September 2022 – Narrowboat Firecrest

Lee, Lea or Ley?

We continued our journey northward on the Lee Navigation, feeling somewhat deflated after an amazing summer on the Thames, with its beautiful boats and its clean clear water. We were now surrounded by squalor, abandoned and sunk boats, constant having to defoul the prop, and on more than one occasion Eric was warned not to “let his woman out alone after dark”.

Yet the people we spoke to were friendly and helpful and all said it gets nicer the further along you go.

But what concerned us the most, was the correct spelling of where we were so I did a bit of reading up.

The River Lea is a major tributary into the River Thames with its confluence at Bow. Therefore as you might expect there’s a lot of documentation referencing its turbulant and profitable times. Archaeologists have discovered bronze age canoes along its route. Viking raiders sailed up the river, and King Alfred actually changed the river levels in order to strand Guthrum’s fleet to protect his lands.

The river continued to flow through its marshy course but in the late 12th century that the Abbot of Walthamstow instigated improvements to navigation along the River Lea to help transport grain from Hertfordshire into London. In the 15th century, not only did you need financial backing to create a more efficient waterway, but an act of parliament. In the 1424 and 1430 Acts the river was referred to as the Ley, but the later 1571 Act referred to the Ryver Lee, otherwise known as the Ware Ryver. It wasn’t until 1767 that trustees were canalising the navigation and on its completion in 1771 determined its name should be the Lee Navigation.
Nowadays its 27 miles from Bow to Hertford is no longer used for commercial trade, but is home to many Londoners needing affordable places to live, who have taken to the water. And used by the leisure and sports fraternity, with paddle sports and towpath trawlers all jiggling alongside each other, though not always companionably.

A huge variety of homes afloat, heritage dutch sailing barges, to repurposed lifeboats, even a space ship

Despite the difficulties in navigating this stretch of water, the history is interesting and these are the two pages are worth a read if you want more information.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Navigation
https://www.hertsmemories.org.uk/content/herts-history/places/rivers-and-canals/river-lee-lea-or-ley

The conclusion is, the River Lea, and the Lee Navigation, and it wasnt all bad

Onto the Lee and Stort Navigation

With our week on the Eco mooring drawing to a close, we decided to move on to explore the Lee and Stort Navigation. But first we had the treat of being joined by my cousin Diana and her children for the last remaining 3 miles of the Regent’s canal. First stop the water point

Thats Diana awarding Eric 5 points for his dancing skills

Then the excitment of working the locks

I think this is one for the caption competition

And the thrill of being permitted to drive the boat

I think Eric’s worried he’ll be out of a job soon

And finally the reward of lunch together

Before they had to say goodbye.

It had taken us nearly 3 hours to do less than 2 miles, but it was a perfect start to the day. We glibly thought we’d moor up soon….

….but that was before we had fully comprehended the dire state of mooring on the Regent’s canal. We were crawling along past double moored boats for as far as the eye could see, past Victoria Park and onto the Hertford Union Canal. With the infamous Hertford Union Bottom lock to transit. We had been warned it was flooded….

But usually the bywash of a lock has its own dedicated offside channel not shared with the towpath.

I had no choice but to wade through this dirty canal water, not knowing what was in it, or if i would be able to empty enough water out in order to open the gate.

Miraculously, we managed to get through, sympathizing with the local’s who informed me, with resignation that “its been fixed”
At least there were still some things to smile about,

but we were now on the Lee and Stort Navigation, heading north. We ploughed on, which seems an inappropriate word for a canal but the density of duckweek and debris meant it really was hard going, the double moored boats continued but eventually, 3 hours after we had wanted to stop, we found a 60′ gap to squeeze into, baton down the hatches and fall asleep exhausted.

A Week in London, part 4, One more day

We really couldn’t believe our luck at having discovered these bookable moorings in London. We really made the most of our base to explore. The city is diverse as old and modern intermingle, Eric spent several years commuting into London for work and took great delight in walking around familiar sights, although his 60’s tower block has long since been replaced.

Most of the week we basked in sunshine but the day it rained, oh boy did it rain,

but it didn’t last and I took the opportunity to visit one of England’s well known trendy wool shops, Loop, only 10 minutes walk from Firecrest. And yes as far as yarn shops go, Loop is to knitters like me, yarn candy, wool heaven, fibre porn, you name it, it was divine. However, whether its because of its location, its customers, its media awareness, it came with a warning, do not cross the thresh hold without a healthy bank balance, cause it might not be so healthy when you leave. (Don’t worry Eric, I’d left the credit card at home)

But I’d been shocked at the price of a skein of yarn in London, Eric was shocked at the price of a pint in London. But I just couldn’t help be drawn into those beautiful old London Pubs, full of etched glass. The Camden Head is close to the mooring and if you get your timing right, there’s free comedy shows most nights.

We had left it too late to stay for the set the day we went in, because we had treated ourselves to tickets for a west end show. We were going to see Les Miserables, at the Sondheim. Now that was worth every penny. Everything about the theatre, production, the atmosphere was amazing. And if time had permitted we’d have gone again the following night. But we had reached the end of our week and with the memorable songs coursing through our souls we prepared to move on.

And just one more night

A week in London part 3, a Sunday Saunter

With so many things to see, we knew we could only scratch the surface. On Sunday, (a few weeks ago) we deployed our “stay local” policy and set off on foot. I wanted to see the Columbia Road Flower market, so armed with our google map we set off East along the canal, which is always an adventure, full of vibrant culture

turning right at Hoxton. We discovered the Museum of the Home, housed in the 300 year old Hoxton Alms houses,

https://www.museumofthehome.org.uk/what-we-do/our-story/
Although some of the rooms still showcase the almshouse life, its a bit worrying when you start seeing items you have owned (still own) featuring in displays. Actually we think displays of what we remember and took for granted can be quite thought provoking and we enjoyed nearly 2 hours wandering around.

Im sure I remember a hoover like that, a record deck before they became retro trendy, we still have our trusty Nokia, played games like that on the big telly and … who hasnt had a Billy Book case from Ikea

I was a bit worried that having spent so long in the museum the flower market would be closing up for the day, however, it was still in full bloom

I was very restrained and only bought an orchid

We were getting a bit hungry at this point so we took advantage of the many pop up street food cafes

and went to look for somewhere quieter to eat our salt beef bagels,

The hoardings said they were the best, and yes it was certainly tasty

We had found ourselves in Hackney City Farm

By now we were getting used to seeing weird and whacky sights, in this highly creative community.

But nothing prepared us to come face to face with Jaws leaping out of the canal as we meandered back towards Firecrest

These are just two of the Hackney Sharks. The remaining three or four are currently under cover as there is some controversy over whether or not this art installation, or a structure that needs planning permission. Personally we love them and want them to stay. As far as we know, they haven’t eaten anyone yet. https://www.antepavilion.org/updates/sharks-back-maybe-gah2t

We had thoroughly enjoyed our explorations today. We had seen a real community. Im sure we werent the only tourist visiting the flower market, but these were the real people of London, enjoying the weekend. It was vibrant, fun, friendly and I sensed very caring.

Paying our respects

Hoping for a smaller crowd, we took the opportunity to go into central London yesterday, even though its the day after Her Majesty’s funeral. We wanted to pay our respects and experience the atmosphere, before the ceremonial paraphernalia was put back into storage.
We started our homage at Admiralty Arch

The Union flag, with its black mourning bands in front of Admiralty Arch

We walked down the Mall with flags as far as the eye could see.

whilst the guard rode on horseback

These guards were actually part of the “changing of the guards ceremony”

Heading back towards Admiralty Arch

Half way down the Mall we stopped to see the statues of the Queen’s parents, king George VI and the queen Mother.

Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother and King George VI, the late Queen’s parents

Queen Victoria was ready to greet us outside Buckingham Palace on her monument,

As were the world’s press had called home for the past 10 days

Although most of them had gone home and it looks like King Charles wasn’t at home as the royal standard wasnt flying above the palace.

we followed two soldiers on their way to St James Palace

Where Charles accession to the throne was formally announced.

We followed the crowd around into Green Park to view the floral tributes And its true what the reporters have reported, the park really did smell wonderful.

And the volunteers really had put a lot of effort into laying out the flowers out in small groups which allowed you to walk amongst them,

There was an overwhelmimg sense of respect

and even when the flowers had been left in unofficial locations, it still felt the nation was honouring the best of British

Bomber Comand memorial near Hyde Park corner

We were very glad we had made our own personal pilgrimage, it was moving and emotional, and we are sure that the Queen and her family would have felt the love poured out for her.

A week in London, part 2, visiting the Tower

It seems fitting that today, on the funeral of our beloved Queen Elizabeth II, I should recount a highlight of our week in London. We visited the Tower of London to see the Crown Jewels.

The tower is part of the historic royal palaces trust so entrance is included with our membership.

Our journey took us past a few other iconic towers

The Shard, the Scalpel (i think) and Monument

But thankfully we were admitted via the tourists entrance

not the Traitors gate used to ferry prisoners via the Thames into the Towers fortifications whilst they awaited trial or dungeons for torture until they confessed their crimes.

The White Tower was originally build by William the conqueror as a royal residence after he arrived in 1066, by 1100s it was also serving as a secure prison, right up until the Kray twins conviction in 1950s.

In the 12th and 13th centuries the site around the White tower was expanded with fortifications and is more or less what we know today. The tradition of keeping the crown jewels in the tower probably started during Henry III reign (1216-1272) but in 1649 Cromwell decreed that the historic coronation regalia should be melted down, defaced or destroyed. Only a 12th century spoon used for annointing the monarch

and 3 ceremonial swords survived and were returned when Charles II regained the throne in 1660. The jewels are now kept in the Jewel tower, which involved a lengthy 30 minute queue, but there was plenty to look at outside, well heeled visitors

and well armed guards

Photography isn’t permitted in the Jewel tower, but there were a lot lot more priceless objects on display than just the familiar crowns orbs and gems that we are familiar with today, the Scottish crown

And the welsh Coronet of Charles, made in 1969 for his investiture as Prince of Wales, I heard him say recently that he had mixed feelings about it, but it rather fascinated me

Although not in the same league as the highly bejewelled crowns worn by our monarchs

Of course all these crowns need guarding and that job falls to the Yeomen of the guard who are on duty 24/7 although their duties are probably more aimed at keeping the tourists happy

And then there’s the historic ravens that inhabit the tower

Who don’t always keep the tourists happy-but what can you expect if you poke a finger at a wild animal

of course there was a lot more to see within the tower, the royal mint used to be housed in the tower, and there’s the royal armoury and the views from the tower

But today is for remembering Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II

A week in London part 1 eco mooring

When we realised we could book a week’s mooring in central London we leapt at the chance. For a visitor to the capital, the horror stories about there being nowhere to moor is a daunting prospect. And to a certain extent, once we had passed under the North circular (A406, roughly east of Wembley) yes, mooring options became increasingly sporadic, but we could still have doubled up if necessary. But along the Regent’s Canal there is a joint initiative between DEFRA, Islington council and CRT to help reduce boater’s emissions, with a system of bookable Eco Moorings. Although its causing a lot of controversy amongst boaters, many London based boats are simply not able to comply with the regulations without upgrading their set up, it suited us perfectly. Its worth reading this article from the CRT website if you’re interested. Islington Eco moorings

It’s still all a bit hit and miss and open to abuse, And despite being assured we wouldn’t be double moored, when we arrived the only space available was a double mooring. Not that that was a problem, we were warmly welcomed and assisted to moor up, it was a bit tricky getting on and off firecrest over a slightly longer boat than ourselves, and two days after we had to do a reshuffle as our partners boat needed to move. But the advantage of having an electric hook up, (which we paid for through CRTs Meter Mac online system) was well worth it.

Boat shuffling to accomodate doubled up mooring

We were surprised at just how quiet this short section of mooring is, between Islington tunnel and City Road Lock. It’s surrounded by residential properties, (who have also had to adapt to new emissions initiatives with restricted road access)

And there didn’t seem to be a lot of boat traffic, unless you counted the weekend trip boats hosting parties

Yet all within a few minutes of the Northern line and Angel tube station, and a lively high street and trendy shopping centre

On our first evening, we had arranged to meet up with family to go and see a west end show. So started off with a meal in China town

No point in denying it, we were in full blown tourist mode

Amanda’s neighbour was playing young Bob, in the musical Get Up, Stand up, at the Lyric theatre, and as we’d met them earlier in the year it seemed an obvious show to go and see.

A good start to our week

A feast for the senses, onto the Regent’s Canal

Under the blue and into Paddigton Basin, Little Venice and Rembrant gardens.

Paddington basin, Little Venice and Rembrant Gardens was once the site of a significant intersection, with wharfs and winding space forward goods to be loaded and moved on,. The Grand Union canal becomes the Regent canal, but even in this now trendy community hub, boats need to give way to the huge rubbish barges whisking away the capitals debris.

But the next 5 miles of our journey was an absolute feast for our senses, mixing multi millionaire properties, where the celebs live.

Looking up to the Maida Vale town houses.

With the less salubrious, but equally fun

Our journey took us under the Maida Hill tunnel where we were watched by the diners at this quirky Italian cafe

Through Regents park, past Hanover Lodge, reportedly Britain’s most expensive house when it was sold to a Russian oligarch in 2014 for £120 million.

Through London zoo, although we didn’t get to see any animals

Although we did pick up a Hitchiker

Past the Feng Shang Princess a floating red pagoda restaurant

Through Camden where our senses were well and truely bombarded,

And past the prestigious and enterprising GasHolder development at Kings Cross

And the less prestigious but equally enterprising book barge, Word on the Water, for boaters and passers by to fill their literary needs.

And finally under the Islington tunnel to reach the fabulous Colebrook row Eco Mooring

The Paddington Arm

Our journey continued up the Grand Union main line just another 2 miles until we reached Bulls Bridge Junction, conveniently site of a huge Tesco, close enough to wheel a loaded trolley back to the boat. So I took advantage and stocked up on the heavier store cupboard necessities (eg, bottles of wine and cans of beer), whilst Eric filled up Firecrest with water.

It could have been such a pretty bridge if the graffiti vandals hadn’t wanted to make their mark.

But we were pleasantly surprised by how nice the canal is along here.

Yes there’s a lot of residential mooring off side, but also long rural stretches, which we hadn’t expected already being within the boundarys of greater London (the first section of the GU roughly follows the southern and western edges of Ealing) and the first section of the paddington arm, skirts south of Northolt.

And we found ourselves a peaceful overnight home in Paradise Fields, at Horsenden

We were within walking distance of the Brompton folding bike factory, but they were still following covid distancing guidelines, so weren’t running their usual tours. Just as well as we had a long day ahead of us so needed a prompt start to the day. We had been warned by many that “London would be double moored for mile after mile after mile, but we were pleased to find that we continued seeing places to moor for a few more miles. Although the duckweed and rubbish was becoming an annoying feature.

The debris thrown in along the canal is hard to ignor, but the Stowe Youth Club has created a fabulous mural

And it was only when we looked closer we realised it was made up of rubbish pulled from the canal

We are always heartened to see the enterprising art works along the canal,

But our views were about to change dramatically as we passed through Little Venice and the blue bridge marking the start of the paddington basin

Goodbye River, Hello Canal

Goodbye River Hello Canal

This looks like an original Grand Junction canal sign

An hour and a half after leaving Teddington we were back onto the Grand Junction/Union Canal. Although for the first mile or so the canal and River Brent intermingle and there is still a tidal element at times. We had hoped to stop so we could visit Kew gardens, But we couldn’t have moored in Brentford even if we had wanted to, it was nose to tail with boats, even on the water point. But never the less we were treated to some interesting views. Brentford Bridge was a pleasing sight.

It had undergone a makeover in 2021 and now celebrated the canals wildlife.

These paintings adorn both sides on the inside and outside

But it wasn’t long before reality of urban canals ground us to a halt, weed, plastic and rubbish, hidden under the water waiting to wrap itself around our prop, making it near impossible to steer. It is one of the foulest of boat jobs that falls onto Eric’s shoulders, because his arms are longer than mine and the physical strength needed to cut away the twine tying us up. Thankfully most vegetation can thrown off with a burst of reverse throttle but fabrics, plastics, fishing line, bicycles and shopping trolleys are all a boaters nightmare.

All three of our convoy had to defoul our props more than once, but we gradually left the urban sprawl and found ourself cruising along some genuinely beautiful and historic canal. We stuck with our Lock buddies to work the Hanwell flight, passing the victorian paupers and lunatic asylum. The wall along the canal and the flight of locks are now a scheduled ancient monument. When the asylum was first opened in the 1830s it wasn’t as popular as the workhouse or jail because there was a fee of nine shillings per week to stay there. But needless to say it wasn’t long before it was full. It currently houses the West London Mental Health services headquarters and is known as St Bernards Hospital

We passed “through” the three bridges (officially windmill bridge) which was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel so that the railway could be routed through a deep cutting, so as not to obscure the views of Osterly Park.

https://canalplan.org.uk/place/236g

From the trains perspective, image taken from canalplan

And found ourselves a nice quiet mooring for the night. Which was just as well because the rain we had been expecting when we set off at 7am arrived with a vengeance just after we had stopped.