A Day on the River

Holding off continuing with my London posts to take you for a day on the British waterways. Our country is criss-crossed with canals and rivers that link up to take one the length and breadth of the country.

In times gone by the canals were very much horse drawn working waterways but today they are used for pleasure.

Here is our first glimpse of our day yesterday with our old friends Dave and Val  who have lived on their barge for the last 4 years travelling the waterways since their retirement while renting out their cottage and small holding in rural Devon

We set off from Harlow in Essex amongst the May blossom and Cow Parsley covering the countryside

and encounter our first lock

We navigated 12 of these throughout our day

Dave has Alan to move one side of the lock gates (which makes it quicker) and I chat to Val while she steers

inside the lock always feels a bit spooky to me

I find it amazing the amount of salad and vegetables they manage to grow in troughs on the roof

The sleeping quarters and bathroom are in the middle of the boat

It is at this point we encounter a problem with the engine

This was caused by a large plastic bag getting entangled 

around the propeller

While Dave works Val and I take a walk along the tow path and the guys will pick us up later when all is well

The point at which they pick us up 40 minutes later 

and it is raining

We stop for lunch in a traditional old English pub in the town of Sawbridgeworth just over the county border in Hertfordshire.

A view of the town as we walk  back to the boat

We walk through the churchyard

and past this field of Pampas grass

and back on the boat passing a 17th century

lock keepers cottage

These cottages are now privately owned or holiday lets as lock keepers no longer exist 

we pass a modern development along this part of the river

and many other barges

Alan enjoying working the locks

Until we come to a point where we can turn the barge

The speed limit on the canals and rivers is 4 miles per hour

so it will take us several hours to get back to our car

We chat to this couple as we pass admiring their flowers

These horses seem to be having a conversation of their own

and on the other side riders out in the early evening

and finally a swan graces us with it's presence

 Apart from a stop for lunch we were on the water from  10.0 am until 9.30 pm

enjoying a pleasant supper before saying our goodbyes  and embarking on our 45 minute drive home

Hope you enjoyed the trip with us