Weekend away on Pisces, a 22m Narrow Boat

Having had such good fun in May, we ran a second weekend away in a canal boat on the Grand Union Canal in October. There was a mixed group of adults (Karin, Ronelle, Marian, Catherine, Jacques and John), a few assorted Scouts (Alex, Sarah, Lilli and Edison) and one enthusiastic Explorer (Heward). We left on Saturday morning (8am, or 8:15 for the Explorer), rather than Friday night, which worked well and got us there for 9:30.

Pisces, a 70-year old, traditional narrow-boat, was waiting;. We piled the gear onboard and got underway, with Edison steering the 22 metre boat down the narrow channel rather erratically.

The mist cleared as we passed up through the locks on a mild and sunny day. Everybody took turns of steering the boat, rising to the challenges of the locks, bridges and bends.

Here we see Heward delighting in creating loads of spray by opening the ‘gate paddles’ in the lock. Most of these have been removed for safety so this was an opportunity to work the lock quickly, just as it would have been when the canal was carrying cargo between London and Birmingham.

The energetic members of the crew (i.e. the adults) ‘wheeled’ or walked ahead of the boat to get the locks ready.

Working the locks requires some strength and was a challenge for light-weight Edison.

Lunch for most of us was conventional scouting food (with some salad for the adults), but here we see Edison gathering his from a lock,

which was faster than waiting for the bacon to cook. (We’re only allowed on top of the boat when we’re tied-up).

After lunch we motored on up to Cassiobury Park Lock and moored for a break. The scouts went exploring and found a network of streams to paddle in (shoes on of course) and a playpark where we had jam donuts.

Later the bridges seemed to get very narrow and one of the adults managed to miss the hole completely, making a resounding Bangngngngngng between the boat and wall. The autumn colours were just starting, and leaves kept falling onto the boat as we chugged along.

Dinner was a delicious spaghetti cooked by the scouts, followed by an apple crumble baked with apples from the tree in Douglas Meadow. The adults played cards while the scouts retired to their cabin and made noises into the early morning.

The morning was very misty, but that seemed unimportant as we tucked into a mixed Scottish and Continental breakfast of orange juice, porridge and croissants.

Moving back down towards London, you can almost feel the canal climbing down into the Thames valley.

The lunch stop involved some traditional hunting with a magnet in the cut (proper name for a canal). I am not telling what Edison found – you’ll have to ask.

After a busy Saturday, there was less enthusiasm for wheeling on the Sunday and many opted to relax in the bows while Heward continued to work the locks energetically.

How about this for a very different bird’s-eye view (a duck’s-eye view) of the cut.

Back at the base, boat tidied, minibus packed ready for the return journey, we all snack on crisps and three whole cakes!

A BIG thanks to Karin for organising another great weekend away.

See the photo gallery for more pictures from the trip.