What’s so good about the Grand Union Canal?

When you live and travel on a boat it feels like you have several areas that you could call ‘home’. You might even feel at home on a whole stretch of canal and for me that stretch would be the southern Grand Union.

I’ve travelled from Blisworth to London and often settled myself comfortably on a winter mooring in Angel, Islington. When we finally decided to settle for good so that our eldest daughter could start school we were lucky enough to find a residential mooring in Marsworth. This is a tiny rural community, with a little church, two cosy pubs and many colourful moored boats lining the centre of the village. The loveliest thing about the area though is the three reservoirs that feed the canal. A favourite with families, dog walkers, fishermen and photographers the views are stunning. It is quite an unusual sight to see a vast expanse of water right next to the canal.

Rising up the flight of seven locks you then arrive at Bulbourne, a little hamlet which was once a hub of traditional lockgate making. The old British Waterways workshops can still be seen beside the canal. Drifting onwards the Tring summit level takes us through a leafy canal cutting down to Cowroast. Originally known as ‘cows rest’ because farmers would rest their cows here on the way to market in London, the local pub and boatyard now take on the name. The English countryside remains green and beautiful as we travel towards Berkhamsted, a charming historic town featuring an olde worlde sweet shop, a multitude of lovely restaurants and an ancient ruined castle. Travelling through Hemel Hempstead you see nothing of the concrete town centre, instead chugging past the ancient Three Horseshoes pub (1535), through the swing bridge and the spacious urban parkland known as Boxmoor.

Other highlights for me on the journey are the fields around Rickmansworth where Black Beauty was filmed, the quiet of Cassiobury Park, the lakes of Harefield and the woodland of Denham Country Park. This is followed by the Swan and Bottle pub in Uxbridge, full of wooden beams, real ale and memories of my old boating friends who have long since moved on. Then turning left at Bulls Bridge we head into London still travelling quietly through parkland such as Horsenden Hill and Perivale Wood before briefly flirting with the modern world as we drift over the north circular aqueduct.

The only way to end a cruise like this would be to moor up in one of the boatiest places in London: Little Venice. Here you can remain with the quiet English pub vibe (try the Warwick Castle) or eat at somewhere swanky and modern in Sheldon Square. You’ll also be a short walk from Paddington so could simply head off to see the famous sights of London.

I love this whole stretch of canal and can’t believe Neil and Corinne are offering a £50 discount on what must be one of the best boat journeys you can do!

See more details and check availability on the Leighton Buzzard to London (Little Venice) narrowboat hotel cruise.

Remember: If you are single or a couple, it is much cheaper to come hotel boating than to hire a boat, and you don't have to do the cooking and washing up!

Disclosure: I was paid to write this post for the Canal Voyagers Hotel Boats blog. It was my choice to republish it here as it tells a little bit about my own narrowboat life. 

Things I Love About Little Venice

I’m not sure if this is true but I feel like everybody has heard of Little Venice. Maybe they’ve just heard of Venice?

I lived in London for many years but because most of that time was on a boat I was well aware of Little Venice. I decided to write my top five things that I like about Little Venice but once I got started I couldn’t stop!

Here you’ll find the meeting of three canals; the Grand Union, the Regents Canal and the Paddington basin part of the Grand Union. Their meeting point is a large pool which is an oasis of calm among the trees, tall elegant houses and colourful moored boats. One of these boats is the Cascade Art Gallery.

When we moored in Little Venice I liked to meet a friend for breakfast or lunch in The Floating Boater; a wide-beam café boat there in the pool. Brownings Pool and Browning’s island are named after the poet, and the island is now home to a gang of occasionally noisy geese. Apparently rather than Browning it was actually Lord Byron who called the place ‘dirty Venice’ in the days when the island was known as ‘Rat’s Island’. It’s cleaned up its act now and is a rather lovely place to be. Try having a picnic in the peaceful Rembrandt Gardens from which you can watch the comings and goings in the pool of boats and birds.

The Canal Café Theatre above The Bridge House pub is one of those secrets of London you get to discover when you live there. It’s a thriving comedy and new writing venue, and home to the Guinness World Record holders: NewsRevue. ("Longest running live comedy show"). I’ve seen the NewsRevue a few times and it’s always brilliant. Unlike a traditional theatre it’s one of those venues where you get to sit around a table and have a drink while you watch. The theatre can host over 14 shows per week and it’s advisable to book.

Then there’s the local pubs and restaurants and the places you can walk to; no need for buses and tubes when you’re so central. Visit the Canal Voyagers blog today where I’ve written in more detail about things to see in London’s Little Venice.

Between Thursday 26th July and Monday 13th August you can book bed and breakfast on board hotel boats Snipe and Taurus (the only VisitBritain hotel boats in the city during this special time.) Have you ever stayed on a narrowboat hotel? There’s a first time for everything!

Contact Neil and Corrine at Canal Voyagers for more information. 

Disclosure: I wrote this post for Neil and Corrine to promote their business. But they are lovely people and I genuinely think staying on a narrowboat in Little Venice would be brilliant!

Olympic Flame to Navigate the Waterways!

So, you must have noticed that the Olympic flame has now arrived in the UK and is travelling around England and Wales slightly faster than a hotel narrowboat! There are a number of places where the torch bearers will be coming into contact with the British canals and rivers.

The torch was lit from the sun's rays at the Temple of Hera in Olympia, Greece. The flame stands for peace, unity and friendship and there are going to be 8000 torch bearers carrying it around the UK.

On day four of the Olympic Torch relay Judith Gaden took the torch onto a canal boat to travel along the River Tone through Taunton. The Olympic torch will also be cruising across The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct  and visiting Foxton Locks and the Norfolk Broads to name but a few watery locations. It will arrive at the Black Country Living Museum on the museum’s narrowboat Stour.

The torch is usually followed by a convoy of vehicles and the long journey to the Games will take 70 days covering around 8,000 miles. The torch is going to pass through 1019 communities before arriving at the Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony on 27th July. Here, the last Torchbearer will light the Cauldron to mark the official opening of the Olympic Games. It will continue to burn thought the Games until the day of the Closing Ceremony.

By that time, hotel boats Snipe and Taurus will have completed their own lengthy journey around the UK and arrived at their summer mooring in Little Venice. This is only thirty minutes from the Olympic Park.  I’ve moored there many times; and it’s hard to believe you’re only a five minute walk from Paddington when you’re watching the quiet swans, ducks and geese drift across Browning’s Pool. There’s a lot going on in London this summer, and yet if you’re on a canal boat you’ll have a peacefully safe haven to retreat to at the end of the day.

Bed and Breakfast in Little Venice, London

London's waterways are subject to cruising restrictions during this summer so the boats will not be cruising between Thursday 26th July and Monday 13th August 2012. Canal Voyagers are therefore offering a unique B&B experience while moored in Little Venice. Booking early will give you the chance to secure the dates and cabin of your choice.

 

So, B&B on a four star narrowboat hotel in London during the summer of 2012: Kind of a once in a lifetime opportunity don’t you think?

Disclosure: I wrote this article for Neil and  Corrine on their Canal Voyagers blog. It was my choice to republish it here. I write something every week for their hotel boats website, usually revealing some quirky or unusual place to visit on England's canals. I'd love it if you'd join me over there by subscribing to their blog: there's a sign up box at the top of the page. You'll also get real life stories from their cruises so that you can follow their adventures as they travel around.

To follow the further adventures of narrowboats Snipe and Taurus: subscribe to their blog!