As we’re approaching Tooley’s Boatyard in Banbury, it’s time to reflect on our time on Galveston this year. We’ve come full circle now. In April we took the boat to Banbury for some maintenance work, and on the 1st of May we set off on our 3-month cruise. Along the way we stopped in interesting…

From a visiting boater’s perspective, what is the real London? Is it the two prop-wraps we suffered because the water was full of crud? Is it boats moored two abreast for large chunks of the network and the strange boat contraptions that people call their homes? Or is it boaters putting up signs in their…

I took a video of one of the locks on the Grand Union being filled. On that lock, like so many others, there are two sets of paddles. The first lot, the ground paddles, let the water into the lock from underneath. The second set, sited on the lock arm, lift the paddles in the…

Three months on the boat – how far can we go? Our initial plan had been to go North from Oxford, then the Grand Union to London, through London, then the Kennet an Avon to Bath, and back to Oxford. It seemed doable. However, we became aware of more and more stoppages on the K&A,…

In our busy lives, I’ve often heard myself saying “I’d love a day when I’ve got nothing to do”. And when I was looking forward to retirement, I envisioned myself having plenty of time to pursue old hobbies and new. However, when the day came when I had nothing to do, it all felt a…

On a visit back to Oxford a few weeks ago, I fell off my bike and hurt my arm. An x-ray confirmed a radial head fracture. Thankfully no cast was required, the arm was put in a sling and I was sent on my way. Prognosis: it’ll heal itself in about six weeks, in the…

At Roydon, three miles South of Harlow, by the railway station, there are two burnt-out gatehouses. Ever curious, we investigated. The two buildings are part of the Briggens estate and are Grade II listed, built during the Edwardian period to create an impressive entrance to the estate from the railway station. Guests were collected by…

Bishop’s Stortford lies beside the Roman Stane Street,  which linked London with Colchester, and a ford across the river made the location an important stopping point for travellers and traders during Roman times. Later, a Saxon settlement grew around the river crossing. Just a short walk from the end of the navigation in Bishop’s Stortford…

We’ve been spending a few days on the river Stort. This was a spur-of-the moment decision once we’d reach East London. It seemed foolish not to do this little spur out of London, as it’s unlikely we’ll be back this way for some years. After leaving Limehouse, we intended to cruise all of the London…

When we left Oxford, on the first of May, it was cold. And it continued to be cold for quite some time. I even bought a new fleece; mostly because the one I had on the boat was about 15 years old and was getting a bit tight for me. Nonetheless, having to buy a…