Narrowboat Firecrest – Page 13 – Coddiwompling with Narrowboat Firecrest

Welcome to 2023

We said goodbye to 2022 quietly just above Leighton Lock, still feeling a bit washed out after our brush with covid. It would have been a nice place to stay, except we couldn’t get any tv reception. But when the New Year dawns with crisp clear blue sky, we couldn’t resist the desire to cruise.

But it was still cold, so we only clocked 2 miles and moored up just beyond the Soulbury 3 Locks.

We’ve enjoyed nice meals there in the past but we try to avoid eating out on a bank holiday so gave it a miss this time, and found us a rural beauty spot instead.

We mooched on slowly until we got to civilization at Fenny Stratford. We’d planned to spend a few days with family in Suffolk and this was a good place to arrange car hire. I went ahead first by train so I could see some friends as well, the train took me through Ely…. now theres a thought for another summers cruise….We’ve been aboard Firecrest since January 2017, thats 6 years, and still plenty of water left to explore.

But for now we were back in Suffolk, where the Vikings arrived in their Long boats,

And the fishermen still go out in little wooden boats

And we take the family out for breakfast at the farm cafe

this is almost as far East in the country that you can get

And looking north you can see where all the icy winds come whistling down to freeze the country… and the canals

Oh no, another 10 days frozen in, we eventually managed to break free and move on.

But if the rest of the year is like January, we arent going to get very far. Its taken us a whole month to move 9 miles.

Not quite the Christmas we had expected

After enjoying the magic of snow and ice for over 2 weeks Eric went down with a stinking cold, two days later so did I… except it wasn’t a just a cold. After 2 years of escaping the dreaded Covid, it finally caught us. Being fully vaccinated, were leading pretty much our normal lifestyle, and to be honest we were surprised that we hadnt already had it. We’d had the odd snuffle, but each time I tested it came back negative. But there was something about the pounding headache accompanying this cold that prompted me to reveal the double line.

As luck would have it, knowing a thaw in the ice was imminent and we might be moving on, I had walked up to M&S and done a big Christmas food shop. I’d splashed out on some of their part cooked range and plenty of little nibbly bits, all with good use by dates. The only thing I’d forgotten to get was brussel sprouts, but it was only the 20th so there was plenty of time….

But it wasn’t to be. Covid knocked us for 6, the temperatures went up and the rain came down, the debris thrown onto the ice held on for as long as possible, whilst we retired under the duvet feeling sorry for ourselves.

It might have been a game for the kids, but theres going to be a lot of rubbish in the cut to foul our prop

And we can’t even say there was anything worth watching on tv this year. Our biggest worry was that we had just come through 2 weeks of water rationing. Using the local launderette and enjoying a swim and a shower at the leisure centre, making sure our tank lasted longer than our period of being frozen in. But even now, if we had felt well enough to move, morally, we felt it our duty not to go outside and share our germs, so yet again we were grateful that Firecrest had been built with a large water tank as we eeked out our supply to last another week. Fortunately fuel hadn’t been an issue during the freeze. Juel’s had delivered just as the ice was forming and then they also got stuck. But they were going past us a week after Eric succumbed so he masked up, unlocked the fuel cap and retreated back inside whilst they topped up the diesel. (£1.32l)

And once the awful headache had passed I was able to get on with knitting my Christmas gnome.

Christmas Day was very subdued, Santa Claus hadn’t been able to do his usual stuff but we still managed an orange and a chocolate to start the day

And Id found something suitable for us to drink with lunch

We finally felt fit enough to make it to the water point on 27th. That was exactly 28 days since we last filled up. We reckon we could have managed another day or two, but my temperament was sorely frayed at not being able to have a proper wash. Good job we didn’t have much of a sense of smell

We’re now looking forward to a new year. Taking things easy cause we still feel washed out.

Dreaming of a White Christmas

Dreaming of a White Christmas
Moving closer to town was a good move because as the temperatures dropped , the ice got thicker and we became well and truly stuck fast. Ironically when the ice is thinner it feels worse, because as it moves we hear the cracking, creaking and groaning as it moves against the hull. We try to smash the ice that’s close around the boat to give us a bit of wriggle room to float freely in but we were fighting a loosing battle.

We could tell it was getting colder because the hoar frost was looking so pretty.

And then we woke up to snow.

Of course I wanted to go out to play instantly, but it was barely a few inches deep, if that.

the rough ground made it difficult to build a snowman so I gave up and walked into town instead

Leighton Buzzard is a pretty town, with a good market on Tuesdays and Saturdays and at this time of year the salvation army band are playing carols as well.

But of course its always nice to come back to a snug warm boat

Amanda came for a visit as she lives reasonably close

An ideal opportunity to go for a pub lunch at The Grove and a catch up

The forecast is set to warm up drastically, so its unlikely that we’ll get our white Christmas, but it wouldn’t surprise me if there’s still too much ice in the canal for us to break free

But its been lovely place to stay.

Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter

We meandered towards the outskirts of Leighton Buzzard wearing teeshirts during November’s unseasonal warmth of 18°, stopping along the way to enjoy the sheer beauty of our surroundings.

Shortly after we came across a long section with piles of earthworks, with bulldozers and reversing bleeps dominating the views. We called out to a local person to ask what was going on…. building a film set that will be in use for two years and then the countryside will be restored, but he was relinquishing his permanent mooring to find something more peaceful. We didn’t catch the name of this impending epic, but he had our sympathy.

We descended Grove Lock, and settled in for a 14 day stay.

And enjoyed the wonderful sunsets

until we awoke to find ourselves frozen in

There was still the occasional boat able to break through the ice to make progress. Luckily one of those were those amazing couple who run the Jules Fuels boats so we topped up with diesel. What a relief that was knowing that the forecast was only due to get colder.

There’s potential to get through that without too much damage

We also decided to take advantage of the channel that had been opened in the ice to get us a little closer to the centre of Leighton Buzzard. Another shrewd move.

Whatever happened to Autumn

I’m sitting here frozen in, telling myself to get on with sharing another blog post before I forget where we have been. Family and friends have played a significant part in our gentle autumnal cruising, as we took advantage of several close train stations for visiting. We left Apsley mill with the leaves still green back in October.

During the next 10 weeks we have travelled all of 20 miles north through 40 locks, through rain, shine, wind, snow and ice. We spent an enjoyable two weeks in Berkhamsted

A lovely little town that has embraced the canal running through it, where commercial sheep dip was first created.

And has some real history to explore with its 11th Century castle ruins

Berkhampsted castle, and improvised cricket pitch

And its quirky but genuine Canadian Kwakiutl totem pole, given to the people of Berkhamsted as a thankyou for the kindness shown by John Alsford, a local business man who owned the timber yard where it stands (now a residential area)

And for the days when it rains so hard you’re glad you already live on a boat there’s the wonderful art deco Rex cinema, which has the comfiest seats I’ve ever enjoyed in a cinema as well as the best toilet graffiti

I went to see “Mrs Harris Goes to Paris,” a real feel good movie, And I took a trip to London to meet up with Amanda at the British Museum to look at the Egyptian artefacts

Me and Amanda outside the British Museum

We could easily have stayed put in “Berko”, we met friends, made new friends and thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

But it was time to move on and we found ourselves a wood to walk through. Even though it was now mid November there was still a lot of green to be seen in Ashridge Woods (easily reached from Dudswell mooring)

And it wasn’t just the leaves that were the wrong colour, when we got to CowRoast lock the water wasn’t just crystal clear, it had a blueish tinge to it, almost like an aquarium so clear that we could actually see the lock paddle mechanisms below the water level.

We had reached the top of the Tring Summit and we would now be descending along our route. But we planted our pins at Tring Resevoirs and settled down for another 14 day stay. (Our header photo) Lots of lovely walks around the area, and a reasonable bus service into Tring.

Knowing that Eric was in a nice place, (good internet, and plenty of solar) I jumped ship and caught the train up to the Lakes to have a week with mum, I also went to see my dentist, but didn’t confess to eating jam and scones or drinking creamy hot chocolate.

Threlkeld village hall cafe, The place to go just outside Keswick

And I think whilst I was in the Lakes, winter arrived

The view from my bedroom window back home

Apsley Mill

Little did we realise that our next stop would have so many connections with home when we moored up at Apsley Mill.

Looks like the solar panels will do well here

We needed a trip back home to Suffolk and decided that Hemel Hempstead was the ideal place to hire a car, and then nip straight onto the M25. Apsley ticked all the boxes, close enough to the hire company, sunshine on the solar panels, Sainsbury’s and Wicks over the bridge, and CRT facilities just along the towpath.

Ideal. And after the essentials had been dealt with, Eric drove back to Firecrest for a week of DIY whilst I stayed out of the way enjoying a week with the family.

Heather and Ant keeps chickens, but sadly they (the chickens, not Heather and Ant) are confined to their enclosure for the foreseeable future as bird flu wreaks havoc on the East Anglian poultry business. Chickens (and turkeys) haven’t got big enough brains to understand the need to remain socially distanced from the wild birds so they are having to endure yet anther season of Flockdown. Even more sadly we have seen the evidence this virus is having on our water fowl. The day we cruised out of London we saw 2 dead swans and 2 dead ducks. Frustratingly we hadn’t seen the Defra guidelines at the time so didn’t report our sightings, but we would urge everyone to report finding dead birds in an effort to help eliminate this devastating disease.

“….Reporting dead wild birds
You should call the Defra helpline (03459 33 55 77) if you find:
• one or more dead bird of prey or owl
• 3 or more dead gulls or wild waterfowl (swans, geese and ducks)
• 5 or more dead birds of any species
Do not touch or pick up any dead or visibly sick birds that you find. For further information see our advice to the public……” Defra website
What we did see however (3 weeks too late) was a report on the local London tv news with the reporter travelling along the Regents Canal…. past Firecrest moored at Islington back in August.

Once I was back on Firecrest, we took advantage of a walk-in clinic to look after our own health and got our booster vaccines for both covid and flu. And I took the opportunity to walk around the area, which has embraced the canal as an area for the community to enjoy now.

The papermill bridge opposite Apsley Marina

But 200 years ago Apsley was only just starting to thrive when the Grand Union was built bringing and taking goods to and from London. There had been water mills along the Rivers Gade and Bulborne, milling flour and fulling wool for centuries. But the early 1800’s John Dickinson established the first mechanised paper making plant, and in 1911 the brand Basildon Bond was created. And just seeing the name on the clockface brought back happy memories of letter writing. Unfortunately some **** decided to set fire to the historic buildings in January so the visitor centre is closed for the time being. It would have been fun to look around. Basildon Bond is now owned by Hamblins and made in Europe.

Although the main street through Apsley seems a bit humdrum now with factory units and retail parks, whilst Eric popped into Wicks for some more paint brushes, I happened to notice the neighbouring unit was Kent Brushes, now there’s a name I remember from my childhood home. I used to have a Kent Hairbrush, and this is where they are still made today. And just my luck the onsite shop was closed. But outside, the most interesting sculpture sat brushing her hair. I’m not entirely sure if I like it, her pose looks a bit sad to me.

From a galaxy far far away, to somewhere beyond Watford

Cassiobury Park came from a large area of land that King Offa gave to the Abbey of St Albans in 793 but when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in 1539 , the estate became home to the Earls of Essex. (I always wonder why the aristocracy don’t live in the county of their title) However as times changed and fortunes were found and lost, parts and parcels of the huge estate were sold off . In 1909 Watford council bought the parkland that we are enjoying today. It really was a lovely place to cruise through,

At least that’s what Jar Jar Binks thinks, as areas of the woodland were used as the planet Naboo in the film Star Wars, The Phantom Menace. However the only menace we were in danger from was the crocodiles in the canal.

We moored up just beyond the current park outside the Grove Mill

and looking at the beautiful bridges the 4th Earl of Essex really did insist on the canal being an asset to his properties

Nowadays some bridges need to be a little more heavyweight, especially this one which carries the link road onto the M25

and it wasn’t long before we found ourselves cruising parallel to the bain of our past life, although its outlook from the canal was somewhat more tranquil

And the image of its mega structure, somewhat more impressive from below than above

So that was it, we had now been released from the inner circle, cruised past Watford, where we now officially back in the north?

Turning Right at Bulls Bridge

Not sure where we’d end up or if its 87.5 miles or 187.5 miles we turned right at Bulls Bridge to begin our journey back up north. We suspect it should say Braunston, but maybe Birmingham. We settled for a few days in West Drayton soaking up the sunshine,

Opposite the train station at West Drayton

Enjoying the sunsets,

and the sunrises

All of which reminded us that we were still, infact, pointing west, not yet going north. And still just about within the Greater London confines inside the M25. Our autumnal cruising plan is to meander slowly up the Grand Union overwintering around the Milton Keynes area, roughly 50 miles and 67 locks. We decided not to venture down the 5 miles Slough arm, because although it is lock free, having chatted to the local boaters, we weren’t sure we could moor easily. Perhaps we missed an opportunity. Perhaps we’ll do it next time.

Cowley Peachy junction for the Slough Arm

but immediately past the junction we were climbing uphill and the locks, thankfully not all 11 foot deep like Denham deep lock

And under some high railway bridges

And past some railway bridges not yet built as HS2 passes over the canal around Harefield. We have to take a deep breath and remind ourselves what an eyesore building the canals must have been in the 18th century, but how glad we are to have them now.

In the late 1700’s William Capell, 4th Earl of Essex, was similarly concerned when sat of the board for the building of the Grand Junction canal, that would pass through his extensive estate, of Cassiobury and Watford. He insisted on the canal being aesthetically pleasing. And so it is.

Leaving London

The Paddington Arm is a 13.5mile branch off the 137 mile long Grand Union Canal. It runs from Bulls Bridge in Hayes to the Paddington Basin in central London. When it was completed in 1801, it was mainly a rural route, and as one commentator wrote, in the 1700’s “ … next to the beautiful fields and quiet village, the gallows and the gibbet were the principal attractions….” but once the canal opened up the banks became the dumping ground for London’s ash and night soil and it became known as sticking Paddington. Paddington itself doesn’t derive its name from the marmalade eating bear from Peru, but most likely from the Anglo Saxon chieftain called Padda.

Although we had a twitchy tiller, (our boaty equivalent to itchy feet) and we were ready to move on. But there’s always more hidden gems waiting to be explored in London and with hindsight we wished we had booked more than one night in Paddington Basin. Not least because the weather forecast was looking bleak with strong winds and heavy rain, but the crazy booking system, which would allow us a full 7 night stay, does not permit you to extend a single night despite there being spaces available. But as NB Oleanna, who were moored on the next pontoon, was risking the weather with an early get away….

Goodbye Mick and Pip, Im sure we’ll see you again soon

We decided to follow them out.

As all boaters know, to turn a boat through 180° is called winding, as in wind the weather phenomenon, not winding as in wine what you drink. This is because before the days of powerful motors, the old traditional boaters used to use the wind to help them rotate their boats. However despite all our modern advances, winding a 60′ boat in a wind tunnel on a windy day next to flimsy trip boats takes a fair bit of skill. But we did it and soon we were on our way, out into Little Venice and Rembrants garden.

Looking back towards the start of the Regent’s canal

And forward towards the Grand Union, Paddington arm, which would be our route out of the city.

We managed about an hour before the rain started , and oh boy was it heavy, but thankfully the further west we travelled the more places we found to moor. And guess what, no sooner had we tied off the ropes, the sun came back out, but we’d gone far enough for one day and

… it gave Eric a chance to remove all the debris fouling our prop.

An all too familiar sight on the urban canals

Our journey continued over the North Circular, ah happy memories as this was the road Eric drove along, when he lived in the south and I lived in the north

Past some interesting art work under a bridge

And a next to a bridge

Stopping to buy diesel from Willowtree marina (£1.25 -29/09/22) and finally onto Bulls Bridge which is the junction of the Paddington Arm with the Grand Union Canal

(Heading photo, a new developement at Alperton)

Moving on

We really do love the colours of early autumn, and whilst we were enjoying a leisurely breakfast we noticed an artist had set up their easel to capture the scene. We walked over to say hello, and were so taken with the work, we were tempted to ask to buy it. Sadly Firecrest was just out of view and the artist, Melissa Scott-Miller said it was part of an exhibition for a gallery so not yet for sale.

We were so lucky with the weather this week, Sunday morning was crisp and clear, so we decided to go to morning service at Westminster Abbey, which was heavenly, then on to explore Borough Market, which was food heavenly. A real treat for the senses.

Borough Market in Southwark on the south bank of the Thames, which gave us an opportunity to see skyline from a different angle. (We had watched the reflections flotilla from where the orange barriers are)

We also got the chance to see the seaworthy replica of Sir Francis Drake’s galleon, the Golden Hind. Although his mission was to explore and circumnavigate the globe, he turned “privateer”.
“…..On 1 March 1579, now in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Ecuador, Golden Hind challenged and captured the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de la Concepción. This galleon had the largest treasure captured to that date: over 360,000 pesos (equivalent to around £480m in 2017).[7] The treasure took six days to transship and included 26 tons of silver, half a ton of gold, porcelain, jewellery, coins, and jewels.[8][9] On 26 September 1580, Francis Drake sailed his ship into Plymouth Harbour with 56 of the original crew of 80 left aboard. The ship was unloaded at Trematon Castle nearby, supervised by the Queen’s guards.[10] The final treasure also included six tons of cloves from the Spice Islands, at the time worth their weight in gold.[9] Elizabeth herself went aboard Golden Hind, which was then permanently at Deptford on the south bank of the Thames, where she had requested it be placed on permanent display as the first ‘museum ship’. There, she shrewdly asked the French ambassador to bestow a knighthood on Drake.[11] Over half of the proceeds went to the crown – her share of the treasure came to at least £160,000: “enough to pay off her entire government debt and still have £40,000 left over to invest in a new trading company for the Levant. Her return, and that of other investors, was more than £47 for every £1 invested, or 4,700%.”[8]…….”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Hind

Not a bad investment, Firecrest contains quite a few tonnes of ballast, but its not silver or gold and unlike the Golden Hind, we doubled our crew for the last leg of our journey. Family, Diana and Chris came to join us for the day, as we sailed out of Islington, much laughing was done, despite the weather turning against us.

Chris Diana Eric and me on the bottom step

And I was very grateful to have a helping hand through the locks at Camden

We had booked ourselves a night on the pontoons in Paddington Basin

Which just so happens to be right next door to an M&S food hall

Now thats what I call a Convenient Store

So we enjoyed the evening together as well.

I am sure next time we come into London, we will book ourselves a few more nights here, that view is surely worth £12 a night.