Down the Nene to Peterborough.

After leaving Northampton I spent a week trundling gently down the Nene to Peterborough. The river passes mainly through open countryside passing only a few towns and villages along the way.  It's about a 4 day trip with my usual overnight stops at Wellingborough, Oundle, Elton and always calling into Ferry Meadows before the final few miles to Peterborough.  I've done the stretch from Oundle to Peterborough a few times and have stop at various small villages along the way such as Fotheringhay with it's impressive church, Wansford and Wansford Station home the the Nene valley railway with a lovely little cafe.  The upper reach is less well served with villages although there are several pleasant mooring in the middle of nowhere.

After leaving Northampton I planned a longish day to reach Wellingborough which has a Tesco near the embankment moorings. Although handy for supplies the mooring is overshadowed by a large riverside flour mill which runs 24 hrs a day. While not too noisy it does generate an annoying background hum and also completely blocks the TV signal.  

Many of the river locks were originally built as sluices to control water levels to power riverside mills and while very few are still working many of the original mill buildings are still there - often now converted to hotels. 

The following day I moved on to a peaceful mooring just beyond Titchmarsh which offered by contrast only birdsong to lull one to sleep.  Although the birds idea of morning is rather earlier than mine.  

Treated to a beautiful sunset I slept well here.

Following a peaceful night I continued on to Oundle marina where I filled up with fuel and finalised arrangement for blacking the boat in late July.  It was as ever a pleasure to catch up with Jacqui and Mark who manage the marina and who I am pleased to count as friends to boot. 

Beyond Oundle the river continues to meander through wide open country vistas although progress is slow as you meander around a sweeping loop of river covering 3 miles to reach a point only 1 mile from the beginning of the bend as the crow flies.  

After stopping overnight at Elton I then continued to Wansford station to have lunch in the cafe before heading on to Ferry Meadows for the weekend.  Treated to another stunning sunset I settled here for a few days before heading the last few miles to Peterborough to restock the fridge.

I now plan to stay in the area for the next few weeks before moving back to Oundle by 20 July to put the boat in for blacking.  While that is undertaken I'll avail myself of my eldest son's hospitality for a few nights before packing up my tent and heading to Cambridge Folk Festival where I'll meet up with Paul and Debbie for a touch of culture and possibly the odd flagon of ale. 

Where did that month go

Well so much for updating the blog more often - I can't believe t's almost a month since the last post.  To be honest there has not been a lot to report as the weather has been rather chilly and damp most of the time.

I continued up the beautiful river Thames to Oxford where I rejoined the canal network again.  The Thames gave me opportunities to play with the new camera and lens to capture  a few of our feathered friends on the way.

Cormorant

Red Kite

Cute Goose chick

Gret Wagtail

Kingfisher

From Oxford I headed up the canal through Banbury and round to Braunston where I spent  a few days doing a few housekeeping jobs in the inclement weather. On departing I noticed a strong smell of diesel from the engine room and found a leaking joint on the low pressure pipe.  Fortunately Braunston has several boatyards, including the one in which my boat was born, so a replacement pipe was quickly sourced and fitted.  

Leaving Braunston  headed down to Milton Keynes to spend a few wet days catching up with an old friend and fellow boater Pete Billings.  Further odd jobs were completed including replacing a cracked joint on the stove chimney and repairing a couple of loose cupboard doors - yes there are plenty of mundane days onboard.  

Yesterday I came up the Stoke Bruerne flight of 7 locks and then through the 2 mile long Blisworth tunnel before turning onto the Northampton Arm and heading down the 16 locks to Northampton.  A tiring day which ended with a welcome shower and an early night.

Stoke Bruerne Top Lock

So I'm now in Northampton only one lock away from the river Nene which I'll join later today.  Now look forward to the somewhat delayed summer and a couple of month cruising the gentle river.

Following in the steps of Jerome K Jerome

Having reached the Thames I made the short trip from the Teddington tidal lock to Kingston Upon Thames where the "Three men in a boat" began their intrepid journey to Oxford.  The town has a large vibrant shopping area centred around a market square which made a pleasant contrast to so many towns centres which seem to predominantly feature charity shops and pound shops.  The bridge looked particularly pretty at night with its blue lighting.  Passing an estate agents window was an eye opener with 2 up 2 down Victorian terraces fetching £1M. 

I the next few days either here or at Hampton Court only a couple of miles upstream.  Last weekend my eldest son Steve joined me as he wanted to try one of the local Parkruns.  Having done Bushy Park with me a couple of years ago he chose Kingston-upon-Thames.  He had planned to run the Leeds half marathon this weekend but decided to withdraw when a knee injury returned. Given the temperature I think he made the right decision.  It also gave me another chance to try my new camera and lens combo which continues to impress me.

Once back aboard, showered and changed we headed up river to find a nice pub to moor up at for the evening.  The hot weather had brought out the fair weather boaters and the river was busy as were the first couple of spots I had in mind.  We eventually found a space near Weybridge and enjoyed dinner at a pleasant riverside hostelry.  I enjoyed having Steve at the tiller allowing me to relax and just watch the world go by.  

After dropping Steve at Walton-on-Thames station on Sunday I made my way back to Shepperton and stopped overnight just above the lock.  I was a little nervous returning to this area as on my last visit 2 years ago my engine broke resulting in 7 weeks stuck in an expensive marina and very large dent in my wallet.  On Monday the river was much quieter and as you can see I had the large locks largely to myself as I cruised gently up to Windsor. 

I did encounter one lock between Runnymede and Windsor where I had to share with a large trip boat.  

As I approached Windsor the clouds grew darker and I found a mooring just as the rain arrived and avoided a soaking.  Due to its proximity to Heathrow its almost impossible to take a photo of Windsor without a plane in view.   

Return to father Thames

A couple of days cruising has seen me safely back on the Thames. Yesterday was quite a long haul as I covered the 18 miles and 10 locks from central London to Brentford.  I don't enjoy this stretch stretch of canal seems as it has more than its share of sunken rubbish, mainly plastic bags and bits of nylon string, which are prone to getting wrapped around the propeller which slows the boat and puts additional load on the engine.  The solution is to stick an arm down the weed hatch and cut the rubbish off. I have invested in a pair of James Herriot style gloves which are most welcome in the cold water.

Two or three hours completed the 12 lock free miles of the Paddington Arm and saw me rejoin the main Grand Union canal at Bulls Bridge.

Bulls Bridge - Through the bridge for Paddington.

The remaining run down to Brentford is only 6 miles but has 10 locks including the 7 lock Hanwell flight. The canal passes an old asylum which has small wooden doors in the wall to allow the fire brigade to put hoses through to take water from the canal.

Halfway down the Hanwell Flight with the asylum behind the wall.

With the Hanwell flight complete Brentford is only around a mile away with a further 2 locks as the canal passes through pleasant countryside.

The day ended at a handy mooring in the basin only yards from the gauging lock which separates the canal from the river Brent. Only a few hundred yards further is the Thames lock which provides access to the tidal Thames.

Brentford Basin 

This morning I passed through the Thames lock around 10:00 on a rising tide which helped carry me the 6 miles up river to the famous Teddington Lock. Home to Thames television and of course the site of the famous Monty Python fish slapping sketch.

In fact there are three locks at Teddington. On the left of the picture below is the largest. At 21 ft wide and 625ft long it could hold over 30 narrow boats the size of mine.  It is not normally used which is why the traffic light is red. To the right of this, behind the trees, is the standard lock which can still take 9 Mr Bunbury's.  There is also a final small skiff lock designed for rowing skiffs which is only a few feet wide.

Approach to Teddington Lock.

The aerial shot below (not mine) shows the comparative size of the three locks.  The upper most is clearly the 625ft monster. The standard lock is below the island with a white cruiser in it and the skiff lock, also known as the coffin lock, is the tiny one alongside that.

Teddington Lock aerial view

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.

Oxford for Christmas

I've spent an unseasonably mild few days trundling slowly down the Oxford canal from Braunston to Oxford. Although the weather is not ideal the south Oxford is a beautiful canal meandering mainly through open countryside with Banbury being the only town along the route. There are a few villages which offer good pubs and often a small shop for the essentials. 

I enjoyed a few quiet moorings in the middle of nowhere which are extremely peaceful with only the pleasant birdsong to break the science. Not an artificial light in sight.  

Early evening peace

Now moored up in Oxford only a short walk from the city centre and am looking forward to seeing the city and may even have a day trip to London as the station is close by. 

A merry Christmas and happy new year to all my family and friends.