After rowing on Saturday, James and I hopped on a bus to London. Our plans to go walking the East End canals had been in question because we had so much to carry for the race on Sunday, but we decided to have a quick look in the Field and Trek discount outdoor store to see if we could find a couple of good bags. We found two Karrimor ones for £18 and £40, which should have been £60 apiece! Thus equipped, we got off the bus in Stratford and headed for the DLR. We both take a childish pleasure in hopping on DLR trains, and sitting at the front of the first carriage where the driver would be in a standard train!
Our destination on the DLR was Limehouse Basin, where the Thames joins the Regent's Canal. We planned to get off there and follow the cut up to Mile End, where we would meet my sister for dinner. As the train pulled into Limehouse I saw a familiar boat turning in the basin below: Indigo Dream! We've been following their blog for ages, and enjoy reading about their adventures on the cut with their greyhounds. We rushed down to the basin and hailed them. Richard was on the roof with a mop at the time as they were in the middle of getting the boat ready for their Summer cruise. A day later and we'd have missed them. They invited us down to their boat for a cup of tea, ad we spent a good while chatting about all things boaty. Sadly the dogs weren't on board but we had a good time nonetheless. It's always great to meet fellow boat bloggers! They gave us a short tour of Limehouse basin on Indigo Dream before dropping us at the lock leading to the Regent's Canal and Mile End.
We then headed up the canal, which we enjoyed. It seems to be invery good condition despite a bit of rubbish in the water, with clear signs of gentrification: new blocks of nicely designed flats, parks, and lots of cyclists, runners and people just making the most of a grey but warm Saturday by the canal.
We met my sister Esther at her house, dropped off our stuff and headed out to a pub she recommended by the canal at Victoria Park, The Crown. It was really lovely to see her and catch up. She's in her second year studying for a medical degree at Barts, and is loving life in London. The pub itself was fantastic. We sat upstairs in the dinisg rooms, with the balcony door open, enjoying delicious food and wonderful decor. I had coley with a pea and leek tart and clam sauce, and James had sausage and mash. Both were delicious.
It took us an hour to get to Acton Town, where we were staying overnight to be close to the Thames for the race in the morning, and we were so tired after a long day, that we went straight to bed, the alarm set for 5:15am...
Hi, thanks for reading my blog! I too enjoy sitting at the front of the DLR pretending to be the driver :)
ReplyDelete