Mike Stevens' UK Inland Waterways Pages

TRIP REPORTS : THE FELIS CATUS II YEARS

THE LEE & STORT:
Late Spring 1993

Click on a picture to see a bigger version with a caption

[Click here for information about our boat, Felis Catus II]

In the early part of the year we'd done a bit of local pottering, then taken the boat to Little Venice for Canalway Cavalcade, after which we returned to our home mooring at Cowley Peachey. That year's Canalway Cavalcade was celebrating the bicentenary of the Act authorising the building of the Grand Junction Canal.

A DAY TRIP

SUMMER HALF-TERM
(including the Limehouse Rally)

Wendy & I were delayed on the way from home by a bus strike, so only just got there in time for our appointment with Judith, a Trade Union colleague who then taught in the hospital school at St Mary's Paddington, to take her, a colleague, 4 young patients and 1 mother on a trip. Judith's colleague, Valerie, was also delayed en route. We collected Judith and the others from the canalside hospital and Valerie joined us at Browning's Pool. We took them through the Zoo and back, winding at Cumberland Turn. Both on the outward and return journeys we saw a baby elephant being taken for a walk across one of the footbridges in the Zoo, which the kids love. We dropped them back at the hospital, and Wendy went to the launderette.

After a chat with Tim Clarkson on nb Isis we took the boat to Sainsbury's at Kensal Green to provision for the week. We went back to the Basin, where Wendy collected the washing from the launderette before heading back to a do at work. I finished a few jobs on the boat, then we set off for home.

We came from home with our cats Dido & Orinthia (the latter's first trip on the boat) for Half Term. Winding by Ha'penny bridge we were stopped by heavy plastic on the blade. We used the facilities at the Little Venice sani station, were delayed getting away from there by Orinthia going ashore at the wrong moment, then we headed down the Regent's towards the Limehouse Festival. We found ourselves following the London Waterbus Co's broad-beam trip boat Water Buffalo down the locks. We were sharing locks with nb Beatty. I worked most of the locks, because those on the Regent's are pretty heavy. Later a Dutch Barge, Uchi Mata, was in between us and Buffalo. We paused at Old Ford lock while we fished for a windlass that someone else had dropped in. Orinthia, quite startled by moving scenery, had found a cave behind the fruit-bowl (giving the impression of a meowing banana) which she regarded as home.

We arrived in Limehouse Basin for the rally at 17:12. We moored at first outboard of Graeme Heap's Dutch barge Azolla, then moved to a more convenient mooring outboard of the Russell family's nb Auntie Barb. Later Kathy B (Bob & Yvonne: he of the windlass incident earlier) came outboard of us and we all had a good sociable evening.

At the Limehouse Festival

The day was spent at the Rally. I was in the official party on the PLA launch Royal Nore for the ceremonial full re-opening of Limehouse Basin after the building of the road tunnel underneath part of it.

My vague suggestion of a cruise round the Bow Back Rivers next day had somehow appeared in the Rally papers as a commitment that I would lead one! I was a bit worried about the wind as I didn't fancy blowing onto the mud-banks round the Back Rivers, so arranged a conference of skippers at 09:00 next day to decide what to do.

It was still blowing about Force 7, so we decided not to cruise the Back Rivers. At Ron Bingham's suggestion, instead we would go out into Bow Creek at the top of the tide for a jolly to the Three Mills, then come back in, tie up and walk the Back Rivers.

We set off at 10:01 with Felis Catus II leading a cruise of Galatea (Denise Keir), Helix (Alex & Jenny Nunes), Stella Maris (the Bannon family), Auntie Barb (the Russell family), Misbourne II (Richard Packer) and Coal Boy (Ron & Olive Bingham). We passed through Bow tide-lock at the top of the tide with all four gates open. The lock-keeper was surprised to see us. We went up to the millpond at the head of Bow Creek, did a twiddle in front of the Mills and headed back. Coal Boy went a little way up Abbey Creek, but not very far as the tide was now falling. On the return trip the lock was in normal use. Back on the Lee Navigation, we tied up below Three Mills Bridge & walked the Back Rivers. Wendy didn't come as she'd done it too many times before. She went to Tesco with Olive Bingham & then for coffee on Coal Boy.

Early in the afternoon we said good-bye to the company and headed north up the Lee, sharing several locks with nb Hot Toddy and a broad-beam cruiser : a good job these are big locks. We moored for the night at 18:24 above Waltham Town lock and I went to the Old English Gentleman before dinner. The pub was being re-roofed and done up and there was talk of a new landlord imminently. It was still a good pub. The cats had a good run ashore.

I don't seem to have done any photography fopr the rest of this trip.

We set off at 08:37 and took on water en passant at Cartagena lock, where we were joined by nb Albion and Kingfisher, a day-boat from Broxbourne Boating Centre. At Fielde's Weir junction Albion continued up the Lee while we & Kingfisher turned up the Stort. At Roydon we used the loo-point at the caravan site, and then walked into the village for a good lunch at the New Inn, a very pleasant Ind Coop pub serving, inter alia, Wadworth's 6X. It does food at lunch-times and 18:00-21:00.

The Stort was still as attractive as we remembered it, albeit somewhat narrow at times and with a few shallows. Dido was looking for a mooring before we were ready for one! In the end we moored above Harlow lock at 18:45. It was quite a pleasant mooring, although too close to a road bridge to be very quiet. But there are very few spots on this river where one can moor except at locks etc. and this one was piled and dredged. The cats had a good run despite some dogs on a neighbouring boat: Orinthia found a nice jungly field to go mousing.

The cats were back for breakfast OK, but Orinthia was most displeased when we shut them in so that they'd still be there when we were ready to start cruising, which we did at 08:33. It was an easier run than the previous afternoon, possibly because we were less tired. At South Mill lock we picked up some young hitch-hikers for a ride into the town centre; full-scale boating addicts by the time we got there. At the head of navigation at Bishop's Stortford we had to wait for another boat to wind before we were able to do the same and moor a few yards downstream. We had a pub lunch at the Star; fairly ordinary and not a candidate for the Good Loo Guide. It would have been better for the removal of some young children with thunderous feet. I went off home for Cavalcade Committee while Wendy shopped in Sainsbury's (not one of their better ones) and found a charity shop for silly books. Dido taught Orinthia how to pose for passers-by.

Because of a communication failure with the mobile 'phone (battery problem? interference?) we weren't able to liaise about my return time. Wendy found a rubbish point, a bit further away than the map suggested: off the river along a narrow road beside a pub in Station Road - Herts household disposal yard. There is a loo & water point here, although we didn't use it (we were out of Elsan liquid and couldn't find anywhere selling it). We hoped for a pump-out elsewhere. I arrived back about 12:00 and we set off at 12:46 in easy conditions, assisted by the current. Adventuress Cruises and Harlow Outdoor Pursuits Centre were advertised as doing pump-outs by appointment, but neither was able to help us today. At Roydon wharf we stopped to buy Racasan at the camping site shop.

At Fieldes Weir junction we turned south on the Lee and moored at a pleasant park just above Dobbes Weir at 19:28; suitable jungles for the cats and a good spot for a barbecue. In later years that mooring was no longer possible.

It was a gloriously sunny day. As always on this trip, we had breakfast before starting because of the spread of the locks. The cats obviously liked the park, but were OK when we wanted to start. We made a relaxed start at 09:14, watered at Cartagena lock and heard cuckoos. We then went on to Broxbourne. For the Boating Centre's pump-out one has to moor across the end of their slipway. Their elsan point is down the nearby arm. We used both. The pump-out only £6.90; well below the going rate. I went to the Crown (fairly ordinary big pub) to 'phone my colleague, Douglas Acreman, who lived in the area and fixed for him to join us here for a bit of a run. While waiting for him, Wendy went to look for some shops and lost the village! There were some nice shops, but the greengrocer's wasn't very exciting, so she suspected that the local folk grow their own.

We set off again with Douglas on board and lunched on the move. We stopped briefly below Waltham Town lock for Douglas to head for home. A BW bloke helped Wendy with difficult granny gear at Enfield lock. At Ponders End, another boat worked us through. Above Tottenham Lock, we ran hard aground on a gravel bank about 15 ft from the edge. We noticed that Springfield Marina also has pump-out, although doesn't advertise it. At Walthamstow we picked up 5 children and a rowing boat without oars, who'd come further from home than they felt capable of getting back unaided. Carried them and towed their boat to Hackney Marshes.

We stopped for the night at 18:57 below Old Ford Junction, a good mooring we'd used before. We had a barbecue. Orinthia had a good run ashore, despite being chased back by a local cat.

After an 09:20 start we turned immediately into the Hertford Union and went through that onto the Regent's. At Battlebridge basin we stopped to visit the London Canal Museum, and were joined on the mooring there by Phil Fazackerley & Eric Garland in the trip boat Perseus, who were picking up a party from the museum for a run to Hackney & back; the first traffic we'd seen all day.

Continuing at 14:05 we cruised the rest of the Regent's, passed through Little Venice and stopped at Sainsbury's, Kensal Green, for some minor shopping. Then we went on to Willow Tree Park, Yeading, where we arrived at 18:52 for another barbecue. We socialised with a couple (Ann & John) on a boat down from Ripon. Bob & Yvonne on Cathy B (whom we'd met at Limehouse) went past and walked back for a drink. They invited us to visit them in the marina round the corner tomorrow morning.

At 10:35 we took the boat into Willow Tree Marina. We looked at Bob & Yvonne's photos from Limehouse, then they showed us round the marina and introduced us to one of the proprietors. The Marina isn't fully set-up yet, but is going to have excellent facilities. They gave us all the info. It's a bit more pricey that where we are at the moment, but bears thinking about for the future. Ron Hearn was here, helping fit out a new boat; an excellent Josher replica called Middlesex.

The afternoon left us a short run through Bull's Bridge junction and back to our mooring at Cowley Peachey by 14:28 . We were too hot to do anything in a hurry, so spent a long time packing up to go home.

We enjoyed this trip on the Lee & Stort so much that we went back there later the same year. [Click here to see the trip report]