London day 14 couldn’t have been more different!

It’s time for us to go!

Just before 07:30 yesterday morning and we’ve moved off from our mooring.  This has been our view looking down Merchant Square whilst we’ve been moored in that empty slot at Paddington Basin

… and the view looking forwards as we reach the bend.

We’ve noticed that a number of boats that were moored in the basin when we arrived are still here and that some of them were moored here when nb Ferndale arrived 2-weeks ago.  Does no-one monitor these popular mooring spots and if they do, do they report the overstayers to CRT?  There is no mooring information boards in the basin area but round the corner (above) are signs that 7-days is the maximum stay. I think that the problem of mooring in this very popular area of London needs to be sorted out. It appears that a boater can moor practically continuously - 7-days in the basin, perhaps a week on Rembrandt Gardens and 14-days at the Little Venice visitor mooring and then back again to the basin, Little Venice and round and round as there are no signs that inform how often boaters can return in any period of time. It’s not too bad in the winter but this could well be the reason why we can’t get a space anywhere during the summer cruising months.

This is the current view looking back towards the bend as we pass Paddington Station on the right.  The building ahead and to the left  that is all wrapped up is being demolished and it won’t be too far into the future when the canalside will look like this …

Follow this link for more information

07:40 and we’re entering Little Venice pool, just look at that sky, that dutch barge with it’s mast and the sun reflecting in the water!  It’s promising us a good day!

We stopped at the sanitary station just beyond the blue bridge to use the services which took us nearly 1½  hours, the slow tap and the fact that the washing machine was doing its thing didn’t help matters but fortunately no-one else came wanting to use the space.

The impressive building that is Queens Park Library, Harrow Road as we approach Kensal

The CRT sign under bridge 4 informs boaters  to slow down when passing the moorings beyond and some bright spark has graffitied on it STOP!  The reason is clear it looks as if lots of boats have not seen this brick alcove until it was too late!  I wonder what it was for originally?

Going for a walk

Gasometers - lots of engineering here, will they be left as they are now I wonder?

Yarwoods Duke built in 1931 for GUCCC

Hope they’ve got a better head for heights than I have!

This is the support for that same building - it also has some similarity to the proposed new building at Paddington above.

Spring is certainly with us as this lovely pussy-willow shows.

There were the usual lovely smells as we approached and passed through Alperton, fresh baked bread and cakes and spicy smells from the east too.

One of only two boats we saw moving and we’re both shifting to the correct (right) side of the channel.

Daisies in the grass, red and gold dogwood in bud, catkins and blossom - makes your heart sing for spring.

Naughty!

That famous arena

Forsythia shining in the sun

New ‘Lego” apartments - I like them.

We’re not the only ones enjoying the sunshine

These are rather nice private moorings just past the golf course

Bridge 13 Ballot Box Bridge, a strange name indeed but apart from the fact that the Ballot Box pub is closed by I can’t find any other information about it.

Hyacinths atop a narrowboat but we weren’t close enough to get their heady scent.

Molly has shed her blankets and is also enjoying the warm sun on her back.

2-pm and we’ve reached our destination at Willow Tree Open Space.  That’s nb Ferndale first in line and there’s a Still Rockin’ size slot for us just under the bridge.

It couldn’t have been a more different cruise than that which we took on 26th February going into London.  Today we’ve enjoyed the bestest day cruising for what seems like a long time.