Tottenham Marshes Sunday 14 August 2016

Before it got dark last night we were treated to a beautiful sunset. Last night filming started about 10 pm with a big flood light  on Boner Hall Bridge pointing our way. They had a chap cycle under the bridge several times, a wide beam boat moored between us and the bridge and then a Narrowboat come from Old Ford Lock through the bridge towards us with its headlight on. We soon got bored with this and went to bed. I woke at 2 am. convinced there was someone on the boat so got up to find the Narrowboat outside our side hatch and the crew walking it backwards by hanging onto our handrail, I guess they thought it would cause lest disturbance than using the engine that time of the morning. I heard no more after that and this morning they were all gone.

We left at our normal 10 am after two nights of disturbed sleep to a sunny morning again making tracks through the duck weed as we went to Old Ford lock. The weed completely coats the walls of the lock as the water drains away.

  Its a wide turn into the Hertford Union Canal to drop down the 3 locks to the River Lee. As you can see there is building work ongoing, this seems to be the case all the way along the canal corridor to some degree, building or new flats that are only a few years old.  On our way to the Old Ford Top Lock we passed this statue, it was somewhere near here where I fished a young lad out last time we came this way about 20 years ago. I wonder if he remembers it as well as I do. We were only ticking along slowly as when we left Old Ford Lock another boat arrived at the top and I said we would wait for them. Only a young couple but she was plant mad and nipped into the canal side plant shop to buy a clay flower pot which she dropped to her partner. He had to admit he couldn’t see where they were going as he steered the boat and had to keep looking round the side. Here at the Old Ford Bottom lock I think is the most graffiti that I have seen canal side so far.

There was quite a lot of water flowing over the top gates of the bottom lock, it must all be water that is being lost from the Regents Canal.

From here its only a short way to the river Lee, there was all sorts going on including a cafe boat with a yoga class on the roof, unfortunately I was to busy getting into the correct position on the river to take a photo as the barge June was coming down stream under the Railway bridge and due to boats being moored there she took up all the space, from the look on the skippers face he would have been happier with a touch more. We made our way upstream, there is very little flow on the river passing some impressive buildings on our right, but the strip of land between them and the river has just been allowed to go wild, I thought it would have all been smartened up. The moorings along here are all long term with electricity but it looks like a waste land. We stopped at Markfield Park and visited the Markfield Pumping Museum, it only opens on the second Sunday of the month and at Bank Holidays.

There is a very nice licensed cafe at the end of the museum where we had a light lunch and a glass of wine, did I mention it was licensed?

Refreshed we set off again to Tottenham Lock, the locks are pared with the one on the right being mechanised and only needing a BW key to operate the control panel. The locks fill quite smoothly from the bottom with no big inrush at the front.The lock to the left is manually operated  with a windlass to pump the hydraulics. A short way above the locks there are a pair of sailing barges that look as if they have been converted into offices with large windows let into the hull sides. They still look as if they carry sail bit I doubt with the modifications they a seaworthy now, We had a problem at the second lock Stonebridge Locks as Diana couldn’t get the key in the control panel and there was a Narrowboat moored in the manual lock with no one onboard. I managed to get the key in but had problems turning it, once I jiggled it to the right position to work Diana took over holding the key in the on position while setting the lock, we were joined by another boat while we waited.

Once clear of the lock we decided that when we saw a nice mooring spot we would moor up for the night and saw a nice little spot about 65 feet long right by the entrance to Tottenham Marshes, as I brought Harnser in I couldn’t help noticing the state of the hull of the boat behind us, Looking at the side it looks good but just look by the bows. It was just quarter past four but a very warm afternoon when we called it a day. We have had a few lads on scooters driving by but hopefully it will be a quiet night.

 

Today’s Journey  7 Miles, 6 locks, 2 canals, 1 river in 4 hours