Sadly, the newsagent close to Hanwell Top Lock did not accept the prepayment tokens so he lost that sale and anything else we might have bought. Pity, as they did have just one copy left!
We paused for disposals at the lock and then set off down the flight, with the weather at that stage quite pleasant, as seen behind a shot of the top lock cottage. Later in the day it turned a bit chilly but we kept warm enough working the locks. It is that time of the year when lock operating muscles and joints need to be taken out of their winter comfort - they certainly felt well asleep.
Bridge 205 is sometimes known as Three Bridges as a road, canal and railway line all cross at the same point. Not easy to photo from the towpath - perhaps we should try from the road which is the highest level.
As we left the top lock, we saw someone starting to fill it again and thought that they indicated they would catch us at the next lock. Despite waiting for some little while (during which Christine set the next lock) no-one appeared so we continued. Just as we had the lock half empty a boat finally appeared.
Further down we waited again, after chatting to the boat owner (who was rather upset as one of his windows had been smashed in last night whilst moored at Bulls Bridge.
The locks in this flight were built with side pounds although they are no longer used.
The obligatory photo of the former asylum with its bricked up entrance to a delivery dock.
The boat behind us was so slow that another boat caught up and they shared the lock. By now two volunteer lock keepers had arrived and advised us to continue as they need to drain away some of the water that was overflowing the locks, making them slow to operate. At one point there was so much water that it flooded the towpath.
After the flight we were on the River Brent (considered part of the Grand Union) so we made faster progress. Not sure if today's pile drivers go in for competitions - or how well they would do against this lot!
At the last lock before Brentford, a boat coming up had a crew with very little experience (he had done three locks before but this was her first!) and as they were finally ready to come into the lock another boat joined them. Their crew were a bit inexperienced as well.
By the time lock was ready for us the two boats behind had caught up and the smaller one (which had earlier been the last) pushed its way forward, almost taking the lock in front of us! As we continued down the last stretch before Brentford, he made several attempts to overtake including a blind bend and nearly collided with a work boat cutting back trees.
An impressive cast iron roving footbridge takes the towpath from one bank to the other.
We called at the water point (not where the first signs suggest) and then whilst Mike finished off the service stop, Christine went for a paper and some eggs, rejoining just as the lock was filling.
It was not far then until we arrived above Thames Lock, with just over an hour to spare before we had been advised that it would be possible to be let through. The tide still seemed to be a long way out with some of the barges below the lock clearly on the mud. However the level was rising quickly and just after three o'clock, the expected time, the keeper arrived and we began to go through.
As we turned out onto the River Thames itself we could see the tide flowing upstream very clearly. A Harbourmaster Boat surprised us by coming out from its landing just around the corner below the junction - it shadowed us for a while but eventually pulled in. (It was going so fast that the photo is blurred - or not!) By now the sky had clouded over and the air quite sharp, but at least it remained rain-less, unlike last year.
Just after the junction, Syon House makes its presence felt. It is now the Duke of Northumberland's London residence (!) and is well known as the place where Catherine Howard was imprisoned until she was eventually executed.
Christine spotted a heron's nest high up in a tree - just yesterday we had seen on tv about where they nest (not really thought about it before). Perhaps it occupiers were the couple we saw on an adjacent tree.
There was very little traffic on the river.
Hammerton's Ferry had just taken a cyclist across the river.
It was a reasonably quick transit, just over the hour before we arrived at Teddington.
We bought our transit licence and an overnight mooring from the chatty lock keeper who gave us directions to shops and other local facilities.
Just as Mike was taking off his life jacket there was noise - he had accidentally caught the toggle to inflate it! Not knowing how to stow it back, let alone what to do to replace the gas cylinder, he went back to the lock. after all, the keeper had said to Christine that we could come back and ask him anything we needed to know. He was very helpful and even checked to see if their spares would fit but it was a slightly different design.
We were slightly surprised that the tide came up to make a level at the lock and the weir, alongside where we moored for the night. Once it had turned, the level below dropped very quickly.
As dusk was almost upon us, Christine went for a stroll across the footbridges to the village.
10.1 miles - 13 locks
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