Canal Cavalcade - Little Venice and farewell to London

Time has flown and I can hardly believe it's almost 2 months since I arrived in Little Venice in the heart of London.  After spending much of the first month exploring the Regents Canal between Paddington and Limehouse I then headed off up the rivers Lee and Stort which provided a welcome peace after the hustle and bustle of the capital.  Finding mooring a visitor mooring in central London is difficult as there are so many people choosing a boat as an affordable home.  However, I've been luck in that by and large I've managed to find a spot where I wanted with one or two exceptions.

I returned to Paddington on Thursday forgetting that there was a Cana Cavalcade planned for Little Venice over the Bank Holiday weekend and that many visitor moorings had been reserved for the boats taking part.  I was therefore very lucky to slot Mr Bunbury into the only free mooring available.   

I was planning to leave London next week but I have decided to move on tomorrow to leave a space for a fellow boater.

Today I enjoyed the cavalcade very much with many older boats on parade in fine fettle having been polished and decorated by their lucky owners.  Here are a few photos of the day.

Roger an old working boat restored to stunning condition.

An old boat converted and operated by a charity to provide trips for people with disability 

The view across the pool.

A more modern boat operated by the Pirate Castle - a children's activity centre based on the Regents canal

View inside the traditional boat cabin

Fellows, Morton and Clayton - The Eddie Stobart of their day 

And one of their competitors being buffed to perfection

Return of the blog – The only way is Essex

After a 3 month break I’ve returned to updating the blog and changed to a new site.
To be honest it’s as much for my own interest as anyone else but if you find it interesting then all the better.

Firstly a quick update. Over the past 3 months I’ve travelled waterways I’ve covered before.  After spending Christmas in Oxford I made my way back up the South Oxford canal to Braunston – a place close to my heart as it’s where I bought Mr Bunbury and it always feels like home whenever I pass through.  From there I made my way down the Grand Union to London, stopping in Milton Keynes for a few weeks to catch up with an old friend. On reaching London I spent most  6 weeks on the central London canals around Little Venice, Paddington and Limehouse.

After a weeks shore leave to visit my brother on the beautiful although rather damp Is;e of Man I headed up the rivers Lee and Stort which head north from London to Hertford and Bishops Stortford respectively.  I’ve travelled the Lee before and while the first few miles are not pretty once you clear Hackney the river passes through open marshland with several nature reserves before reaching the quiet town of Ware – famed for it’s Gazebos. Only a couple of mies further it Hertford which is the limit of the navigable Lee.

Ware Gazebos

From Hertford I headed back down the river and spent a couple quiet nights in the countryside and visited the nature reserves – camera and new lens in hand.

Moving onto the Stort for the first time the nature of the river changed significantly. While the Lee was largely wide and straight the Stort is much narrower and meanders its way through the countryside offering new views at every turn.  Although only 14 miles long the inclusion of 15 locks makes it a good two day trip.