Uxbridge to Little Venice and beyond

15th and 16th May 2010.


4 boats, 12 members and a daughter arrived at Willow Tree Marina at Yeading on the Grand Union canal.

Passing factory on Grand Union CanalSeveral enjoyed breakfast omelettes in the sunshine by the marina basin.  Sandalos, Allegra (Richard Bailey), Elisa (Mario Pianta), the Gondolino, Giuletta (club) and the skiff Louisa (Roger Blackburn and David Knowles) set out under the bridge turning left onto the canal.  Roger followed on the bicycle. 

As we progressed up the canal we passed through leisure parks,rotting industrial, modern industrial, utilities, sorting offices, Wormwood Scrubs prison across the fields.  Smells of curry and oriental spices emanated from the factories up wind of us, baking bread from the Hovis factory and then arrival at the Grand Junction Arms right by the canal on Acton Lane.  

The Grand Junction Arms is a quiet pub that didn’t serve food on a Saturday, we were told, so we had all taken picnics.  Not this Saturday!  When our bicyclist arrived there were about 300 Portsmouth supporters noisily psyching themselves up for the FA Cup Final.   Magically and with the proper respect due they had nearly all vanished by the time the fleet arrived but left a pretty chaotic and none too charming pub for us.  However, drinks were good and glass glasses had replaced footballer special weedy plastic ones. We could sit out looking up the canal where we were joined by Mike Wilson and his 14 month old daughter Flora who was taken by Mike in Louisa for her first voyage in a boat accompanied by Roger and his grandson Seb who also turned up with his parents.  Arriving at Little Venice


The real beauty of this canal starts as you pass the old lock keepers cottage at the entrance to Little Venice.  What a beautiful triangle of water with attractive houses as back drops an Island in the middle and the Paddington arm veering South towards Paddington Station where we left the boats over night.  The intrepid Venetian fleet set off through the tunnel enjoying the odd contretemps with the tourist boats but once through that tunnel the canal has some exceptionally beautiful houses with gardens down to the waters edge and it meanders on passed Lord Snowdon’s aviary and other parts of London Zoo including a couple of Warthogs smiling down as the boats rowed passed, eventually arriving at the first lock of the trip (which we didn’t go through)

   

Wedding at Camden Lock

A large crowd appeared to be awaiting us there until we saw on the balcony of a building close by a bride and groom. We believe most of their guest thought the Venetian boats had been brought especially for their celebration.  On our return to the Paddington Basin there was the usual debate about where would be the best place to leave the boats but when this was resolved Juliet Blackburn produced tea and biscuits for everyone including our latest visitors Mike Bucher’s granddaughter Leonie and parents.  We nearly all reappeared for dinner at Zizzi an Italian restaurant right near where we moored the boats.  


Next morning with the addition of Robin Privett and Anthony de Winton but lacking Mike and Vicci and Amanda Rew we set ‘sail’ at 10.30am.  Although the morning had been quite beautiful the wind was getting up and it got a little grey with the odd spitty rain.  The Grand Junction Arms which serves lunch on Sundays had totally collapsed under the weight of disappointed Portsmouth fans returning after the football and then partying until the early hours of the morning.

They weren’t even serving beer.  We called in at the next water side Sainsbury and got out picnic lunches and then rowed and rowed and rowed until we reached the Black Horse pub near Greenford  They weren’t very keen on us eating our picnics but they sold us some beer.   

Journeys End

Getting boats out



Luckily the sun came out and we had an enjoyable picnic before the relatively short leg back to the marina.  We got the boats out in warm sunshine and were almost ready to pack all the kit which had been taken out ready to put into the cars when a serious downpour wet us and everything.  Not a very auspicious end but a most intriguing and varied weekends rowing.  Thank you Robin Blandy and Mario Pianta for organising it.









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