As part of our prep yesterday I cleared a load of weed off the prop shaft, but I needn’t have bothered because within a minute of setting off this morning we had another load round it. This river section is full of massive clumps of floating weed so it’s impossible to avoid. Macc had a last run around at Elthorne Park before we set off and really enjoyed himself, and we got under way a little before 9. When we got to Osterley Lock I went down the weed hatch again.
Below the lock the M4 goes over the canal, and then there’s a very high bridge carrying the Piccadilly Line to Heathrow.
Before Clitheroe’s Lock there’s a Horsley Iron Works bridge taking the towpath over to the other side.
After the lock, the canal passes between the tower blocks of Brentford. The one on the left used to say GSK on it, but doesn’t seem to any more.
Brentford has all changed since the last time we were here. There’s a new footbridge over the canal and the warehouses which used to overhang the water have all gone. Much to our surprise there was a space just our size available, so we slotted into it. There’s a ring for the stern rope, but I’ve had to bang a stake into the very hard ground for the bow.
There’s a bit of grass over the bridge for Macc, and Adrian has also been to Pets at Home to stock up on treats! We’ll only be here for a few hours, as we’re booked out onto the Thames just before 4.30. There are a few boats going this afternoon, plus there’s Dona Ferens and a couple of others who’ll also be arriving at Teddington having come up from Limehouse. I’ll do another post about the river section later.
2 miles, 2 locks. (19 miles, 10 locks)