These gates cannot be long for this world

At last! A morning when we didn't need to make an early start. Nevertheless we were under way by 1015, after I had walked over the bridge to Uxbridge Boat Centre to return some brass screws which I didn't use.

Before we were ready to go Brandywine came past; we caught up with them at Denham Deep Lock. This is Ivor Caplan (IWA chairman) looking back at me from Brandywine as the boat slowly rises in the lock.

With this amount of leakage it's no surprise it takes an age to fill.

When it was our turn to exit the lock a widebeam tried to come in to a lock landing which was almost all taken up by another widebeam which wasn't going anywhere.

More fun and games as we crept round to the right.

The boat's name says it all!*

We stopped briefly at the canalside Tesco at Batchworth as I was running out of bananas (!) and tied up just after 1600 at Cassiobury Park. Before tea we walked to Watford Underground Station (because it was there) and returned through the park and along the towpath.

Watford Underground Station

Watford is one terminus of the Metropolitan Line; this morning we were at another terminus, Uxbridge. Speaking of which, in the pub last night there were many old photos of the early railways; there was also an old topological map of the Metropolitan Railway (predating Beck by decades).

*Absumus = We are here