Rickmansworth to Mill Road Bridge No 187 (Cowley Mill Road)

Today we boated the bit of the Grand Union Canal we should have done last Friday but chickened out in the torrential rain. Saturday morning was no better with snow showers where we were.

Fortunately I had a good friend who has Mondays off. So we boated to Uxbridge and enjoyed each other's company. My crew is an outdoor type but usually enjoys hill walking in remote Cumbria rather than the flatness of the Thames Valley and its tributaries, in this case the Rivers Colne, Chess and Gade.

Thanks to Henry who helped at Stokers Lock.

 Thanks to Lyn who waved from Trinity as her husband walked away with the dog.

The weather stayed dry and we noticed Fran's Tea Garden. Pity the Best Mate was not with us today.

We had a good run onward even though every lock was against us and there was no traffic on the cut until we got to Denham Deep lock.

View from the top of Denham Deep

Waiting at the bottom of Denham Deep

Here the crew of an oncoming boat berated my crew for not engaging a pawl before winding up a paddle and suggested we wasted a lockfull of water when we filled the 11ft deep lock with TWO feet of water. They had left Uxbridge Lock with a top gate open and all top paddles raised!

We had a lovely day! We saw cormorant, grey heron, mallard, pochard, tufted duck, canada goose, white goose, mute swan, moorhen, coot, chifchaff, reed bunting, loads of little brown jobs, red lite, buzzard, parakeet, african grey parrot and amazonian green parrot.

Near  Mill Road Bridge No 187

                                                                                    7 miles, 5½ furlongs and 7 locks  5hrs