Tuesday 16th June 2009

A beautiful sunny day and we were on our way by 0910hrs. The canal was very quiet and we didn't meet any boats going our way and only a couple going in the opposite direction. This meant that most of the locks were against us and were much harder work, although we managed to go through 16 in total.

The first part of the journey was very much like the previous day with lots of trees and the locks fairly close together. We both walked between a lot of them as it is easier than trying to get on board again, especially as you have to close the gates as you leave. We passed through Hemel Hempsted and then stopped for lunch for an hour. When we set off again we started to see a change in scenery, with some lovely riverside properties and quite a few cyclists and pedestrians. We were passing through Kings Langley and Abbots Langley and decided to moor for the night in Grove Park, which is renowned for it's ornamental bridges. It is a really pretty spot and we still had a couple of hours sunshine. Tom took the opportunity to wash the other side of the boat and I fell asleep.

When I looked at the map, I realise we have just entered the tube network. We are definitely on schedule for our stay in Limehouse, and can probably relax a little in the coming days.