spitfire
Walty McWaltface
Oh man that looks like great fun. Absolutely want to do.
Canals, canal boats, canal walks, waterways
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Oh man that looks like great fun. Absolutely want to do.
Bahnhof Strasse
Met up with Hannah Courtoy a week next Tuesday
Weybridge 25 mins from Waterloo.
The company I work for are in Shepperton so I’ve become quite au fait with the transport links down that way and surprisingly quick from East London.
I can get door to door Bethnal Green Woking in an hour.
Weybridge trains are fast, ones to Shepperton stop at every fucking lamppost though, Frau Bahn's mum lives there and we stayed with her for 6 months, fucking exhausting commuting to town from there. Buster Edwards thought the village was so remote he'd not be found hiding out there, it is a bit like the land that time forgot...
A380
How do I change this 'custom title' thing then?
When I was a kid we lived in a house that backed on to the grand union. From age 9 to about 14 we spent almost every weekend in the summer and most holidays on a 25 ft wooden two berth cruiser my dad had converted. I had to sleep under an awning in the cockpit. When I was about 14 they got a narrow boat. Which I later went away with my mates on. Between all this we did most of the (then) available canals and rivers in the south and midlands. Including under tower bridge- not sure that would be allowed these days with no radio ? And up the Thames past the legal head of navigation till we went aground. Later they moved to Branston marina to live.
spitfire
Walty McWaltface
Tell me about it, quite handy for snoozing off a hangover on a Monday morning visit to the office though.
planetgeli
There's no future in England's dreaming
Pah, I've done this. Monmouth & Brecon canal, absolutely beautiful btw, pissed about for 4 days and didn't think we'd have time to get to Brecon where we would turn around. I saw a wide bend on the canal and decided to do it there. It didn't work. And my gf lost her glasses in the canal trying to free the boat.
She went boat happy. I had to kill her. *
* I might have made the killing bit up. The rest is true.
BoatieBird
Well-Known Member
Lived on boats for 12 years, and Mr B did 18 years in total.
Everyone (particularly our families) expected us to move off when our son was born, but we got a bigger boat and did another 6 years. We've been on dry land for 15 years now - in a village that the Grand Union runs through, so in some ways it feels that we haven't left it!
Everyone (particularly our families) expected us to move off when our son was born, but we got a bigger boat and did another 6 years. We've been on dry land for 15 years now - in a village that the Grand Union runs through, so in some ways it feels that we haven't left it!
BassJunkie
Clams on the half shell, and roller skates.
My brother and I started walking the Grand Union Canal from Leicester in 2020 (when we were finally allowed to). Since then we've walked up to the Trent, as far South as Tring and towards Birmingham as far Solihull. That leaves us with 7 miles left to do to the Northern end - Spaghetti Junction(!). And about 2 days walking South to reach the Thames.
We've mostly done it by using 2 cars, parking one at the end and driving to the beginning. These remaining bits will probably be done by public transport.
We stride along quite quickly and often pass narrowboats going in the same direction.
As we're reaching the end of this 4 year odyssey I've become aware of how many other canals there are. It looks like we could do the Oxford Canal next. And of course, Birmingham has more canals than somewhere in Italy. And once we've finished the Grand Union we're definitely going to spend a pleasant day walking the Regent's canal. Most of which I've walked Regent's Park <-> Notting Hill Carnival. Never been as far as the Lea Basin though.
We've mostly done it by using 2 cars, parking one at the end and driving to the beginning. These remaining bits will probably be done by public transport.
We stride along quite quickly and often pass narrowboats going in the same direction.
As we're reaching the end of this 4 year odyssey I've become aware of how many other canals there are. It looks like we could do the Oxford Canal next. And of course, Birmingham has more canals than somewhere in Italy. And once we've finished the Grand Union we're definitely going to spend a pleasant day walking the Regent's canal. Most of which I've walked Regent's Park <-> Notting Hill Carnival. Never been as far as the Lea Basin though.
Artaxerxes
Look out, he's got a gnu!
We had a nice urban walk (and bike) in the Lea basin a few years ago now so would be nice to do that again next year maybe
gosub
~#
When I lived on Magic Roundabout mooring was on the Wey. Is a pretty navigation but really is a day out. You'd see weekly hire boats from Guildford getting to Weybridge after a day and think now what?
5 ywars living on the cut. Glad I did it. More glad I did it when I did
You could always complete the Thames Ring BassJunkie
It’s approx 250 miles, and being a ring you can start anywhere but from memory it leaves the Thames and goes up the Brentford arm of the GUC and then from the GUC it goes down the Oxford canal to the Thames.
It’s approx 250 miles, and being a ring you can start anywhere but from memory it leaves the Thames and goes up the Brentford arm of the GUC and then from the GUC it goes down the Oxford canal to the Thames.
gosub
~#
Yep
lazythursday
Well-Known Member
For exploring the network, I highly recommend the app Open Canal Map. I know the developer, who created this for his own needs and as a bit of a labour of love. It's way better than anything the canal and river trust have done.
BoatieBird
Well-Known Member
Our boy is 21 now and is carrying on the family tradition, he's a couple of years into renovating a boat which he intends to live on.
There's some photos on another boat thread, but I can't find it
There's some photos on another boat thread, but I can't find it
planetgeli
There's no future in England's dreaming
Our boy is 21 now and is carrying on the family tradition, he's a couple of years into renovating a boat which he intends to live on.
There's some photos on another boat thread, but I can't find it
This photo?
Serge Forward
Just enjoyin' my coffee.
BoatieBird
Well-Known Member
Yes! That's from quite early on in the process, before it went in the water and he cruised it up to Northants.
kalmatthew
Lurker Extrodinaire
I grew up living near the grand union and when I moved into my own flat and then on to the house I've always been close to the Wey (slightly further than Bahnhof Strasse but same town.) canals have often been part of walks from home although these days I'm more likely to walk beyond the navigable section.
