one day patchwork course.

Pete, Trev's friend, stayed on Sunday night too, and then on Monday, at last,
after thirteen nights in Little Venice, we set off again.



LEAVING LITTLE VENICE



THE CAFE ACROSS THE CANAL

We went on through London, under Blow Up Bridge, so called because last century a boat
loaded with gunpowder exploded whilst passing under it and blew it up!



A CHINESE RESTAURANT

We went past Regents Park Zoo, where we saw Lord Snowdon's Aviary
and some kind of two horned African antelopes and some pink nosed pigs!
As we were only passing through and not paying guests, I'm afraid I didn't get the full story!
We could only guess.
Then we came to Camden Locks, where the busy market is held but,
as it was a Monday, there was no activity.



CAMDEN LOCKS

On we went, through the Islington Tunnel, 960 yards long, and through more locks until
we came to the junction with Ducketts Cut where we turned left.
Ducketts Cut is less than two miles long and joins the Regents Canal with the Lea Navigations,
which was the next part of our trip.

The Lea Navigations comprise the rivers Lee and Stort.
The first part is a wide river, the Lee, with locks at regular intervals.
This is about eighteen miles long, and goes through such places as Hackney Wick,
Tottenham, Edmonton, Ponders End, Enfield, Waltham Abbey, Cheshunt and Hoddesdon.
Then after about eighteen miles the river forks and to the left it is still the Lea and goes to Hertford,
and to the right it becomes the Stort and goes as far as Bishop's Stortford.
In fact, neither river actually stops, but they become unnavigable after Hertford and Bishop's Stortford.
And, yes, there are two ways of spelling Lea/Lee.
When referring to it as a whole, one calls it the Lea Navigations,
but when one is referring to the river Lee then it's spelt with two e's.
So now you can look smug when you're discussing this subject with friends
who don't have the good fortune to tune in to my website!

The first six or so miles of the Lea Navigations left much to be desired.
Very urban, with factories and industry along the banks on one side.
On the other were huge reservoirs that went on for miles.
Apparently they supply 15% of London's water.
The amount of rubbish and debris in the water is depressing.
I would love to get a barge and go along and pick it all up.
We even saw a freezer floating by and an armchair and numerous doors.
Plastic bottles bobbing about are the most common, and they are everywhere.

On Monday night we moored just below Picketts Lock and the countryside began to improve.
In the morning we continued up the Lea and it got better and better
The countryside now is very pretty, it is peaceful and there is a lot of wildlife.
Today we have seen swans, mallards, herons, coots, moorhens, Canada geese and greylag geese.

I forgot to mention the terrapins we've seen on the canal.
We first saw them on the way into Little Venice and thought they must be imitation ones.
But a fisherman said there is a lot in the canal, and since then we've seen quite a few.
We saw one today. They straddle a branch just above the water and bask in the sun.

Now we're moored up at Cheshunt Visitor Moorings and it's delightful,
worth coming through all of the urban part to get here.

I realise I've forgotten to update you on how far we've travelled on this trip:

185 miles 139 locks

Home Page

Next Page

Previous Page

Click here to return to the Summer 2004 Page