Thusday 19th April 2012 Ramble 4: Uxbridge to Springwell Lock

Thursday 19^th April 2012

Ramble 4: Swan and Bottle PH, Uxbridge to Springwell Lock, just over 5 miles on a typical April day with heavy showers and some sunshine.

This morning we, including Glynis, re-joined the towpath by The Swan and Bottle PH and immediately passed Uxbridge Lock into a quieter, greener, more rural and peaceful section of the canal.

Heading northwards the canal is close to the River Colne (the boundary between the Greater London area of Hillingdon and Buckinghamshire). Later on we were to see where the river drains into the canal and slightly below that, where the overspill from the canal drains back into the river (eventually the River Colne flows into the River Thames near Staines). Not far away is the site of the Denham Studios, famous film studios, that some say should never have been closed (in 1952) founded by Alexander Korda.

Soon we passed under the enormous bridge (No. 183A) carrying the busy A40 road which just west of here becomes the M40 motorway and interchanges with the M25 orbital motorway. Back to peace we carried on through the Colne Valley Park, a 40 square miles area including former gravel workings and reached Denham Deep Lock (No. 87). This is the deepest on the Grand Union canal and raises the canal 11 feet 1 inch higher on its journey over the Chiltern Hills. The position is idyllic. We resisted the temptation to stop at Fran’s Tea rooms as dark clouds threatened rain and we were keen to make more progress while it was ‘dry’.

Next we passed under the graceful arches of the tall brick railway bridge that carries Chiltern trains from London Marylebone to Birmingham and to Aylesbury via Amersham. We saw posters opposing the HS2 plans for a high speed link from London to Birmingham. From reading these it seems the plans are to take a new route from very close to this bridge, northwards, across the valley (river and canal) on a 3.6km long new viaduct. These means it would cross the River Colne valley, Grand Union canal and adjoining country park land that includes rare vegetation and wildlife.

 

At Widewater Bridge and lock area we quickly had a sandwich and drink before sheltering under the road bridge during a heavy downpour of rain. We watched a nearby heron patiently waiting for a fish, so still that some people thought it was plastic. It did catch some dinner and we saw it being swallowed! 

When the sun re-emerged we continued to Black Jack’s Lock, another very pretty location (once featured in Doctor Who programmes), with cottage and a former mill, now a B& B.

 

We did stop for a cuppa at the popular and old Coy Carp pub (formerly called The Fisheries) at Copper Mills on the outskirts of Harefield. Nearby, is an attractive row of old cottages, Copper Mills Lock and a small canoe slalom course where the water from an outfall into the canal was white.  There was once a paper mill here and this was later converted to the making of copper sheets for the bottoms of Royal Naval boats, hence the area’s name.

Towards the end of our walk we passed Maple Lodge Sewage treatment works (a bit whiffy).

We added more birds to add to our list of species seen today (including Pied and Yellow wagtails). The cormorant swam along with us for a while, towards the end of our walk, and the male chaffinch and mallard duck were very obliging while being photographed.

 

It started to rain again as we approached Springwell Lock and we were glad to get in the dry again after an enjoyable walk.

Saturday 7th April 2012 Ramble 3: Hayes to Uxbridge

Ramble 3: Hayes and Harlington Station to Uxbridge, approximately 5½ miles on a cold and cloudy day.

We parked the car at Hayes and Harlington railway station, the start of our walk.

This morning we started along the towpath from bridge No 200, near a milestone telling us that we were 87 miles from Braunston (note Grand Junction Canal Company initials at the top). We made good progress, having started a little earlier than normal. We were rewarded with sights of a jay, goldfinches and ring-necked parakeets. Later on we saw a pied wagtail.

This time there were more plants flowering too and for the first half mile or so we saw many bluebells and ‘whitebells’ alongside the towpath.

Soon after we started, a group of cyclists with matching-shirts passed us. This happened several times during the walk and we worked out they were on a sponsored cycle ride. Other than that, there seemed to be fewer cyclists, walkers and joggers, compared to our previous walks. 

Again, behind high fencing, we passed many light industrial estates and on the West Drayton side of the canal saw a large bus depot and an aggregates works site (Hanson’s, with a small wharf on the canal). We heard many trains but rarely spotted one until we were nearer West Drayton railway station which is alongside the canal. 

  

Just a little further on, after more housing estates, more boats and houseboats were moored along the canal. We were approaching Cowley Peachey Junction. Here the Slough arm of the Grand Union canal branches off. It is about 5 miles to Slough and this arm was one of the last canals to be built (1882). Initially, the main traffic along the waterway was bricks made from clay from the local pits through to Slough. These were used to help London’s expansion and development. Later on, when the clay pits were exhausted, refuse was taken out from London to backfill them.

Cowley Peachy is a busy place as there is a large area for moored boats named Packet Boat Marina and associated businesses.  Just ahead is the first lock we have encountered since leaving Paddington basin. For many years the Paddington Packet Boat, pulled by four horses, travelled once a day along this route. This passenger carrying boat had precedence over other boats, had a smart uniformed crew and was known to be very fast. It was here that we saw a duck house (that didn't cost £16,000 I hope) and the flower pot men.

We stopped briefly at Cowley Lock for a cup of tea at the newly opened Toll House Bistro. A book registering the tolls taken was on display in a glass case. The lock was being used and some of the associated houses were up for sale.

 The last stretch of canal that we walked along today was increasingly built up. One interesting area was a boat yard where I guess many a boat has been built and fitted out.

We finished at the Swan and Bottle PH, a smart looking pub near to Uxbridge shopping centre. 

We returned from here to our car on the U4 bus from the centre of Uxbridge. The route took us past the site of RAF Uxbridge where Lord Dowding was based during the Battle of Britain. Although the base is now closed and being redeveloped the underground bunker is preserved and open to the public (long waiting list apparently).