Voyages of Gabriel: Uxbridge to Brentford

Sun 4^th July Uxbridge to Hanwell

As there was a long section without locks today, we thought we could brave the forecast rain. The first stop was the facilities at Cowley, where we were finally able to dispose of the rubbish, and empty cassettes. We mostly filled with water, but a boat came up through Cowley Lock and they were wating for water. Also, there was a car that wanted to leave, and we didn’t want it running over our hose, so we called it day at three-quarters full.

We took advantage of the full lock, with gate open. As we left the lock, the rain started, so we put up the hood, and James kept dry except for a wet tiller arm. There is six-mile pound until the next lock.

Heavy Rain

We passed the entrance to the Slough Arm at Cowley Peachey Junction, and the turn off to the Paddington Arm at Bulls Bridge. There were very few boats moving, but lots of them moored.

Slough Arm

Bulls Bridge

Sweet Chestnut tree

Cormorant

The rain had stopped by the time we arrived at Norwood Top Lock, and two boats were coming up. They had been moored in Brentford. We went down through the lock, and into Norwood Bottom Lock (incorrectly marked in my 2016 Nicholson Guide as Hanwell Lock).

Litter in the side pond

Norwood Bottom Lock

As we were preparing to leave the lock, something caught our propeller, and we had no steerage. We pulled the boat in with a rope, so James could go down the ladder to visit the weed hatch. We found a pair of tracksuit trousers, a kit bag, and a piece of strapping. By the time we had cleared the prop, there was another boat wanting to come up, so we didn’t need to close the gate as we left.

All this on the prop

We moored in Glade Lane Canalside Park, where there were three other boats already moored. A very pleasant spot, with a grassy meadow, and no traffic noise.

Moored at Glade Lane Canalside Park

Crow

Later, a wide beam went down, and another boat came up. We noticed the level in the pound beginning to drop. James went to check the paddles on the next lock, and they were down properly, but there was a lot of leakage under the gates. We slackened off the ropes and pushed the boat out, but were soon at an angle again. We decided to move to the lock bollards, where it should be deeper. When we arrived at the lock, a guy in a Dutch barge opposite suggested we moor behind him on the offside. We did so, and had a peaceful night.

3 locks, 8 miles. Dep 1005, arr 1415, Glade Lane Park. Dep 2115 arr 2135 top lock

Mon 5^th July Hanwell to Brentford

Moored at Hanwell Top Lock

Despite a little rain in the night, today was forecast dry and sunny. We had settled a bit, as the pound had dropped further, and it took some effort to move the boat away from the sides, before we filled the lock, thus draining the pound even more. As we went down through the locks, we were expecting to find some dry pounds, as we have done in the past on the Hanwell flight, but we had no problems.

Hanwell Flight

Giant Hogweed

Most of the locks were against us. We only met one boat coming up, and that was at the final lock, Clitheroes Lock. As we approached the lock, we had something else on the prop, and our engine stopped. Thankfully, we had enough momentum to get close enough to the edge for James to jump off with a rope, and he managed to get it round a lock bollard to stop us. When he went down the weed hatch, he found only a few bits of plastic shopping bag, so whatever it was had dropped off. It had felt like a log.

We passed under the noisy M4 motorway

This bridge is over 200 years old

Continuing into Brentford, we ended up mooring under the old warehouse, as no other moorings were available. There is a railway bridge behind, and there are noisy trains occasionally, but there is no traffic noise. The water was very weedy, and using the engine stirred up some black silt. Not a wonderful place to moor, but it’ll do. We are here for two nights, as we were unable to change our tideway booking from Wednesday to Tuesday. Tuesday is forecast wet, so maybe we are better off doing the tideway in the dry on Wednesday.