UK Canals - Journey reports

Back to Harefield

We wanted to try and get back to the marina in such time as to beat the evening rush hour on the way across London.   So Pat walked off with Alfie to set the first lock and I left shortly before 7 am.   After Clithero's Lock there was a dead dog floating in the water by the first weir.   Looked like a Dalmation.  Had almost certainly fallen in and, unable to get out, died of hypothermia.  The large barge we had referred to yesterday was moored not far above Clithero Lock, but in the middle of the cut, needing its tender, by the look of it, to get to the bank.   They must have had some serious fun mooring up.  This bit of canal between the lock and the weir is always seriously silted up with rubbish brought down by the river.   Had they known, there are acceptable moorings after the Picadilly Underground railway bridge and before the motorway.The next lock, nicknamed rabbit lock by us because Alfie knows there are rabbits nearby and goes wild, had some obstruction behind the towpath side bottom gate so that it wouldn't open fully, and the towpath side ground paddle did not seem to function at all, although there was nothing obviously wrong.   Then we reached the bottom of Hanwell proper and the first lock, in fact all bar one, were empty considerably facilitating our climb.   The one lock that wasn't empty was kindly prepared for us by a CRT team working there doing a bit of "gardening".  The only problem today was the rack and pinion on the towpath side ground paddle of lock 93 which was slipping.  No problems with water levels.  Moving onwards we had a straightforward passage of our final three locks and were able to leave the marina at 2:30, well ahead of rush hour.

Brentford

High tide was at 16:30, so just after 16:00 We left the lock mooring expecting a bit of delay for a 16:15 departure. However it was a spring tide and the height was such that both ends of the lock were open and We just sailed through. The weather was now sunny spells and not cold. On arrival at Brentford Gauging Lock passage was temporarily blocked by a large barge seemingly covered in rubbish and inhabited by young people. As usual now, no moorings in the basin but We did find space by the A4.

Teddington

A very murky morning after heaving rain overnight.  I even put the navigation lights on for the first hour to be more visible to the rowers, who were out in force in the drizzle and twilight.   Penton Hook, the first lock we came to, is quite large in comparison to some, and took ages to cycle.   Chertsey was a little better, but by Shepperton Lock we had a lock-keeper and they can just open the sluices fully if they want to, impossible on user operation.  At Sunbury the rain started again with a vengeance so on arrival at Teddington we were thoroughly wet and ready for lunch.   We have a four hour wait here for the tide.