Time for the first canal walk of 2013 and luckily this mid April weekend saw blue skies all day Saturday – an ideal chance for one of the longest stretches so far – just over 10 miles from Cowley Peachey Junction to Rickmansworth. This required a morning departure from home at 11:00 and resulted in a late’ish return (7 pm). Slightly daunting is the long stretch across the Colne Valley, as there are very few options for cutting the journey short if it takes too long. Armed with a SatNav, a guide book, sandwiches, water and a camera, I set out.
Looking back to the junction from bridge 190
View northwards from bridge 190
Bridge 189 – Benbow Bridge
Approaching Cowley Lock
Bridge 188 and a change of side for the towpath
Looking back from Cowley Shovel to Cowley Lock
Permanent moorings north of Cowley
Heading north from Cowley Shoevel, pipe bridges in the distance
Approaching pipe bridges
More pipe bridges
Uxbridge boat centre
Bridge 186 – Dolphin Bridge
Oops – looks like it burnt through
On the approach to Swan and Bottle bridge (185)
Spring blossom
Smallest boat of the day
Bridge 185 – Swan and Bottle bridge
Boat yard south of Uxbridge lock
Bridge 184
Looking north from bridge 184 to Uxbridge lock
Paddle steamer !
Tranquil as we approach the A40
Moorings south of the A40
Bridge 183 – White Bridge
View north from White Bridge – Gravel Wharf on the left
Denham Deep Lock
Between Denham Deep Lock and Denham Bridge
Approaching Denham bridge
Going about between the lock and the bridge
Denham Bridge (182)
Start of the long straight section across Harefield Moor and the Colne valley
Looking back along the straight
Rail bridge 181 – about 1/3 of the way northwards along the straight
Country Park sailing off to the east side
Moorings off to the east
Camouflage ?
Widewater bridge (180) and Widewater lock
Widewater lock
To the west of Harefield
Bridge 179 – NO CROSSING!
Tree-lined canal edge near Mount Pleasant
Mount Pleasant
Approaching Black Jack’s lock and bridge 178
Black Jack’s lock
Approaching Troy Cut
Rounding the bend before bridge 177
White water near Copper Mill
Scenic towpath north of Copper Mill Lock
Heading out into the countryside north of Copper Mill lock
The approach to Springwell Lane Bridge
Springwell Lane bridge (176)
Moorings near to abandoned warehouse
Stocker’s Farm
Looking back after Stocker’s Farm
Bridge 175
Flooded farmland near Stocker’s Lock
Cub scouts adventure
Approaching bridge 174
Unexpected barge in bagging area…
River Colne crosses the canal
I was using my Android phone and Google’s MyTracks to follow the progress of the walk. According to the GPS unit I had travelled over 16 km or 10 miles, for this section of the canal.
Total distance: 16.16 km (10.0 mi) Total time: 3:51:21 Moving time: 3:34:21 Average speed: 4.19 km/h (2.6 mi/h) Average moving speed: 4.52 km/h (2.8 mi/h) Max speed: 11.71 km/h (7.3 mi/h) Max elevation: 108 m (355 ft) Min elevation: 55 m (180 ft) Elevation gain: 283 m (928 ft)
View Cowley Peachey to Rickmansworth in a larger map