Through Britain

This was forecast to be a hot day so I made sure to take two bottles of water. At Uxbridge Station, terminus for branches of the Piccadilly and Metropolitan lines, I exited into a busy scene with market stalls and numerous cafes. I stopped for a coffee at Costas.

Immediately after rejoining the canal, I saw the Braunston 82 mile marker, indicating that I was 12 miles on from Brentford lock. I passed under the A40 and the railway between Northolt and Princes Risborough. Signs told me that I was on the London Loop. This is the London Outer Orbital Path encircling Greater London. It's about 150 miles long split into 24 sections. It's sometimes referred to as the M25 for walkers.

There were hundreds of narrow boats on their moorings. Two had sunk to rest on the canal bed with the deck inundated and just the superstructure above the surface. Others were abandoned and in a dreadful neglected state. Many were occupied. Some of the owners had taken possession of the far side of the towpath next to their boat. Chairs were placed there and ashes showed where they'd placed their barbecue. One had light bulbs hanging from tree branches.

Beyond the railway line in the area of lakes along the course of the River Crane, I saw a structure through trees with railings on top. As I wondered what this might be, I caught sight of an elegant white structure ahead crossing above the canal. Nothing was shown on my map. As I reached it, an angler came through a gate giving access to one of the lakes. I asked him what it was and he said it was HS2. Anglers thought it did great harm to the countryside. “In any case,” he said “who wants to go to Birmingham anyway.”

HS2 is intended to halve the journey time between London and Birmingham to 49 minutes. The trains' maximum speed is planned to be 220 mph on HS2 track and 125 mph on conventional track. Originally planned to open in 2033 it is now subject to unspecified delay. At first the scheme included the connecting up of northern cities but that has been abandoned due to the cost. Despite that two billion pounds has been spent on that element of the project. Given that London and Birmingham already have a rail connection, this is surely the sort of financial disaster that can only be achieved with a bottomless purse.

I passed South Harefield and Harefield (Coy Carp Inn) before a massive sewage works perfumed the air. When I saw a giant Tesco, I knew I'd reached Rickmansworth. The station served trains on the overground and underground networks. The Metropolitan line has a terminus at Amersham and that was the train I took to central London.

Distance 8.83 miles; total 101.93.

I rose just before 6 a.m. This was despite getting to bed after midnight following a black tie celebration of a couple of friends becoming septuagenarians. They'd hired their local Chelsea restaurant for the evening.

The Metropolitan line took me back to Rickmansworth where a large Sunday street market was trying to sell its wares. The Batchworth Canal Centre told the story of how an Act was passed very late in the eighteenth century authorising the construction of that section of the Grand Union Canal opening up access to London. Previously access had been along the narrower Oxford Canal and then the Thames. The new canal, constructed by pick and shovel, substantially enhanced trade.

From the Batchworth Canal Centre I could see the River Chess with its own walk alongside called the Ebury Path. This was a chalk stream from the Chiltern Hills to the west. It ran past the Canal Centre which was also the site of a lock. A boat was passing through and pedestrians were out in numbers.

The atmosphere along the towpath was good. Most people gave or returned greetings. I made way for a faster walker. Shortly after overtaking me he turned into a leafy alcove and emerged with a watering can. By the time I'd caught up, he was attending to numerous potted plants on a narrow boat. In response to my question, he said it wasn't his boat but he was doing this for an absent friend. Shortly afterwards I encountered a friendly couple cleaning their boat. Conversation revealed that they lived in their narrow boat during the summer months then decamped to their home in France for the winter. He wished me an “Easy Day” as I moved on.

I then came across an empty wicker chair. On the chair were copious flowers beginning to fade and a typed note headed R.I.P. Dickie in a plastic case. Dickie had died at the age of 99 on June 13th, only 16 days before. He was accustomed to sit in the chair and greet travellers as they passed by.

I went under a bridge taking the railway between Rickmansworth and Watford. Later another bridge took an offshoot of the M25 over the canal. There soon followed the M25 itself with Abbots Langley on the far side of the canal to the east. Immediately after that I was in Kings Langley which merged into Hemel Hemstead. The town had two stations and I took the first one I reached called Apsley.

The next train was cancelled but it was a half hourly service so it didn't matter. I nodded off on my station bench but a staff member woke me up as my train arrived. Following the earlier cancellation the train (which was to Euston) was crowded. I came across four seats solely occupied by a young man. He had his feet up on the seat opposite and sucked on a vape. Vaping is forbidden on the railways but he didn't seem to be actually smoking it. He apologised and withdrew his feet. When I didn't sit directly opposite he put his feet back on the seat. It didn't really bother me. He was paying much attention to his phone which was intermittently noisy.

I idly wondered whether I should move so as to better concentrate on my paper. Then he asked “Where are you going Buddy?” “London and where are you going?” “Rainham.” “ What are going to do when you get there?” “I'm seeing some friends that I haven't seen for years.” If you haven't seen them how do you know they're still friends?” “I've been in regular contact with them.”

He then spoke to one of his friends. Part of the conversation was unintelligible and delivered at lightning speed although I recognised some English words. I asked whether he was using a dialect. He said he was speaking Gaelic mixed up with some English. He said this was normal in the Irish travelling community. I'd thought he sounded Irish. I told him of our contact with local travellers in Suffolk and how my wife had taught their young son to read. He said that he'd stayed at school just long enough to read and write then he'd left.

He asked me what I did. When I said I'd been a Solicitor but retired long since. He said he wasn't surprised as I sounded upper class. He had a relative who owned a building company. He worked for them and had developed some skill in brick laying and paving. I said with those skills he'd never want for work. “Did he work consistently or just when it suited him?” He worked three days a week.

He talked a bit about the travelling community. When a boy becomes 16 he's regarded as a man. He might be given a Rolex and some money to treat his friends. There's always a wedding, a funeral or a party going on somewhere. They might last for days. He was going to France with his friends and showed me his passport. To my astonishment this self-possessed youngster was only 17.

As a solicitor he wanted my opinion on some trouble he had in Scotland. He was in Dumfries and had to go back to a pub where he'd left his phone. He came across a road traffic accident and the police arrested him. He was due to face charges in September. What should he do? I recommended that he find a lawyer to represent him. He claimed not to have two coins to rub together. I said that he might get legal aid but I was unfamiliar with the set up in Scotland.

As we approached Euston we shook hands and exchanged names. He disappeared ahead into the crowd in search of Rainham.

Distance today 9.38 miles; total 111.31.

In the third heatwave of the summer, I made an early start. I disembarked at Apsley Station just after 9 a.m. On the canal I immediately passed the sign Braunston 66.

After Hemel Hempstead Station, I entered land owned by the Box Moor Trust. This is a charity that holds nearly 500 acres in the parishes of Hemel Hempstead and Bovington. This land had been acquired in the 16th century by local men. They were concerned that common land would be enclosed and that local people would be denied grazing rights. The purchase price was raised by secret public subscription. In 1594 the land was transferred to twelve trustees elected by the beneficiaries of the trust. The trustees have power to make orders and bye-laws as they deem necessary to fulfil the trust's objectives. It's remarkable that this foundation has endured until the present day.

For much of way I was accompanied by River Bulbourne. The word “bourne” is Anglo-Saxon for a stream. This stream used to run through meadows grazed by cattle; hence the name. I could see it darkly lurking as it ran alongside, but below the level of the canal, often concealed by vegetation. It's a chalk stream rising at Cow Roast between Tring and Berkhamstead. The chalk beneath acts as a sponge collecting water. When gorged, the chalk releases water so the stream flows. It's a tributary of River Gade, itself a tributary of River Colne, which discharges into the Thames.

In Berkhamsted I passed The Rising Sun.” I well remember the Check Point there on the 145 mile Grand Union Canal Race from Birmingham to London. One hit the 100 mile point on a bridge over the Tring Summit (see below) so runners here would have done about 105 miles. Some runners would be patching themselves up but remaining positive. Others would be slumped with no relish for the 40 miles of suffering that lay ahead.

The canal reaches its highest point at Tring Summit completed in 1797. It's 380 feet higher than its junction with the Thames at Brentford. Over a distance of 36 miles there's a climb through 56 locks. The summit itself is a 2.5 mile stretch without locks. The last upward lock is just after Dudswell.

I left the canal whilst on Tring Summit to reach Tring Station which was unmanned. I needed to buy a ticket at the machine. Each time someone approached I made way for them as I didn't want to hold them up. The last person, after he'd bought his ticket, asked if I wanted any help. I explained that every time I tried to type in Euston it wouldn't go beyond “EU”. He then experienced the same problem but then tried London Euston which worked. Next time I'll know.

Distance today 10 miles; total 121.31.

I left Tring Station just after 11 a.m. and quickly reached the Grand Union Canal. At this point the canal is at the bottom of a cutting.

At Bulbourne the Grand Junction Arms is the first building one sees as one approaches the road bridge that precedes this hamlet. This had been a significant watering hole on the Grand Union Canal Run. When I looked this up the following day, I was taken aback to discover that Administrators had been appointed just four days earlier on 21st July and that the pub had been closed. All the other references to the pub revealed by my search indicated that the pub was a popular going concern. Maybe some rich person, prepared to take a risk, will attempt to revive it.

Beyond the bridge Bulbourne Yard appears on the far side from the towpath. This site became a workshop in 1847. Eventually it took over the fabrication of lock gates and their metal components. Other workshops followed including those for sawyers, carpenters and blacksmiths. In 1882 the present buildings were constructed including the prominent water tower. Lock gates continued to be made there until 2004. The Canal & River Trust then decided to redevelop the site into homes and offices whilst preserving the historic buildings. There's still an office for the Canal & River Trust and a blacksmith's workshop. Most of the site is now taken up by new homes.

Shortly afterwards I reached the four Tring Reservoirs. Their purpose is to feed the Grand Union Canal. This is essential because of the Tring summit. Boats moving through locks on either side of the summit cause canal water to move downhill on both sides. Wilstone Reservoir, built in 1802, is the largest. It supplies water to the Wendover Arm of the canal. The others are Startops End Reservoir (built 1817), Marsworth Reservoir (1806) and Tringford Reservoir (1816). They are important Nature Reserves for birds, fish and bats.

For some unaccountable reason I walked onto the path dividing the Startops and Marsworth Reservoirs, missing the canal's turn at this point. I noticed that the canal was no longer beside me but, compounding the error, walked on regardless as if the canal would magically reappear. Even when I reached a road I decided to walk along the road still believing that I'd reach a bridge over the canal and then re-join it. It was only when Tring came into view that I came to my senses and returned to the point where I'd gone wrong.

As I recovered from this stupidity I was faced with a dilemma. In Marsworth there were paths on both sides of the canal. Which should I take? Did it matter? I took the left hand side as one faces north realising much too late that the Aylesbury Arm was a left turn that might cut off further progress. Might I have to suffer the further indignity of again having to retrace my steps? As I turned onto the Arm I saw a lock close at hand so I was able to cross over on that. That alone would not get me to the right hand side but nearby, at Marsworth Wharf, there was a bridge. I didn't need it as the towpath crossed over the bridge to continue on the left hand side.

Now I was in open country beyond Marsworth. I passed under bridges carrying first a road and then the railway. The only villages ahead were Horton and then Slapton. The moorings thinned out in this area remote from shops. I hardly saw anyone apart from one or two cyclists. Trees overhung the towpath weighed down with crab apples, plums and sloes. The blackberries were getting ripe. I encountered the odd angler. They stare at the rod and never turn at the approaching footsteps.

A pub on the far side warned of the approach to Leighton Buzzard. Suddenly there were people about. I crossed a bridge over the canal to reach the station in Linslade but called Leighton Buzzard.

Distance today 11.25 miles; total 132.56.