We watch you as you cruise by on the Regents Canal

Monday, 22 August 2011 08:00

Something new has come to London since I lived in London and we last spent anytime here: The Overground

New Overground bridge carrying the Shoreditch to Highbury rail line

It is a suburban network, conceived by Transport for London (TfL), which has now expanded to the East End and South London.

With "Oyster" cards available to London visitors now, there really is no excuse for not exploring the capital by public transport. I just hope that it can cope with the 2012 Olympics!

All the above is leading into the fact that we soon had to drop my sister, Lois, at a convenient bridge, so that she could travel back to South London. The TfL website makes all this planning very easy*. But first we had one more lock to go down.

This block is on the towpath side at Haggerston

The faces watching us from Samuel House are all ex-tenants of the flats - a project that is their "one in the eye" for the policies and developers who leave empty properties when there is much need for housing. Certainly it is much more pleasing to see the faces than boarded windows.

The sign below evoked the feeling of being in the East End which was now mainly south of the Regents Canal - but the sound of Bow Bells would be a while yet. Even Eastenders can sometimes not be sure of where the East End begins and ends. West is the City of London; East is the River Lea and the A102(M); South is the River Thames and North is Hackney - or at least that is what the BBC reckons!

Ron's Eel and Shell Fish

More contrasts in developments below Queensbridge Road Bridge

We arrived at Acton's Lock, still amongst the duckweed, and Lois left us at Mare Street Bridge a few minutes later.

Mare Street Bridge

Goodbye Lois

We were hoping to find a mooring beside Victoria Park, but knew that it was a popular spot and had heard that there were sometimes "long stayers" there. As we rounded the corner it did not look hopeful above Bonner Hill Bridge.

Approaching Victoria Park

But hey - there was a space! We nipped in smartly. The narrowboater in front of us said that it was only the second time he had managed to find a mooring by the Park. Certainly narrowboats were doubled up and later we discovered that all the moorings below the bridge were also taken.

Moored at Victoria Park in the sunshine

So we are on 14-day moorings near to Bethnal Green and we can take advantage of public transport to do some exploring and even some family history as John's maternal grandmother came from Bow which is just about in walking distance. We were also hoping for a visit from some boating friends who were leaving the country soon .....

Grand Union Paddington Arm, Kensal Green to Regents Canal, Victoria Park
4 hours 59 minutes, 8.61 miles, 7 locks

* If you have a bus pass and/or want to cut down on the amount of walking, when you use the TfL Journey Planner, select "Routes with the least walking between stops" and "I don't want to walk for longer than  minutes" in the Advanced Options. Of course, you can cut out any forms of transport you don't want to use for a particular journey. (Ed./Epiphany planner)