22n October 2015. Battlebridge Basin (Camden) to Willowtree Park (Hillingdon)

Dry today, a relief after yesterday. We headed off in good time (for us) as we had a way to go. We revisited the site of our glamorous Kings Cross mooring and found the green steps are no longer green.

 

Continuing to retrace our steps, we passed Regents Park, Little Venice and the turning into the Paddington Basin.  At the Camden locks we met and travelled along with a hire boat. It was crewed by a group of New Zealanders here for the Rugby World Cup and including a few days on London's canals in their holiday. They were very nice and with the extra help at the locks, Jo could relax. As before, the lock by Camden Market was awash with gongoolzlers.

Photographing the photographers at Camden Lock.

A glimpse of Camden Market as we pass.

The landscape is all built up as you would expect but quite varied. It is mostly high rise buildings which line the canal, but there are some exceptions.   

 

We met a big work boat coming out of the Maida Hill tunnel and had to make a quick reverse. We tied up with the waterbus while we waited for the boat to clear the tunnel. 

 

The work boat we met going into the tunnel.

Leaving the Maida Hill tunnel behind. The glass is a café sited right overhead.

We tied to a bit of railing to take Scooby for a lunchtime walk around a patch of green below a huge block of flats. The community art on the opposite wall made brave effort to add a bit of class.

Harold pit-stopped to the railings. 

After a short stop at Sainsbury's for milk and pizzas, it was a straight run until we arrived at our mooring around 5pm. We met a narrow boat which had come free of its moorings and was just stationary in the middle of the canal with no-one in it (ghost-ship like). Then a flotilla of water people boats going along together, 5 in all, with only one engine between them. They were roped together, but not very securely and one drifted off across the canal. We waited patiently behind while they gathered it back in and let us past. Between Alperton and Northolt was the coconut stretch where, for no fathomable reason, there were lots of coconuts in the water, both naked and in plastic bags.
After a total of 15 miles we moored at Willowtree Park and Scooby got a well deserved walk we had a well-deserved glass of wine :)