Retired at Last

After 2 years of waiting we have finally set off for a whole summer cruising the rivers and canals.  Our journey started at Hallingbury Marina on Friday morning, 30th May and took us along the very pretty River Stort.

Through Sawbridgeworth, past the Maltings, which now house various businesses including a couple of Antique   shops.

Shortly after this our journey nearly ended for the day when at Sheering Mill lock the work boat had just arrived to close the lock to make repairs to the hydraulics, which had a split pipe & was spraying oil everywhere. Luckily, with a little persuasion, they let us through before closing them.

Between Harlow Lock & Parndon Lock are several sculptures by local artists using the inspiration & history of the river.

At Parndon Lock is a raised walkway designed by Alan Freeman and decorated with glass inserts made by Karen Murphy.  Both artists are based at Parndon Mill, which provides studios & workshops for artists and a fine art shop.

At Roydon Lock we stopped at the lockside shop for ice creams.

We finely moored up for the night just beyond Roydon and enjoyed a drink or two on Aylmer's sister craft, Aria, with good friends Martin & Karen to reflect on a very pleasant first day on our adventure

Day 2 saw us do the long haul along the river Lee to Lime House, 9 hours.  A much wider river, but not so pretty, especially all the industrial bits around Edmonton & Tottenham, relieved slightly by the Ice Cream 'Float' :).

A lovely meal in the Grapes revived us all and we spent a peaceful nigh tin Lime House Basin.  Sunday we spent a pleasant morning in Greenwich and then set off along the Regents canal which was very disappointing.  So many more live-aboards, and most of them so dirty Scruffy & dilapidated.  The locks were crowded with half drunken young people draped all over the lock-side,. making it very difficult to operate the locks.

Now moored up in Battlebridge Basin for a peaceful night aboard.