Limehouse Basin

Here I am Rune

Distance 9 miles

Total 1907Locks 90 Tunnels

Running total mileage 2694.6 miles

After giving the engine it’s 250 hour service yesterday, today we moved on to Limehouse Basin in the company of another boat, ‘Grace’. Taking two boats through double locks makes things so much quicker, we got from Paddington to Limehouse (9 miles and 12 locks, so 21 ‘lock miles’) in 5 hours, so the average speed was slightly above 4 ‘lock miles’ per hour. I thought we were promised hot, sunny weather today, it was quite warm but the sun was a bit hit and miss.

Here in Limehouse the mooring is only for 24 hours (the purpose is mainly for those passing through to travel up the Thames) so we will need to move on tomorrow into the Bow Back Rivers (the location of the Olympic park). I don’t know what the moorings are like there, we will find out tomorrow.

'Rune' in Limehouse Basin (centre photo)

Paddington

Here I am Rune

Distance 2.5 miles

Total 1895 Locks 88 Tunnels

Running total mileage 2685.6 miles

Since we had been at Kensal Green since Saturday and our water and other facilities were starting to run low, we have moved on the short distance to Paddington Basin for tonight’s mooring. We watered up as we came through Little Venice but that was a bit of a palaver. There is only one mooring space at the services station and it was occupied by two boats when we arrived. We moored up to the second one whilst waiting for the first one to finish taking on water. At this point the heavens opened and we all went below to get out of the rain. When the downpour had passed we resumed and the first boat finished and left. The second boat then moved onto the services mooring with us attached, this however meant that we were some way out into the canal, plenty of space for a narrow-boat to get through but not for a wide-beam. Of course the first boat to come along was a wide-beam so a load of shuffling to get out of its way. This ‘boat-ballet’ continued for over an hour as the water tap at Little Venice hadn’t got much pressure and when we then got moored alongside another boat came along to breast up on our outside. I think they could do with repositioning the water point to somewhere not quite as congested!

Once the job was done we then moved on to the Paddington Basin, couldn’t moor alongside so are currently double banked outside of Paddington Station. Apparently we will have to move on tomorrow as there is Dragon Boat racing in Paddington Basin on Thursday and all mooring has been suspended.

Kensal Green

Here I am Rune

Distance 6.8 miles

Total 1895 Locks 88 Tunnels

Running total mileage 2683.1 miles

Meandered a further 6 miles or so along the Paddington Arm towards Paddington Basin/Little Venice on a pleasant cruise. The weather was OK, occasionally sunny but increasingly windy and we decided to stop for lunch opposite Kensal Green cemetery, and didn’t start off again. I think that we might remain here for a couple of days, probably until Monday or Tuesday. We can run the engine without bothering any neighbours (since they are mostly dead!) and we are within reasonable travelling distance of Paddington itself, and therefore London.

After lunch I put the bike together and took a bit of a ride around the area, into Paddington Basin and around there. It looks reasonably promising to get a mooring in the basin when we head off in that direction since the CRT policy seems to be that narrow-boats should double up two abreast which should give a chance of mooring. The problem seems to be the water-point since as I was passing I overheard a boater coming in to moor on the Riverbus mooring, asking if it was OK if he moored there for an hour and a half waiting for a space on the water-point (his request was refused), it certainly looked busy there, but then it was a Saturday.

One useful piece of information I did pick up however was that winding in the basin should be relatively easy as I assisted a full length 70’ boat to turn (it looked as though he had about 8 feet to spare).

May make Sunday a day for visiting Kensal Green Cemetery since there are a number of famous people buried there.

Crossing the North Circular Road by narrow-boat

The 'Fan' bridge at Paddington Basin

Northolt

Here I amRune

Distance 7.4 miles

Total 1895 Locks 88 Tunnels

Running total mileage 2676.3 miles

As planned, today we visited the local Tesco & Morrisons and restocked our sadly depleted larder so we are now sorted out for the weekend and most of next week for food. After the shopping expedition we then set off for a gentle cruise along the Grand Union to its junction with the Paddington Arm and are now just short of 4 miles up the Paddington Arm at Northolt (opposite High Line Yachting base). Mooring may become more problematic from here on since the next intended destination will be the Paddington Basin/Little Venice area. I was unable to get a booked mooring at Rembrandt Gardens as I was hoping to do so it will be a bit of a wing and prayer job tomorrow to try to find a mooring. If we can find one there are a few good options since two of the mooring areas are for 7 days maximum according to my map, which would give a good time to have a look around central London but we’ll have to see how it works out.

Cowley Peachey

Here I am Rune

Distance 5 miles

Total 1895 Locks 88 Tunnels

Running total mileage 2668.9 miles

I dunno, I take a few weeks out from narrow-boating to do some proper blue water sailing and look what I come back to. England leaving the EU, Prime Minister resigns, principal contender for Prime Minister throws his hand in (thank goodness!), next possible contender is voted out and we have a couple of women now left to sort the mess out!  Good job I wasn’t away for longer, who knows what may have happened.

During my break from narrow-boating I travelled up to Mallaig in Scotland to meet up with and old sailing friend who was having a bit of a European tour in his boat. The leg that I joined him for was from Mallaig across to North Uist (Loch Maddy) and then on to the archipelago of St Kilda. From there back to Kinlochbrevie just south of Cape Wrath before travelling around Cape Wrath to Stromness on the Orkneys. From there we went to Pierwall on Westray and on to Fair Isle. Final UK stop was at Lerwick on the Shetlands before crossing the North Sea to Bergen in Norway where my trip ended. Just for the wildlife that we saw it was all worthwhile as we saw a whole variety of sea birds, Gannets, Guillemots,Fulmars,Puffins shags etc. There was also the sea life that we came across, a couple of Minke Whales between Mallaig and Loch Maddy, a basking shark, a seal and a couple of dolphins/propoises between Loch Maddy and St Kilda and a pod of Orca (Killer Whales) who followed us out of Stromness. All in all a very satisfying trip.

Now we are back to the Inland Waterways which is equally satisfying but in a different way. Today’s trip was a gentle cruise from Harefield marina (where we had left the boat whilst we were away) down to Cowley Peachey through three locks. The weather was splendid and the trip went well. Over the next few days we will be passing though London, for better or worse, and heading off up the Lea and Stort Navigation, but for tomorrow the urgent task will be to re-stock the larder after our period away.