8th October continued ....!!

we walked back to Paddington via

St James's Park, Green Park, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens

St James's Park:-

Horse Guards Parade and the London skyline

London Eye from St James's Park Lake

Green Park:-

Buckingham Palace
Victoria Memorial

Wellington Arch at the end of Constitution Hill

and a close up of the Arch

Hyde Park:-

The Serpentine bridge and skyline

Princess Diana Memorial Fountain

Kensington Gardens:-

Albert Memorial

Royal Albert Hall

Albert

a wider view of the Albert Memorial

this monument was so, so beautiful, it was magnificent!

Molly in the still warm sunshine taken at just after 5pm

Kensington Palace

Kensington Palace Gardens (and below)

nearly back at Paddington Basin - walking past very elegant houses

the end of a perfect day!

Thursday 8th October 2009

Another warm sunny day - it's difficult to believe we're into October!

Off on our tourist trail again today -

starting at the Old Bailey

the inscription reads 'Defend the Children of the Poor and Punish the Wrongdoer"

which is a paraphrase of Psalm 82: 3-4 - New King James version -

3: Defend the poor and fatherless, Do justice to the afflicted and needy.

4: Deliver the poor and needy, Free them from the hand of the wicked.

we walked down Ave Maria Lane near Temple Bar - the camera has caught the reflected light as there was no colour evident when I took the picture.

and saw St Paul's above the archway to Paternoster Square

that's me and molly on the steps of St Paul's; we were unable to look around inside as it was closed to the public for some schools event

St Paul's from the road

the Millennium Bridge

St Paul's from the Millennium Bridge

London Bridge and Tower Bridge taken from the Millennium Bridge

'that' tower - also taken from the Millennium Bridge -

those that know me well know that I don't like heights so for me to even walk across this bridge is amazing - George was holding me tight whilst I took the pictures, just in case I fell off!! another view of St Paul's from the Millennium Bridge

and the Globe Theatre from the same bridge!

real river traffic taken from Southwark Bridge - we watched the tug moor these two huge container barges - it was mind blowing! - at a steep angle he headed directly for the barges already moored (see under London/Tower bridge photo above) and when he got to a few feet away he slipped the ropes attaching him to the barges and veered away back into the channel and men on the already moored boats threw lines onto them to bring them neatly alongside - it really did look a very dangerous manoeuvre.

We then caught a bus to Wesminster -

Westminster Hall

Westminster Bridge, London Eye and County Hall taken from Victoria Tower Gardens

we've got this picture as our screensaver - a great photo even if I do say so myself!

the rear of Westminster Abbey

above and 2 pictures below - views of Westminster Hall

taken from Parliament Squre - HM Treasury on the left of the picture Portcullis House with London Eye and Big Ben in the background

- the offces for members of parliament are in Portcullis House, there is an underground walkway leading from this building through to the Palace of Westminster. Westminster Abbey

unfortunately we couldn't go inside as we had arrived 15 minutes too late for last entry!

we decided that we would walk back to the mooring at Paddington basin where we were moored via the royal parks

30th November 2009 - recieved this from a fellow boater and thought I'd pass it on via the blog although you may by now have already seen it and hopefully signed it. thanks Carol

If you enjoy the canals please go to this link to sign the petition Inland Waterways Association Newsflash

Saturday 3rd October 2009

We are taking Molly to the vets today - she needs a kennel cough booster as we may put her in kennels whilst in Scotland for our daughter Sharon's 40th!!!! in November.

Before we set off I saw a group standing by the foot-bridge in Paddington Basin, one of them had a cine camera - they seemed to be doing some sort of documentary which included the bridge opening and closing:-

the chap second from left is talking in front of the camera and the bridge has been lifted and rolled up very neatly onto the opposite wharf the bridge opening up and gently being lowered onto the wharf.

I forgot to take a picture of the bridge in its original position!

We eventually set off by underground to Kings Cross to the vets

and afterwards took walk around the village of St Pancras St Pancras Old Church stands on one of the most ancient sites of Christian worship possibly as far back at the 4th century; the present building was built in the 11th or 12th century. During the civil war Cromwells troops and stables were barracked in this Anglican church; the church's treasures having been buried to keep them safe and were not rediscovered until the early 19th century during restoration work.

the interior from the altar and from the door

St Pancras International Station - still being refurbished

the British Telecom Tower Sir Isaac Newton statue at the British Library inside St Pancras International - poet John Betjaman

and the statue of the couple saying goodbye or hello (?) in the background

a very busy station

Sunday 4th October

we're off to the market - Camden Market to be exact onto the Regents Canal and long lines of residential moorings
looking back through bridge 1 on the Regents Canal to Little Venice

and under Maida Vale tunnel - Cafe Laville was busy

I think this building over the canal must have been on Edgware Road

the architecture and the grandness of the buildings was something to behold!

especially these on the edge of Regents Park and the canal

elegant metalwork colums support ...
... a very elegant bridge

the Regents Canal runs through London Zoo but there's not a lot to see from here

Lord Snowdon's Aviary at London Zoo - not sure what the birds are though!

Wild dogs

gongoozlers (canal boat watchers) on the bridge at Cumberland Basin

taking a left turn by the Feng Shang Princess Floating Restaurant

more gongoozlers at Camden Lock

where we moored for our tour of the market and canal sides

very strange dwellings indeed

canal bridge hole art

the house between the two 'ship shaped' buildings looked very pretty...

... but had bars at all the windows

When canal boats were drawn by horses the ropes pulling the boats etched into the iron strips on the bridge holes to protect the brickwork - this one near Camden Lock was obviously well used in a past era.

looking back towards Camden Lock and Market and the elaborate warehouses on the left

a colourful scene - masses of people too

these beautifully decorated warehouses are now shops and restaurants

statues in and around the market are numerous

and the crowds are nearly impenetrable - these are in one of the many eating areas

this building work was going on opposite our mooring - if you look carefully into the left had window you can see beautiful stained glass windows on (presumably) the front of the building. The rubbish from the build was being removed by canal.

and so into the market itself - the sights, sounds, smells, noise, colours, crowds are a sight for sore eyes!

I tell you - Camden Market on a Sunday is an experience not to be missed.

The diversity of goods for sale, the nationality of sellers and buyers and the food that was being cooked and eaten at the stalls was vast.

Tuesday 6th October

heading south now from Camden - in the rain!

dreadful weather - I do hope we've not seen the last of the

wonderful indian summer we've had lately

we're turning right here into Battlefield Wharf to visit the London Canal Museum

we stayed the night - this was the scene on the opposite wharf

- these lights were on all night - what a waste of energy

Wednesday 7th October

We had fully intended to follow the Regent Canal to Limehouse Basin (where it meets the tidal River Thames) but decided that the 7 large locks were just too much for George to do on his own (his foot was painful for some unknown reason), so we decided to head back to Little Venice this morning.

we met these German visitors by the zoo, they congratulated us on our fine boat
the entry into Maida Vale Tunnel from the south was not so stylish as the other end!

We moored once again at Ha'penny Bridge

Monday 28th September 2009

sunset at 10 past 6 from Ha'penny Bridge

Wednesday 30th September

Today we took the bus (bus pass at the ready!) to Trafalgar Square

..... and walked for miles and miles and miles!!

Sculptor Antony Gormley invited the people of the UK to occupy the empty Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square in London. Every hour, 24 hours a day, for 100 days without a break, different people made the plinth their own.

Suzanne H was on the plinth at 10:57 when I took this photograph - if you follow the link to her video and fast forward to 56.8 minutes you will get just a glimpse of George with Molly walking to the right to the rear of the fountain.

Peregrine Falcons keep the pigeons away from Trafalgar Square Nelsons column

St Martins in the Field

interior of St Martins

close-up of the altar window

Admiralty Arch

Horse Guards Parade with London Eye in the background

on guard on horseback (or kept in the dark and fed on sh*t, as George observed)

on guard on foot - ? distracted by someone exiting from his left

Buckingham Palace and the Victoria Memorial

Russell Court

St James's Palace

the Courtyard at St James's Palace

one of the magnificent buildings in Waterloo Place

China Town

Regent Street taken from the upper deck of a London bus

.. on the way back to our mooring

Saturday 27th September 2009

We do the tourist thing.................

went on the underground from Paddington to the Embankment and walked over Hungerford Bridge ........

looking towards Waterloo Bridge and beyond
and over to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament
to London Eye

Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament .....

... and then we took a Thames river tour........

Waterloo Bridge and the 'Square Mile'

the Oxo Tower

Tate Modern

looking towards St Pauls from the trip boat

Millenium Bridge

Globe Theatre

Golden Hind

HMS Belfast

Tower Bridge

Tower of London

Tower Bridge over the Tower of London

City Hall

the river tour over we take another walk ......

all sorts of water traffic

crossing Tower Bridge

a very busy and intersting side street

Tower Bridge again! from Potters Fields Park

...then back onto the underground to our mooring at Paddington Basin.

Saturday 26th September

another fairly early start, the day promises to be dry and bright again

We say cheerio to Pat and Ian on Porthceri today ......

the manual bow thruster does a good job!

We may see Pat and Ian later when they come up to Paddington.

I took these pictures of Bulls Bridge along the towpath on the 24-hour mooring at Tesco's.

I'm not sure who is responsible for keeping the area tidy, this is a picture of the dry dock (unworkable) which was created by Tesco's when the store was built..... fortunately on the return journey from London we saw that the area was very much cleaner.

we're now setting off down the Paddington Arm

there are lots of sculptures along the canal made from collected rubbish these have been created by students - most are eye catching indeed!

lots of the artwork are in bridge holes

cormorants drying their feathers atop a radio mast

more art work
a long long line of residential moorings

Molly is shattered!

Virginia creeper showing off its colour in the bright sunshine

the M4 - glad we're up here!

.... and she's hot!

Wembley Stadium

still hot!

a residential sherpa?

coming up to Sainsbury's some nice boats moored here

there are quite a few inlets off the canal - here the kids were having a great time

Elvis - alive and well living on the top floor near Kensal Green!

not having been this way before - we thought this was Little Venice

more residential boats moored int the little inlets

high rise flats - not for me, thank you!

more canal art just before Ha'penny Bridge

Ha'penny Bridge, we moored here on several occasions whilst in London

the church at Westbourne Green

and so into Little Venice proper

a lovely setting

and into Paddington Basin ..... this is really exciting ... off sightseeing tomorrow!

Friday 25th September 2009

We continued our epic journey .......

06:25 a misty dawn at Denham Deep - an early start today

07:20 - the day is becoming much brighter now..

we set off at 9:30 and pass some 'interesting' water craft! ......

oh no, it's one of those gravel barges!! no problem it was only a very heavy wide-beam!
I wonder if this caravan got washed off the land in a flood?
??
that's more like it

a gravel barge being loaded at bridge 183

well executed mosaic mural in one of the bridge holes

new developments abound

the Nestle factory - the smell was delicious!

We arrived at Bulls Bridge at about 4pm and moored on the Tesco 24 hour stop

'Brunel' appeared from the the Paddington Arm junction. (Update) According to Waterways World December 09 Brunel was a business barge which was craned into Paddington Basin in 2004 as part of the redevelopment but failed to attract sufficient attention and was never occupied and so was ignominiously towed away!

it was being pulled by a tug in front and ..

being pushed by the one behind - it was quite an effort to do that left turn - again according to Waterway World Dec 09 about 30 tons of water was pumped aboard as balast to enable it to pass under the low bridges en route to Brentford and most of the mast and some of the superstructure was cuat away; the side doe was welded shut to keept the vessel watertight whilst on the tidal Thames.

We are saying cheerio to Porthcerri in the morning as we are going onto the Paddington Arm and they are off to Brentford.

Thursday 24th September

We got up especially early this morning to take a walk in the park before setting off again - I'm so glad we did - it was a fantastic morning the sun very bright and I was pleased with the pictures that I took. Just a few of them here....

Molly thoroughly enjoyed the freedom in the park

We eventually left our mooring above lock 77 at about 8:45 to collect water at lock 78 where we met NB Porthcerri and shared locks with them down to Denhem Deep.

Pat and Ian are out on their annual 6-week late summer cruise - they are not slow coaches as we are on the canal, I think this was the longest stretch we'd ever cruised in one go, but we thoroughly enjoyed it and sharing the locks made it all so much easier. They are also on their way to London and as they had mention that this was not their first time we asked if we could tag along with them as we were quite apprehensive about the journey into the capital (especially after reading the navigational notes in the Nicholson's Guide about the gravel traffic and to beware of their boats manoeuvring between Copper Mill Lock and Denham Bridge) - Pat and Ian said that would be fine by them. some of the lock-side houses are really pretty (but presumably no longer belong to BW)

cute!

must remember this on the return trip stopped to collect essentials and eat lunch at Batchworth Tesco good job he's wearing a safety harness or he'd fall! just below Copper Mill Lock - the current was very strong today - I take it that canoes use this area as a slalom

following Pat and Ian on Porthceri past some pleasant waterside properties before mooring up for the night below Denham Deep Lock.

Tuesday 22nd and Wednesday 23rd September

We upped stiks on Tuesday to continue our way south and cruised past Les on NB Valerie - he was chaperoning NB Heddwyn on what I think was her new owner's maiden voyage (a very good looking redhead). We continued on through lock 71 and found a nice quite mooring close to the canal side village of Hunton Bridge.

We went for a walk around the village and found a great studio who make and renovate stained glass - check out this website - Chapel Studios - we went inside for a 'nosey' - they were pleased to talk to us and show us what they were doing and what they had been working on in the past on renovation projects all over the world. Although I had my camera I forgot to take some photos at the studio but took these of the village buildings.

views of the local church

a very large redwood tree in the cemetery grounds

A once very imposing Langleybury House now all shuttered up

In its days of glory - built by Sir Robert Raymond, a lawyer and friend of Sir Robert Walpole, who purchased the Langleybury Estate in 1711 (see link above)

the old school house

On Wednesday we cruised on passing...

some very nice properties on the wayTurnover bridge 163

Clarendon Park Farm in the distance

and the beautiful Grove Bridge - the Earl of Clarendon apparently insisted on an elegant bridge when the canal was routed across his land. The current bridge was restored in 1987.

we ended a lovely day moored above lock 77 at Cassiobury Park. We got up especially early next morning to take a walk in the park before setting off again - I'm so glad we did - it was a fantastic morning the sun very bright and I was pleased with the pictures that I took.