UK Canals - Journey reports

Mobile posting by email

Over the last year, mobile posting to the site has been sporadic to say the least. This is in part due to the problems of getting internet access. Posts made late lose their interest because the news (such as it is) and opinions become stale. Purchase of a Sony Ericsson phone with Bluetooth did help a bit as I found that the phone could be put on the roof by the Houdini Hatch and still maintain excellent bluetooth connectivity. Apart from the risk of forgetting where the phone was, this would at best be a multi-stage procedure and not conducive to a quick post at the end of a long day. Connectivity via the Orange network was not bad on the whole, at least up the spine of the canal network.

I had a trial fling with btOpenworld and a wireless plug in card, but the battery on my Sony VAIO was at the end of its life, so I could not take it outside and I never managed to connect to anything from within the boat, so gave that up. Besides, I want to be able to work from the comfort and privacy of my own boat and not sitting in a pub somewhere.

At the IWA National a company called G-Comm was offering the new Vodafone 3G/GPRS connect card free of charge in exchange for a service contract for 50MB a month at £20. (plus VAT). As I was already paying £13 for 25MB this didn't seem too bad, so I signed up.

When I got home I installed the software and the card, which fits in the card slot on the laptop, and got immediate 3G connection, but mysteriously the computer failed to shut down properly and every time thereafter, when starting the computer with the card in situ, it would hang (at a very early stage in startup) and if the card was inserted after startup, the computer would lock up. The company who sold me this contract was enormously helpful in trying to solve this problem. There must have been hours on the telephone, mostly at their expense and I was mailed trial alternative software and a slightly different (older) Vodafone card all to no avail. Interestingly, in the end it all boiled down to driver problems with the interface which SONY refused to acknowledge saying that their drivers were intended to work with their own proprietary cards and it was not their problem. I was left with the option of returning the Vodafone card and canceling the contract, or buying a new laptop. I chose the latter.

I now have a brand new ACER (not Sony note!) with built in wireless connectivity, and the Vodafone card works a treat. I can get on the internet almost instantly and at 3G the speed on the connection is impressive, not up to full broadband speeds of course, but nonetheless good. Now a word of caution. I have not had the opportunity to use in on the canal system at large, so it still remains to be tested for purpose, but I am hopeful.

This post was made by email from my newsreader software (Agent) - the most economical way in terms of bandwidth.

Back to Harefield

The day after arriving at Kensal Green (Friday), I was up at 6 am and off by 6:45.   Made very good progress apart from a quick stop at Alperton to remove large quantities of plastic from the propeller.   Made even better progress after that, so felt that a brief stop at 10:00 for coffee at Bulls Bridge was allowed.    On arrival at Cowley, the luck changed.   There was a houseboat going up the lock and I watched as a narrowboat backed up to take up the tow.  On the first attempt at pulling away one of the cross straps broke.   I decided it was time for lunch.   After lunch they were just negotiating the bridge, but by the time I had waited for an opposite direction and used the lock myself they were gone round the corner.   I caught up with them again at Uxbridge Boat Centre and waited while they maneuvered - which seemed to take ages.   Then the motor boat shot off towards Uxbridge Lock only to decide on a winding at the bridge below the marina entrance.   More waiting!    However, I thought my luck had changed when I saw Uxbridge Lock gates open.   I turned my head to look elsewhere briefly and then they were shut.   A blast on the horn did nothing, so I nosed right up to the gates.   The top paddles were up already and someone leaned down from the top of the gates saying "Sorry didn't see you".   I will have to confess to feeling a little bit of canal-rage rearing up at this point.   I must have looked fearsome, because they drained the partly filled lock and opened the gates for me.    And it was only a rubber dinghy with outboard motor waiting!

Denham Deep lock was empty and ascended in good style.   Then the rush to beat the rush hour home.   I failed.   Chelsea is a nightmare now that Battersea Bridge is closed after the barge hit it over a week ago.

Back to Little Venice

Chloe's party of friends arrived last evening, fortunately for them in a lull in the rain.   They were meant to ake their own arrangements but joined me in the Grapes where I was waiting for my friends to join me.   However, after arranging a table, they found that the fish menu was not to their liking so went elsewhere.   Joined by my friends we finished our round and went in search of food elsewhere - finding a modern Italian restaurant on the other side of the lifting bridge.  Excellent food and massive portions!

The plan this morning, because some of Chloe's firends had to be back home by 4 pm, was for me to just wake, get dressed and set off immediately single handed, leaving the girls to wake at their leisure ("Good old Dad").   The problem was that it was dark still at 6am, and pouring with rain, so the departure took a few minutes longer due to the need for full rain gear (top half).  It was too warm amazingly for the full gear, so shorts and deck shoes was it.    Actually, it was quite fun leaving in the dark - well actually not dark really because of the street lighting, but the headlight illuminates the lock nicely going up.   Progress was slow but very methodical, since in the wet I am always worried about slipping and one top paddle might be all one needs to use.   The rain continued until St Pancras.   The girls were by now awake and out, totally soaked and it had got cold.  So, muggins left them by the stove and completed Camden locks.    The left hand top lock of the pair was open, so I used that - again a slow ascent single handed.   A trip boat entered the other lock as we were about to leave.   By Lissom Grove it was on my tail - they must go at quite a chat because I wasn't hanging around.   To expedite the girls journey I went down the Paddington Arm to as close as I could get to the station.   Really its very convenient and there is plenty of mooring.  Having seen them on their way I dropped in at the Farmer Market for interest.   Seemingly this is now a regular Thursday weekly feature.   Then on to Kensal Green for the night to get a good getaway in the morning.   This is a good spot to moor on the edge of Central London.  Plenty of grass for the dogs and there are always other boats around for security.   The next spot I would be willing to overnight at would probably have to be Greenford, although I would try and avoid even there.

Limehouse

Up at 6 a m.  Walked dogs.   The girls were up and already having breakfast and were gone by 7:15.   Then the tidy-up!    Finished the washing up from the night before and then set off at 8:15 for Limehouse.   The paired top locks at Camden are always a pain.   There is no adjacent lock landing so single handed operation is not a doddle.   I tied up with stern and centre rope to an old pulley wheel right on the corner by the small arm where the trip boats moor.   Then shuffle down the gunwale to get on and off.   Both locks were empty.   The next full, the next empty - seemed no logic to it.   The wind was quite strong and the boat ended up across the canal by the third lock.   Wind was also a trouble at St Pancras - both bottom gates open and a BW workboat just disappearing round the corner ahead.   Fortunately the workboat had moored up before Battlebridge Basin, so no delays through Islington Tunnel.   Indus and Pictor were moored above Islington Lock (City Road Lock) and both top gates open - and after that it all seemed to go my way.   The plan was to stop above Old Ford Lock for lunch, but both top gates were open, so rather than look a gift horse in the mouth I carried on.    There were quite a lot of chatty gongoozlers on the towpath and I do hope that the two who were contemplating a canal holiday go ahead with it.   There was room on the wall at Limehouse and just the moment I moored up, the heavens opened and the promised rain arrived.

Little Venice

First day of a quick trip to Limehouse & back via Regents Canal, ostensibly to enable Chloe to host some friends for a day out - Limehouse to Little Venice.   First, on arriving at the boat I needed to replace the door seal on the squirrel stove which onl;y took a few minutes, but I was anticipating the need for the stove.   As it happened the weather was so warm that shirt sleeves were the order of the day and the stove thus far has not been needed.   The trip to Little Venice was uneventful really.  Left Harefield at 7:45, a stop at Sainsbury's in Alperton for 20 minutes, and arrived at LV at 15:00.   Gemma was joining me for the evening with her flat mate, so supper was prepared and then we withdrew to the pub for a drink.