A bright sunny morning, but very cold overnight and the canal was frozen over this morning. So no rush to get going and we left later than usual at 08:00. The ice was thin enough to enable us to push the bows out to clear the boat infront of us. Had it not been so we would have had to stay put and it would have been evidence that the ice was too thick for the boat's comfort. We have forced through inch thick ice before but it plays havok with the hull blacking and is not to be recommended. In fact the ice proved to be patchy and by the time we reached Alperton had almost completely gone. Approaching Little Venice we spotted boats moored much further out than I had seen before and at Little Venice itself right back as far as the Harrow Road Bridge. This did not auger well for finding a mooring. There was infact one space nearer to the toll house, but we carried on to the Paddington Basin and there was our space waiting for us right outside the Paddington Station entrance. Boats coming later would be disappointed. Arrival at 11:25.
After lunch we popped into the station to see Princess on her display stand, the first narrow gauge steam locomotive on a public railway, looking pristine, brasswork sparkling.
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