Bank Holiday, it must be raining.

As promised today has been wet. We were having visitors at about 1100 so it was a case of Helen setting to with some baking and me doing some cleaning up to make it look as though we are a little civilised after all. We went down to Kings Cross to meet our daughters boyfriend Joe and his Mum Dawn and then dragged them up the hill to the boat in St. Pancras Basin. Neither of them had seen the boat before so were pleasantly surprised by what they saw. It was then a case of tea and coffee and cake.

Dawn and Joe adding to the list of our visitors.

They had planned to go over to the Nottinghill Carnival but with the weather they decided to change plans and head to the Natural History Museum. We were heading to the British Museum so at the Tube entrance we bid farewell and went our separate ways.

It seemed that everybody else had made their way to the museums due to the rain so it was busy. We headed to the Sutton Hoo hoard display as we had not seen it before, and you have to start somewhere!

 The Great Hall of the British Museum.

The famous Sutton Hoo Helmet as it has been found and conserved on the left and how it is thought it would have looked on the right. The objects extremely beautiful and belie the fact that the Anglo Saxons had no high culture etc.

I was fascinated by the massive cauldron that was also found in the tomb. It was with a chain that would have suspended it above a fire from a beam. The chain length has told them height of the building it was for and it was over 5 mt so not a small low building at all. The various artifacts also showed that there was trade from all over Europe and almost to the Asian borders. There were also other hoards that had been found. One of over 8000 items was found on the Ribble Valley and called the Cuerdale Hoarde. It was made up of silver coins, jewelry, ingots and bits of stuff that had been cut up ready for something. It is unsure whether they were just there for their value of silver rather than objects. The Viking coins were from over in Ireland and it was though that it may have originated from the Vikings when they were expelled and landed at the Ribble. The display reminded me of that game 'Pick up Sticks'.

Part of the Cuerdale Hoard of Viking Silver

We then looked round the rest of the Ancient British galleries and then wandered in to the history of money area, and on to the ancient European section and finished with the Egyptian Gallery to see the mummies etc. On the way out we came across the Enlightenment Gallery which was a room of bits and pieces. It was a good way to finish as it rounded the day off and the facsimile of the Rosetta Stone was there.

The Enlightenment Gallery at the British Museum.

On the way back to the boat we got wet through so it was a relief to get back to the Basin. Just as we got inside we saw a parrot that was eating. It didn't fly off when we came round the corner so was relatively tame. I think it is one of the parrots that has become naturalised in London rather than a pet though. Combined with the fox we had here last night we really are seeing wildlife here in the middle of London. It was good to sit down though, and have a cup of tea!

I'm not sure that this is a ring necked parakeet or not, especially as it is ringed. 

Water, gas and walking.

We slept like the original log last night and as the first train didn't move through St Pancras until 0645 it wasn't curtailed at an u-Godly hour. I got up and made the tea and then ventured out to the station to get a paper. I then wandered down Euston Road to find some milk. Purchases completed I wandered back and enjoyed a lovely morning walk. We didn't have a very low temperature  last night so I was in shirt sleeves.

View from our mooring to the north.

When we finally got organised we had a lovely cooked breakfast using the sausages, bacon and bread we had bought at Borough Market yesterday. It was a really tasty change and with a few baked beans set us up for the day. We put some washing on whilst we had water and electricity and the weather was good drying weather too. Meanwhile I had a bit of boat maintenance to do. I stuck back the draught proofing from the galley window and front door and then stripped down the water pump and cleaned it as the water pressure was juddering. Once again it seemed to do the trick and we have a smooth flow again. Helen did here best with a pile of ironing that has been accumulating. At about 1300 when had been invited to the club bar to meet some of the members. They are currently using a listed building that has been moved there.

This is the view to the south from our mooring. The brick built building is the club house/bar and was a water point for filling up the steam trains at St. Pancras Station.

When the Eurostar terminal was being built the water point was in the way but as it was listed they couldn't demolish it. However they couldn't take it to pieces brick by brick either as the original motar was too strong and the bricks would not have been salvaged. They therefore cut the building into three parts and lifted it and moved it by road to the present sight that was actually on Railway property. The base was altered and not salvageable so they built a replica and sat the original on top.

We were given a tour at the top and there you are actually in the cast iron trough that held the water, with a giant ball cock to keep it topped up.

The view to the south from the top shows to the right the tracks into St Pancras and the station. You can just see one of the towers of the hotel to the front of the station too. The water point came from roughly where the overhead canopy of the station starts. The green area is the London Wildlife Centre and is on land that was once an area where coal brought by train was tipped into hand carts for delivery around the city. The Regents Canal can just be seen to the left.

Looking north from the top of the water point is the columns of a gasholder. This have been transferred from the area where the road and the edge of the St Pancras station tracks are now. The one in situ is going to be a green restful area. The other two from the site are going to be erected but have flats built inside them. The Regents Canal can be seen along with the island between the lock and the basin that house the facilities, club house and dry dock with gardens.

'Holderness' from the top of the Waterpoint. We are the red boat in the middle of the picture. Above the boats, straddling the light and dark bricks can be seen six large vertical I beams. These originally carried tracks above the basin as it was used for transferring coal brought by rail into narrow boats to distribute around to the industries that had originally grown up by the canal. A transhipment basin.

We had decided to go and wander round a few pubs around Holborn and Fleet Street. We walked a similar route as yesterday to get there. This time we passed the Royal Courts of Justice and various big closed doors accessing the Temples and Inns of the legal area. However after one pub we changed plans and decided to do another London Walk around Soho. This meant walking up the Strand to Leicester Square, via Aldwych and past Somerset House. Neither of us had been there before so we had a diversion to have a look around the courtyard. What a massive place it is. It was originally built between 1547 and 1551 by the Duke of Somerset who was the uncle of Edward VI. Edward was too young to rule after Henry VIII died so his uncle declared himself Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector to advise the King. He owned the land here but had to demolition churches and chapels and made himself very unpopular. He had made many enemies by his dealings and by 1552 he had been executed and the land and house passed to the Crown. It remained a Royal Palace until 1775 when it had fallen into disrepair and it was decided to pull it down and build a new public building for the public. The first occupant was the Royal Academy.

It is a very impressive courtyard so what the interiors are like I can only imagine. They have open air cinema, ice skating and open air cafe here if ever you fancy a visit.

Leicester Square was heaving with people and our trip around Soho took us once moor to several places we had heard of but not seen previously and the chat was also intersting. Afterwards we walked up Shaftsbury Avenue, built by Lord Shaftsbury to assist in clearing the slums of Soho. He was a great social philanthropist Incidentally Soho was once a hunting park and one of Lord Monmouth's calls was So Ho when out hunting, hence Soho. We were soon back to the basin and were highly surprised to meet a young fox on the narrow wooden walk way that runs round the edge providing access to the 65 boats moored there. We actually walked nearly as far as yesterday to day, so here's hoping we sleep equally as well.

Lost in London.

After a very quiet night until about 0530 when the trains started running again (mind you we soon turned over and went back to sleep again) we were out and about in London Town. Helen had some stuff to take back to Primark and the nearest was on the east end of Oxford Street. We walked and followed our noses and so went a very different route than we would have normally down. Consequently we came across the Brunswick Centre. This tiered housing was built in the 1960's but nobody really wanted to live there. In later became Listed and then done up and a shopping centre made mordern. We were attracted to have a look as the list of shops said that there was a 'Drury and Porter' in there. That is my wife's maiden name and her married name. It turns out that they are an opticians. There is a Patisserie Valerie and Waitrose in the shops so they house must have been taken up now and not be council housing.

The Brunswick Centre before the renovations.

When then wandered across Russell Square Gardens that were busy. It was nice to see people using the open spaces in the sunshine. On last night's walk min Knightsbridge we passed lots of key parks that are in posh squares but are locked and only available to people who actually pay for the privilege. From there we found the Primark and got our refund. From there we again wandered off in the general direction of Covent Garden and came across Seven Dials that is West of Covent Garden and has some lovely shopping streets. The streets were built in 1690's by a builder called Neal. It was built to be London's premier address. At the time rents were on the area of frontage to the street. He cleverly built wedge shaped buildings to maximise the frontage. He placed a pillar at the centre with six sun dials at the top and the pillar its self been the seventh. Unfortunately the area never really took off with the gentry and soon became a slum with a gin shop at the apex of each road. There are lots of little shops and it is less busy that Covent Garden itself.

Seven Dials sundials monument.

We had a drink and bite to eat in Covent Garden and then wandered down to the river coming out by the Savoy Hotel and turned east on the Embankment. It was very busy with people doing the same.

The Dragon marks the City of London Boundary.

There were great views of the Shard across the river.

You walk past the old Billingsgate fish market that doesn't seem to be used for anything at the moment, at least not on Saturday. This is detail of one of the two weather vanes on the building.

Tower Bridge. I think it was built in 1899 but is such an icon of London.

We were soon at the Tower of London as were thousands of others to see the 'Blood swept lands and Seas of Red' installation that will be made up of 800,000 ceramic poppies. There were loads of volunteers there making and pegging more out. They are for sale at £25 a piece in November, all for charity.

Ceramic poppies making a moving display in the moat of the Tower of London to commemorate WWI.

We crossed over Tower Bridge and headed west on the South Bank. If anything it was even busier there. We passed the back door of Southwark Catedral where the Refectory looked inviting so we sat down in the sun for a cup of tea. From there we went round to the front door and fort our way into Borough Market. It was doing a roaring trade with hot food and stalls selling ingredients. All very upmarket and not like the last time we were there. It is a lovely place under the railway lines and certainly has a 'special' atmosphere.

The old and new, Southwark Cathedral and the Shard.

We then continued down the South bank to Blackfriars Bridge where we crossed to the North again. We were soon at Hatton Gardens Jewelry Quarter. There were loads of shops with beautiful displays. Some had the prices showing and some didn't ! Helen took quite a while to walk up the street. I prefer the Hatton Gardens in Birmingham's Jewelry Quarter as the prices seemed to less. We have bought a couple of items there as it is very close to Cambrian Wharf and Farmer's Bridge Locks. It is a nice area to walk down too. We crossed over to Leather Lane to find there there is a street market there in the week. It looks like food and may be worth a look when it is running. We then walked up Greys's In Road and stopped at the Calthorpe Arms for a sit down and a pint. It was a CAMRA pub and I had a pint of Young's Bitter that wasn't too bad. We saw that Leeds had beaten Castleford at the Challenge Cup Final at Wembley after losing for six years. We were soon on our way and just as we approached the 'new' Kings Cross Station it looked like it was going to pour down so we deviated inside to look at the the changes made. They have taken down the 60's addition to the original frontage and moved the ticket hall to the side. It is great and looks brilliant. Whilst there we thought we would try the new bar on the station. It is a Fullers pub called the Parcel Yard as it was once the parcel offices and a lot of the interior has been retained. It looks really nice and they have two levels and a balcony overlooking the platforms. There ar about twelve hand pulls on the bar. The food looked good too. I had a pint of Gales Seafarer where a sum form the purchase goes to  Seafarer charities and it was okay.

The original frontage revealed.

The western concourse and ticket hall along with Platform 91/2 and a Harry Potter shop.

The rain didn't amoount to much and we were soon on the short walk back to the boat and something to eat. I don't think we will be moving far tonight. Maybe we will watch the Dr. Who debut, or not. It has been a good day, with nice weather and seeing new parts for London too. Same again tomorrow we hope.

Moving stations.

We have been in contact with various people about being 'Boating Buddies' and as a couple of them worked in the Little Venice Office we called in to finalise things with them. We are now on for Wednesday next week. After that we walked back along the canal and made our way to Portobello Road Market. It seems the streets round about are being closed off for the Notting Hill Carnival this weekend. Helen managed to find one  or two bits for presents etc and we had a good chat to various folk and a look about the whole street. We then wended our way back to the boat for lunch.

Helen on Portobello Road.

We winded and headed out of the basin, just as some lucky person headed in and straight on to the only berth available, the one we had just left!

Our reflection in the office buildings along the Paddington Basin.

I thought that this was one of those performance artist statue things, but there was another at the end of the line on the ground facing him.

We turned right at the 'roundabout at Little Venice and headed on to the Regents Canal Past the moored boats we came to the Maida Vale Tunnel and it is one way only so we waited for one of the trip boats to exit.m They must be doing a roaring trade as every one we saw we crammed full.

Waiting to enter Maida Vale Tunnel with the  lunch crowd not paying a bit of notice.

The tow path then become a bit quieter until coming up to Regents Park where it skirts the zoo. There are some lovelly mansions backing on to the canal and I'm not sure who would live in them

I'm sure this isn't where they keep the elephants.

The aviary was on one side and various other enclosures on the other. From the canal it looked like the visitors where in the cages and we were observing them. After the Zoo there is a sharp turn at Cumberland Basin and then off towards Camden.

Floating Chinese restaurant in Cumberland Basin. It looks very top heavy to me.

There are three locks at Camden and the first in perhaps where the greatest crowds are. Luckily there were two lock keepers on hand to guide us round the gongoozlers that were the real hazard.

Helen can just about be seen in the purple in mid picture picking her way through the crowds to the middle lock. The lock keepers are not allowed to work at weekends as there are so  many people the crush is too  much. I'm not entirely sure what you are supposed to do then as it must also be unsafe for the regular boater too.

As always there are some lovely views from the canal and this terrace looked great. 

We stopped before St Pancras lock as we had booked in to St Pancras Cruising clubs moorings. We were greeted and directed to our moorings, stern first, and hooked up with electricity and give the local information before I filled with water and had something to eat.

We had decided to do a London Walk around Knightsbridge so caught the Tube to South Kensington. As always we were taken to some out of the way places that we would never have found without the walk, and learned some very interesting stories about the place. What struck me about the area was how quiet it was but apparently alot of the properties are bought for investment and nobody lives in the. There were very few lights on in the buildings. There were many Rolls Royce's and Bentley's with Saudia Arabian plate and it seems that they spend a fortune transporting their cars over to drive whilst they are on holiday over here.

Beautiful stucco mid 1800's houses on the Alexander Estate.

A very thin building that was added on to a row of house as it was built on railway land. Behind is the second Tube line, the District. It was not wide enough to fit a 6 foot bed in at this end.

It was a good walk and after a natter with a few of the other walkers and a couple of pints we found our way back to Kings Cross and our lovely mooring.

Plodding to Paddington.

By 0630 two boats had gone past us heading south so we roused our selves and got up early. Most people it seems moor the night before getting to London at Cowley Peachy, after the last lock. They then set off about 0630 and this means that they get to central London about 1200 to 1300 giving them a good chance of a mooring. Despite getting up early it was almost 0900 before we set off. We were going to fill up with water at the lock but there was a hire boat on it. Actually there was a boat on eack one we passed so it was a good job we didn't need any for a few days. The run down to Bulls Bridge Junction was mainly done at tick over due to the many moored boats but afterwards there was long straight stretches with deep water and no boats so we could crack on.

Entering the Paddington Arm under Bulls Bridge.

The trip to Alperton was through much green park and golf course and was a world away from the great conurbation. How ever after Alperton and until Around Kensal Green Moorings I have never seen a more dirty and disgusting canal tow path. We even watched a 'lady' of about 70 throwing two or three carrier bags of rubbish into the canal in front of us and a few others on the two path. Mind you the others had a pile of cans at their feet and one in each hand!

Just after crossing the River Bent we crossed the North Circular where the canal is divided by an island with the coat of arms on it. I think that this is the Essex Coat of Arms.

There were moorings free along the way and there were even some that we would have stopped it if push came to shove. Kensal Green looked fine with the Cemetery on the off side and the railway sidings on the other.

Kensal Visitor moorings with the gas works standing watch.

After Kensal Green the housing closed in towards the canal and there was a variety of housing to see. As is also said, often, London has a great area of green space.

This is a new definition of back to back housing, the road at the front and the canal at the back. You know you are in London with the colour of the bricks from the London Brick Company clay colour.

I love this wall painting and I hope that it remains for a long time. Painted on the wall of what was the Grand Union pub and now is the Union.

I dunno, you wait for a bus for ages then six come at once.  All old Routemaster buses. It is a good job I don'r want to go the Albert Hall, Pall Mall or Hyde Park Corner today.

 At Westbourne Park the West way almost shades the canal. To me it looks like a Zeppelin has come in to land on top of us, and remind me of being on the BCN too.

This is a mural made from litter collected by Stowe Youth Club with the help of artist Kevin Herlihy.

Soon we were at Little Venice and there was definitely no moorings available here. Due to it being working time and the weather not too good the usual throng of people were not crowded on the tow path. Mind you the trip boat was still doing a good trade. Maybe to get out of the wind.

I love this building overlooking the junction of the Paddington Arm and the Regents Canal. I bet it is worth a bob or two.

We turned down the cut to the Paddington Basin and there were no moorings available at the start. We had our fingers crossed as we turned the corner, and loo and behold there were four or five spaces left at 1500. About 45 minutes after we had moored a boat with another tied alongside came down the arm. We had passed him just after Old Oak Common. The basin is a bit of a wind tunnel between the buildings and with him having the weight of two boats he got blown down the arm when he attempted to turn. He got caught across the boom separating off the far end for building work. He parted that and with a little help he got round and then decided to moor in the gap astern of us. We got him in but really it was a two man job and he was lucky he didn't do any damage.

Our berth in Paddington Basin. Not much sun tonight and the wind is a cool blast at the moment.

By 1800 all the berths were taken up and it had started to drizzle. We are going to have a wander about later and find a bit of culture, or maybe a London Pub.

Bargain hunting.

Last night we had seen that there was the Battle of Britain War rooms museum just outside Uxbridge so we had decided to stay a day to incorporate this in a look around Uxbridge. The tour must be booked so when we called this morning we discovered that the place had been flooded a few weeks ago and still hadn't re-opened! We therefore spent the morning doing administrative work and before we knew it it was lunch time. Afterwards we wandered up into the town that was very close.

The first sight you come to is the Crown and Treaty pub. Here attempts at a treaty between Charles I and the Parliamentary forces were undertaken in 1644. The wooden paneling was sold in 1924 for the Empire State Building but returned to the place in 1953 as a gift for Elizabeth II on her coronation.

The Tube arrived at Uxbridge in 1904 but this Art Deco station was built in 1933 when the Piccadilly Line arrived to join the Metropolitan Line.

We had a poke about the shops and Helen snapped up some bargains for Christmas presents. She had some thing to take back to M&S and came out with something in its place. We also had an obligatory visit to TX Max where she got a bargain in the shape of a hand bag as part of her birthday present. I said that it would be useless as she would never fit a windlass into it. 

As it was Wednesday Helen got a code for An Orange Wednesday offer for the cinema. We weren't enamoured with the choice but settled on The Expendables III.

The Expendable III has a huge film star cast. It is totally unbelievable but is quite good really as there are some good stunts and a fair bit of comedy too. I'm not really into all action films like this but it was a a good way to spend a couple of hours for half price.

We then stopped at the local Weatherspoons 'A Good Yarn' and had a nice pint of Pure Gold from Itchen Valley Brewery at £2-05 with a 50p voucher off too. Today has been a day of bargains.

Steadily south.

It was due to be another long today so we were off at 0930 and off into the bright but chilly morning. The locks come at you about half to three quarters of a mile apart so not much walking between them today. Helen did the windlass wrangling today.

Macy taking the air before we set off.

It wasn't too long before we got to Batchworth lock where it seemed to be mayhem. The water point and service station are right at the foot of the look. There was a wide beam on the mooring point so we had to moor under the bridge just after. Right next to the lock is a lock up a side arm that served a brewery and gas works, and here was a trip boat moored. We did the necessary with the sanitary system and when we had finished that the wide beam was off so we were just going to move on to the water point when a boat coming down the lock wanted to be in the same place. More shuffling as the trip boat was also leaving. All was sorted in the end and we were soon off and tying up on the Tesco moorings that was once the site of a boat building yard that built many many boats between 1907 and 1952, some times at the rate of two wooden boats a week. Walkers yard must have been a big concern.

Progress to the south wasn't as rapid as it may have been due to moored boats but actually it wasn't as bad as I thought it may be, yet!

At the lovely Stoker's Lock I caught a glimpse of the boundary marker that showed where the duty became payable on importing coal into London via the canal. I seem to remember that it was in order to protect the coal coming from the North East via the sea, but I may be wrong.

I think that this sign was at Springwell Lock. We may be in trouble as we are having curry tonight. Marine diesel is a problem at the moment as in certain areas, like this, they have to use ultra low sulphur content fuel. I sure that red diesel will be fine.

All the way from before Rickmansworth and before the canal is accompanied by lakes that can occasionally be glimpsed through the trees of the bank. They are worked out gravel pits. The canal also gtakes on the feel of a river as it incorporates the Rivers Chess and Colne. It become clear and with waving weed. The trees give it a slightly gloomy feel until the sun comes out and brightens the scene.

We had a good shower at Copper Mill Lock where there was a voluntary Lock Keeper, and he actually refused our offer of chocolates. He said that last year there were 30 boats a day coming through, but this year less than half and transited. He also said the many were not bothering to go all the way into London but stopping at Uxbridge and taking the Tube due to worries about moorings. We finally got to Uxbridge just after 1700 and as we came out the lock were presented with two boats tied together reversing down the cut. We took the first mooring we came to, which doesn't seem too bad at all. 

Interesting building, almost like an Art Deco building, as you come out the lock.

We were acting as 'Boating Buddies' for a couple of girls from the C&RT office tomorrow to take into Paddington with us but they have asked to postpone until later in our schedule so we have to decide what to do tomorrow now.