Eager beaver readers will know I have been pootling my way down the Grand Union canal on my bicycle. It is a while, too long, since I have been able to find a day for the next stage. I’m missing it.
My last ride was a fairly short one, from Watford to Uxbridge. This now takes me to being west of London. With a bit of luck, I should have the remaining 20 miles completed in one go and I’m really looking forward to that.
Zooming into the last ride for a few moments, please allow me to tell you it was squelchy to say the least. The term “squelch” definitely summed up the terrain and, in a way, made it quite good fun.
There I was, heading into various muddy areas on the towpath and I’d feel the wheels slide around. Thankfully it was mostly the back wheel, so much easier to control. While the photo above gives the general idea, it hasn’t quite captured the seriously slippery parts. Each time I braked, I did it very gently. Each time I passed someone, I would be ultra careful, all for fear of a mishap and ending up in the canal.
Thankfully it has all been uneventful. While cycling along I have contemplated the thin, skinny slick tyres and my feet locked into my pedals (Shimano SPD type, where you have to twist your heel to be released from the pedal). All quite unnerving.
Funnily enough, the little challenges seem to make it more memorable, as do the folk I meet along the way. Even in the last stage, I managed to meet and chat with a couple of fellow cyclists. You see, I had just stopped at the Cafe @ Lock 81 for an Americano before they arrived.
They were two Mamils, with the emphasis definitely on middle age. And yes, in Lycra with a good splattering of mud. They both had mountain bikes with grippy looking tyres, a wise choice I thought. Mind you, one was very chatty….
As they sat down with their Americanos and the soft squishy cushion which was provided for each customer, the conversation started.
“Going far?”
“No, not too far today, I’ve just started from Watford and heading in the Uxbridge direction. How about you?” was my polite reply
“Oh we’ve come up from Windsor this morning” they said in a proud kind of way
“That’s quite a distance, heading back that way?” as I sized them up, fearing I might have their company all the way. I was relieved when they said they were heading elsewhere. As much as I like bumping into people and having a chat, this was not the day for that. Sometimes I need a bit of time for myself, just to mull a few things over and this was the day.
Before I left, I asked if I could take a photograph of the cafe and the member of staff inside.
“Of course you can, in fact I’ll come outside and then you can see me better”
Then she was joined by another, not wanting to be out done or miss out on her chance to be photographed. She introduced herself by saying
“She might well be the manager BUT I’m the OWNER!”
And so I had acquired a delightful photograph of this great find on the towpath. If only everyone was as co-operative when they’re invited to be photographed.
I resumed by slippery ride, heading south-ish. At times it seemed so rural with no houses, roads, overhead cables etc I found it hard to think I was so close to London. You can see why some folk decide to live on narrow boats to escape the rat race, but only at arm’s length.
I passed the usual ragtag collection of narrow boats. The gin palaces, with gleaming paintwork, solar panels and luxurious interiors. By way of contrast, there are some very novel boats which are presumably lived in all year round.
Are boaters under threat?
Wobbling further along the towpath, I reflected on some of the conversations I’d had with a few boaters. They had suggested their way of life was endangered and under threat. Some said the Canal & River Trust were charging so much with their fees, their way of life was threatened and they would be forced off the water and into the homeless sector because they couldn’t afford the fees. Their boats would then be worthless, or so they reckoned.
Now I don’t know if it’s true or not. I think it’s fair to say there are many reasons which lead the 35,000 people* to live on the canals and rivers. Some choose the lifestyle, because they want to enjoy the carefree freedom and be “off grid” as they put it; many are sort of new age hippy-ish but not all. Some because they are driven to it through hardship and this certainly applies to a few I have met and chatted with.
The trouble is, would they fair any better by living on land in conventional housing, with all of the inherent costs from running a home? I doubt it. I don’t know how they would fair through making themselves homeless and presenting to a local authority. If they don’t have any vulnerabilities, I don’t think they would get much help or sympathy.
And yet it must be a hard life for some. Imagine trying to make a Doctor’s appointment if you are forced to move every two weeks. How do you get your post or prove your address – what address?
In my conversations with boaters I have, a couple of times, asked if their way of life should be documented? To record the way of life for history. Most are enthusiastic about it. Others are slightly reserved, suggesting they have chosen the lifestyle for a reason and that includes fading into the distance.
As I look to complete the final leg of my journey, from Uxbridge into central London, I contemplate this further. I think there is definitely potential for an interesting project. This time, however, I think I would try and pull a group together and an essential element would be gaining the support of the Canal & River Trust. Food for thought…..
*The Guardian article from 2021 – click here