Monthly Archives: September 2014

Log

Journey to Hertfort

Summary

This is a trip of 4 miles, 3½ furlongs and 4 locks from Stanstead Abbots Bridge No 59A to Hertford Basin Winding Hole travelling west on the Lee and Stort Navigation (River Lee).

This will take 2 hours and 38 minutes.

Route

Lee and Stort Navigation (River Lee)
From Stanstead Abbots Bridge No 59A (Village on east bank. B181. Also known as Abbots Road Bridge No 59A) to:
Ware Town Bridge No 65

A1170
 2 miles, 2 locks
Ware Town Quay

48 hour moorings
 2 furlongs, 0 locks
Balance Engine House

For pumping water from the Lee into the New River
 1 mile, 2¾ furlongs, 1 lock
Hertford Basin Winding Hole

Towpath side bridge, Horse Bridge No 72, Channel leading to the River Lee
 6¾ furlongs, 1 lock

Totals

Total distance is 4 miles, 3½ furlongs and 4 locks Today’s travel includes at least 1 moveable bridge.

This is made up of 4 miles, 3½ furlongs of small rivers; 4 broad locks.

This will take 2 hours and 38 minutes. For initial calculation purposes (before adjusting for such things as overnight stops) this is taken as 1 day of 2 hours and 38 minutes.

The trip can be done in under one day, so no overnight stopping places have been calculated.

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Journal

Autumn Cruise to Hertford

At the end of September a group of us went up to St. Margarets by train in order to help Adnan to move the boat. We arrived with delay, had to fix the solar panels on the roof first before we could start with cruising. Our friends boat ‘Blue Morn’ was towed together with Quintessence, this is how we headed up north.

It is a beautiful part of the River Lea Navigation, we passed Ware, a small town with beautiful houses along the canal. The canal itself transforms into a rural one, no more metal or concrete banks, instead they became natural. Up in Hertford the canal was so ‘wild’ that a big flock of geese on the other side of the canal found it suitable for their resting place.

 

We went shopping for the off gird life. Most importantly solar panel, all the electrics, and an electricity generator. Our Vetus engine is in a very good shape, dragging two boats along.
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Log

Several journeys compiled in one

Between June, July & August we didn’t do much in terms of cruising, below an entire summary of the journey made in several cruises from Uxbridge in West London all the way up to St Margarets.

 

Summary

This is a trip of 46 miles, ¾ furlongs and 25 locks from Uxbridge Boat Centre to Stanstead Abbots Bridge No 59A.

This will take 20 hours and 32 minutes which is 2 days, 6 hours and 32 minutes at 7 hours per day.

From Uxbridge Boat Centre travel southeast on the Grand Union Canal (Grand Junction Canal – Main Line – Gayton to Brentford) for 5 miles, ¾ furlongs and 1 lock to Bull’s Bridge Junction, then travel east on the Grand Union Canal (Paddington Branch) for 13 miles to Little Venice, then travel east on the Grand Union Canal (Regent’s Canal) for 6 miles, 7¼ furlongs and 8 locks to Hertford Union Junction, then travel northeast on the Grand Union Canal (Hertford Union Canal) for 1 mile, ¾ furlongs and 3 locks to Hertford Union Canal Junction, then travel north on the Lee and Stort Navigation (River Lee: commercial section) for 11 miles, ¾ furlongs and 7 locks to Waltham Town Lock No 11, then travel north on the Lee and Stort Navigation (River Lee) for 8 miles, 7¼ furlongs and 6 locks to Stanstead Abbots Bridge No 59A.

Route

Grand Union Canal (Grand Junction Canal – Main Line – Gayton to Brentford)
From Uxbridge Boat Centre (Also known as Uxbridge Boatyard Dock) to:
The Malt Shovel PH

Vintage Inns<BR>Braunston 83 miles
 7¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Cowley Sanitary Station

Also known as Cowley Services
 a few yards, 0 locks
Toll House Bistro ¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Cowley Lock No 89

Towpath crosses over lock gates
 a few yards, 0 locks
Cowley South Visitor Moorings

7 day moorings (£25 per day for overstaying)
 ½ furlongs, 1 lock
The Water’s Edge Bar

Bar and Restaurant
 4¾ furlongs, 0 locks
High Line Yachting Chandlery (Cowley) ¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Packet Boat Marina Service Wharf ¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Cowley Peachey Junction

Junction with Grand Union Slough Branch
 1¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Tesco Yiewsley Moorings 1¼ furlongs, 0 locks
The Woolpack PH 2 miles, 0 locks
The Old Crown PH 4¾ furlongs, 0 locks
Bull’s Bridge Junction

Junction with Grand Union Paddington Branch. Opposite is a dry dock.. Also known as Bull’s Bridge Wharf, Bull’s Bridge Dock
 4½ furlongs, 0 locks
Grand Union Canal (Paddington Branch)
From Bull’s Bridge Junction (Junction with Grand Union Paddington Branch. Opposite is a dry dock.. Also known as Bull’s Bridge Wharf, Bull’s Bridge Dock) to:
Uxbridge Road Visitor Moorings

7 day moorings
 1 mile, 1¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Willowtree Marina 6½ furlongs, 0 locks
Willow Tree Open Space Moorings

Also known as Site of Yielding Dock
 1¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Engineer’s Wharf Moorings

Residential Moorings
 3¾ furlongs, 0 locks
Northolt Boatyard

High Line Yachting (Northolt). Also known as High Line Yachting (Northolt)
 1 mile, 1 furlong, 0 locks
Greenford Visitor Moorings

14 day moorings (£25 per day for overstaying). Also known as Black Horse Visitor Moorings
 7¾ furlongs, 0 locks
The Black Horse PH (Greenford)

Fuller&apos;s
 ½ furlongs, 0 locks
Piggery Bridge No 12

Alperton
 2 miles, 1¾ furlongs, 0 locks
Sainsburys Alperton Moorings [see navigational note 1 below]

Also known as Alperton
 ¾ furlongs, 0 locks
North Circular Road Aqueduct 1 mile, ¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Grand Junction Arms Visitor Moorings

7 day moorings (£25 per day for overstaying). @Disraeli Road, Harlesden, London Borough of Brent, Greater London, England, United Kingdom
 7¾ furlongs, 0 locks
Grand Junction Arms

Young’s
 ½ furlongs, 0 locks
Kensal Green Visitor Moorings

14 day moorings (14 days in one year – £25 per day for overstaying)
 1 mile, 7¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Kensal Green Stop & Shop Moorings

4 hours moorings
 2 furlongs, 0 locks
Kensal Green Bridge No 4

B450
 ¾ furlongs, 0 locks
The Union Tavern

Fuller’s
 6 furlongs, 0 locks
Harrow Road Bridge No 3

@Harrow Road, Paddington, City of Westminster, Greater London, England, United Kingdom (A404). Also known as Westbourne Green Bridge
 3 furlongs, 0 locks
Little Venice Services

Also known as Little Venice Sanitary Station
 3½ furlongs, 0 locks
Paddington Stoplock ¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Little Venice

Junction of Grand Union Regents Canal and Paddington Branch. Also known as Browning’s Pool, Brownings Pool, Little Venice Lagoon, The Lagoon
 ¾ furlongs, 0 locks
Grand Union Canal (Regent’s Canal)
From Little Venice (Junction of Grand Union Regents Canal and Paddington Branch. Also known as Browning’s Pool, Brownings Pool, Little Venice Lagoon, The Lagoon) to:
Maida Hill Tunnel (Southwest end)

Edgeware Road crosses here. Also known as Edgeware Road
 2¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Cumberland Basin

Junction with Cumberland Market Branch. Also known as Cumberland Market Branch

Having passed through Maida Hill Tunnel.

1 mile, 2½ furlongs, 0 locks
Camden Visitor Moorings

Max. 7 days mooring (£25 per day for overstaying)
 1 furlong, 0 locks
Hampstead Road Locks No 1A & 1B [see navigational note 2 below]

Only remaining double locks on the Regent’s Canal. Also known as Camden Lock
 2¼ furlongs, 0 locks
St Pancras Basin [see navigational note 3 below]

St Pancras Cruising Club
 7 furlongs, 3 locks
St Pancras Lock Winding Hole [see navigational note 4 below] 1¼ furlongs, 1 lock
Battlebridge Basin

London Canal Museum. Also known as Horsfall Basin, Maiden Lane Basin, Albert Wharf
 2 furlongs, 0 locks
Islington Tunnel (West end) [see navigational note 5 below]

Muriel Street crosses here. Also known as Muriel Street
 2 furlongs, 0 locks
Islington Tunnel (East end) [see navigational note 6 below]

Colebrook Row crosses here. Also known as Colebrook Row

Having passed through Islington Tunnel [see navigational note 7 below].

4¼ furlongs, 0 locks
City Road Lock No 5 [see navigational note 8 below] 1¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Wenlock Arms Pipe Bridge [see navigational note 9 below] 1¾ furlongs, 1 lock
Hertford Union Junction

Junction of Regent’s and Hertford Union Canals. Also known as Hertford Union Canal and Regents Canal Junction
 2 miles, 3¼ furlongs, 3 locks
Grand Union Canal (Hertford Union Canal)
From Hertford Union Junction (Junction of Regent’s and Hertford Union Canals. Also known as Hertford Union Canal and Regents Canal Junction) to:
Hertford Union Top Lock No 1 [see navigational note 10 below]

Also known as Old Ford Upper Lock, Homerton Footpath Lock
 5½ furlongs, 0 locks
Hertford Union Bottom Lock No 3 [see navigational note 11 below]

Also known as Old Ford Lower Lock

Having passed through Old Ford Three Locks.

2 furlongs, 2 locks
Hertford Union Canal Junction

Junction of Hertford Union Canal and River Lee. Also known as Hertford Union Canal and Lee Navigation Junction
 1¼ furlongs, 1 lock
Lee and Stort Navigation (River Lee: commercial section)
From Hertford Union Canal Junction (Junction of Hertford Union Canal and River Lee. Also known as Hertford Union Canal and Lee Navigation Junction) to:
Tottenham Lock No 17 [see navigational note 12 below] 4 miles, ¾ furlongs, 0 locks
Stonebridge Lock No 16 [see navigational note 13 below] 5¼ furlongs, 1 lock
Enfield Lock No 13 [see navigational note 14 below] 4 miles, 7½ furlongs, 3 locks
Rammey Marsh Lock No 12 [see navigational note 15 below]

BW key needed to operate the gates / windlass for the paddles
 6½ furlongs, 1 lock
Waltham Town Lock No 11 5 furlongs, 2 locks
Lee and Stort Navigation (River Lee)
From Waltham Town Lock No 11 to:
Aqueduct Lock No 8 [see navigational note 16 below] 2 miles, 5 furlongs, 2 locks
Rye House Junction

Junction of Rivers Stort and Lee
 4 miles, ½ furlongs, 4 locks
Rye House Bridge No 58

With Pipe Bridge alongside
 4 furlongs, 0 locks
Stanstead Abbots Bridge No 59A

Village on east bank. B181. Also known as Abbots Road Bridge No 59A
 1 mile, 5¾ furlongs, 0 locks

Totals

Total distance is 46 miles, ¾ furlongs and 25 locks. There are at least 6 small aqueducts or underbridges and 2 tunnels (Maida Hill Tunnel and Islington Tunnel [see navigational note 7 below]. ).

This is made up of 26 miles, ¾ furlongs of broad canals; 11 miles, ¾ furlongs of commercial waterways; 8 miles, 7¼ furlongs of small rivers; 18 broad locks; 7 large locks.

This will take 20 hours, 32 minutes which is 2 days, 6 hours and 32 minutes at 7 hours per day. For initial calculation purposes (before adjusting for such things as overnight stops) this is taken as 3 days of 6 hours and 50 minutes each.

Overnight stopping places

This is calculated based on 3 full days travelling starting at Uxbridge Boat Centre.

Each full day will be approximately 6 hours and 50 minutes travelling.

First full day of trip
On the Grand Union Canal (Regent’s Canal), at Hawley Lock No 2 (half way between Hampstead Road Locks No 1A & 1B and St Pancras Basin). This is 20 miles, 1½ furlongs and 2 locks of broad canals and will take 6 hours 50 minutes. Today’s journey involves at least 4 small aqueducts or underbridges and 1 tunnel. You will pass through Maida Hill Tunnel.
Second full day of trip
On the Lee and Stort Navigation (River Lee: commercial section), at William Girling Reservoir Cable Bridge No 31 (nearly at Enfield Lock No 13). This is 5 miles, 7¼ furlongs and 10 locks of broad canals, and 7 miles, 4½ furlongs and 3 locks of commercial waterways; a total of 13 miles, 3¾ furlongs and 13 locks and will take 6 hours 51 minutes. Today’s journey involves at least 1 small aqueduct or underbridge and 1 tunnel. You will pass through Islington Tunnel [see navigational note 7 below] and through Old Ford Three Locks.
Last day of trip
On the Lee and Stort Navigation (River Lee), at Stanstead Abbots Bridge No 59A. This is 3 miles, 4¼ furlongs and 4 locks of commercial waterways, and 8 miles, 7¼ furlongs and 6 locks of small rivers; a total of 12 miles, 3½ furlongs and 10 locks and will take 6 hours 51 minutes. Today’s journey involves at least 1 small aqueduct or underbridge.

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