Monday 27th May – Day 310
Bank holiday today and I’m feeling a bit more myself and so we faff about in the morning and then make use of the buses and visit Greenwich. It takes about and hour and half to get there with one change, but we travel through some wonderful iconic areas. It really is the best way to travel. I try to get some pics for my mum as she and my dad were born in London. Even though mum has been out of London for decades she still has her cockney accent!
The threatening clouds deposit their rain as we get off the bus at Greenwich but we have our minds set on street food, so queue up in the pouring rain as proper British people should and enjoy some Chinese food. We have sweet and sour tofu, vegetable spring rolls, noodles and rice stood in the entrance to Greenwich market hiding from the rain and it’s wonderful. Such a treat as not something we normally cook at home. Food consumed it’s a wander past the Cutty Sark as the rain has thankfully stopped and we have a wander onto the foreshore but sadly we don’t find any treasure.
Then it’s a quick drink in the pub ((Of course it is!)) and then the bus back to the boat as the sun sets. A wonderful day done. Until tomorrow. x
Tuesday 28th May – Day 311
It’s time to leave Paddington Basin as these bookings have a maximum stay of seven days and also it costs £25 a night, which is cheap by any standards in London but with our limited funds we cannot afford to stay any longer.
At 9am we leave the basin and watch everyone on their way to work after a bank holiday weekend. We are lucky ((you’re always jammy!)) as the facilities at Little Venice are empty so we moor up, fill with water, empty the bins and toilet as we as setting everything to charge. As it’s been mixed weather conditions we have just about maintained our batteries ((Once Peachy had to suffer a Marks and Spencers coffee as there was not enough batteries to make a coffee on the boat – oh how she suffers)) Yes, thanks again to my cousin, Fi and Melanie who have bought me coffees recently.
I stand close to the coffee machine as we cruise and crack on updating this blog, uploading the vlogs to Patreon and YouTube as I’ve caught up now and so going to get up to date by releasing one Friday, Saturday and Sunday ((Oh the joy of seeing you on the TV every night! Might have a social media break for a few days!))
We are lucky to get into the Little Venice facilities again so all persons to battle stations and then we set to and cruise back up the Paddington Arm in search of fuel. Day Done. Until Tomorrow. x
Wednesday 29th May – Day 312
We cruise for a few hours today as we make our way up the Paddington Arm towards the marina and it really is a lovely stretch of canal. There really isn’t much to report as it’s a bit like groundhog day as we cruise, I work and then we find a lovely mooring and chill for the rest of the day and think about the days ahead.
I cannot believe by Sunday lunchtime we will have done the Thames and this big planned journey will be done and then we will need another plan; which will be loosely cruising the south before heading back up north to our mooring in Hinckley and finding some work for winter so we can carry on cruising next year.
At this point we’ve had a bit of real life chat ((4th June in the real world)) and decided I’ve taken on too much with the freelance work, publishing two books, vlogging, blogging, trying to keep up with social media and everything else in between, so it’s time to let some things go and get back to enjoying this life for as long as it lasts cruising the network.
((That’s a bit cryptic Peachy!)) It’s not meant to be, I just need to reassess all these things I’ve taken on and decide if they are financially worth the amount of time and stress which goes into them. Anyone who is self-employed knows how hard it is and I need to start prioritising our financial future, whatever that maybe. I will update you when I’ve figured it out!
Day done. Until tomorrow. x
Thursday 30th May – Day 313
It’s a bright blue day as we crank it along the Paddington Arm and make it to the marina where we top up with fuel. They say it’s good to have a full fuel tank and water tank as it makes the boat more stable on the Thames.
Tank filled, we wind the boat ((Turn the boat)) around in the marina entrance. This is a no, no when boating normally but Clare who sorted the fuel out from the marina said we were okay to do it. It’s a little tricky but we get there in the end and we cruise to find a mooring not too far away where we settle for the night ahead of doing the Camden locks tomorrow. We are about a thirty minute cruise away from the Little Venice facilities which then lead onto the Regent’s canal which will be a new stretch for us. We will aim to get through the locks and to our booked mooring at Islington Eco mooring.
We are certainly glad we booked the moorings in London as we didn’t see one free one until we got far past the other side of Victoria park on this busy stretch and we really didn’t want to moor next to people we don’t know. Day done. Big day tomorrow! x
Friday 31st May – Day 314
We wake to a drizzly morning as it’s time to finally do the Camden Locks! Which are actually called (add name) First up it’s Little Venice for the boat services, that done and it’s through Maida Vale tunnel and onto the Regent’s canal! ((Which Peachy only just realised as she went through it!)) past very large mansions, London Zoo and all the other iconic things to see before we arrive at Camden Lock! There doesn’t seem to be anywhere obviously to moor so we glide to the lock gate and pull the boat in. As I’m setting the lock with thankfully only about 50 people watching. On a nice busy day there will be hundreds!! A lockie turns up and once The Plot is in he wanders up to the next lock leaving me to close this one.
It’s windy as well today so the boat end up on the wrong side of the lock. There is no option but for chris to throw me the rope and for me to pull the boat over so he can leave the lock. My Yorkshire muscles ((You go Peachy)) do me proud and I yank the boat over knowing many people are watching me and I can not mess it up. When I’ve done a bloke watching said ‘WOW’ haha. Then it’s out the lock, close the lock and the scary people watching lock done and onto the next lock.
I’m really impressed by the next stretch of locks, they are easy to do and once I’ve relaxed I really enjoy them. It’s mixed weather with the rain stopping and starting but we are soon through the locks and then it’s Islington tunnel which we get through in a blink of an eye and before we know it we are moored at Islington Eco-mooring and find our pals Jon and Greta on Narrowboat Boo Boo. We have a good old natter with them and plan to do the locks and journey to Limehouse basin together.
Chris and I take an interesting wander around Islington and get some shopping and another big day ticked off the list.
Saturday 1st June – Day 315
We are rudely woken, well I wasn’t as I was awake at 6am creating vlogs, by another boater cruising past, then revving the engine because they didn’t want to go through the tunnel and then reversing and bashing into our boat and Narrowboat Boo Boo. These things happen but generally the accepted time is cruising from 8am so if you do crash into someone boats it’s not daft of clock!
Our neighbours we up and as they set off to get some water whilst we get ourselves ready and by 8.15am we are in the first lock of 8 today as we make our way to Limehouse Basin and hope there is a mooring spare! ((What’s going on with these moorings?)) There is a bit of an issue with CRT and boaters as CRT want to make London more accessible to people like us. Apparently people don’t want to come here because of the problems with moorings and to be quite honest, unless you moor on the Paddington Arm and crank it through Little Venice to the other side of Victoria park or want to double or triple moor with someone then you won’t get a mooring unless you pay to use one of the CRT ones.
We don’t mind paying. It was £25 per night in Paddington Basin and £35 at Islington Eco mooring which is the ones we have just left which for the centre of London is cheap but as a boater who has been living here for a while I understand why they feel they are being pushed out. I don’t think there is any easy solution which will please everyone. But with the society we have if you use something you have to pay for it and unless they don’t use the any facilities, they still have their boat on water which is managed by CRT and if they didn’t manage it then it probably wouldn’t be suitable for a boat! Like i said i don’t know the answer to this one. ((That’s count for most stuff really Peachy))
Anyway, off we go and after lots of locks, cruising and chatting we arrive at Limehouse Basin and manage to get a mooring and Narrowboat Boo Boo moors alongside us.
I then decide its time for a power nap whilst Chris takes down the cratch covers as we decide we don’t want them flapping around and checks the engine etc ((What whilst you’re sleeping!)) I said I would help but I needed a nap after being up at 5.
Once I’m up and coffee drank I started faffing around moving things which could fall and break then we wander to the shops to get some supplies. When we get back a cruiser boat is heading out the lock so Jon and Chris wander up to watch and Greta brings out the fizz. Then the boys come back and we spent a pleasant time chatting on the stern until it’s time for tea and to pop in the boat and wonder about tomorrow. Day done. Last day tomorrow folks and then the blog might be quiet for a little bit! ((Promises, promises!)) x
Sunday 2nd June – Day 316
Well, what a day and a fitting place to leave the blog for a little while! We woke up early after a disturbed night naturally thinking about the big day ahead and because we were tied up against the wall with a boat tied to us, every so often the tires banged and woke us up but no matter.
As we opened the stern door at 5.45am to bright blue sunshine and no wind, we knew it was going to be a good day to cruise the Thames. We did the final prep of moving things off shelves etc just in case, and then had a coffee and some breakfast. Just before 7am three other boats got ready to go in the lock and we wandered up along with Jon and Greta from Narrowboat Boo Boo who we travelled down with yesterday. We watched them go through and before we knew it, we had the lifejackets on and we were in Limehouse Lock!
When you get to this point the nerves are tingling ((That’s excitement not sciatica)) and there is no turning back, so it’s time to just enjoy this epic journey we have been working towards since we decided in winter to come to London.
A blast of the horn as we come out of the lock and we are on the mighty Thames and what a trip. Beautiful blue skies and no wind create the perfect day to cruise and we glide past and under in the case of the bridges up the river Thames. The trip boats which are very fast don’t start running until 8.30am so we are lucky we only have a few waves to deal with. We spot the prop sticking out the water on our friends boat!
If you want to really get the feeling for the journey then please do have a look at the YouTube vlog which should be very soon all being well. London from the river is a sight not to be missed. Everything goes as well as we could have hoped until we arrived at Thames Lock and there is no-one about to let us through. We had a look around but it wasn’t one we could operate ((Thank goodness for that!)) like on the River Trent. They normally have lockies but you can operate them yourselves.
Anyway, after trying all the numbers for the locks with no success, I resort to ringing the emergency line ((It’s always an emergency if you’re about!)) I have to say I wasn’t overly impressed that the person barely seemed to even know what the river was or much about it at all. I imagine it just must be that they have a screen with the locks etc on and they log the call but at first they couldn’t even find Thames Lock on their system! Anyway, someone from CRT rang us back and there had been a problem with the booking and they weren’t expecting us for an hour ((OH Peachy!)) hey, it wasn’t our fault. When the lockies turned up and let us through we then cruised to Brentford lock and chatted to the lovely lockie there and showed him our booking – which was correct! For some reason they had us down from Teddington to Brentford but we booked Limehouse to Brentford.
Anyway, at least we got off we had visions of the tide turning and then many problems would arise! Although leaving Brentford lock, Chris set off and there was this almighty bang and then water started spraying everywhere. Turned out a bottle of pop had got stuck on the prop, it had burst it and it was spraying everywhere! Chris got the brunt of it. The lockie said he’d never seen anything like it! So we ended our Thames trip with a bit of drama but I would rather than be at the end than on the Thames itself. What an experience and I would love to do it again! ((Your mum says absolutely not!))
Once through, we quickly moor up as the facilities are here then it’s on to find a mooring as it’s 12.15pm now and we are ready to stop and have some lunch. We don’t have to go far before we find a beautiful spot in the shade and it’s job well and truly done.
What next I hear you cry ((I don’t think you do peachy!)) As I’ve said this is the last regular blog for a while. It’s time for me to take a deep breath and evaluate my future plans as I said earlier in the week, I need to refocus.
In the next few months I will edit the canal book ready for publication. Finish my freelance work for Newark Book Festival as we get closer to the event itself. I’ve already spoken to my publisher and made the decision to delay the publication of my Jersey book. The vlogs are scheduled until the end of June and then I’m going to decide if I continue with those or not. No rash decisions on these things, just a little time off to have a think about what I want to do.
This journey we are on was always going to be a trial and error as we try and carve out a new, different way of life and at the end of the day, I need to earn money for prosecco and Baileys! ((Exactly. Priorities Peachy!))
For now… thank you so much for reading the daily blogs and giving me encouragement for nearly a year now! I hope you’ve enjoyed the adventure so far. Thanks for reading and putting up with my grammatical and spelling errors ((we need therapy!)) as I type too fast and don’t have time to edit properly – it’s real life, live as it happens lol.
Until next time… from me, ((and from me)) xx
((Peachy will still be posting on Instagram and Facebook so I suggest you block her if you also need a proper break! I’m quite sad it’s all over. Someone pass me a tissue… maybe i should sneak in a few takeovers… shhhh don’t tell Peachy!))
C.L. Peache 
Go for it Brackets!
LikeLike