Rickmansworth Canal Festival 2014

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2014 was the 21st birthday of the Rickmansworth Canal Festival and we had been waiting for it since – well, since 2013 really.  The weather forecast in the run-up to it had been good, but the festival weekend is notorious for being cloudy, overcast, showery, dull with only occasional glimpses of sunshine (not every year, but often enough that you have to think about what you’re going to wear and whether to take any waterproofs with you). However, this year was a scorcher! All that was required by way of attire was skimpy tops, flowing skirts, shorts, T-shirts, sandals, flip-flops, a hat (there were lots of hats) and, if you were sensible, sun screen.

Martin (my brother) and I were lucky enough to get a lift down Tolpits/Moor Lane, so only had to walk a short distance to Cafe@Lock81 where a late breakfast was ordered.  Waiting for our free range beefburger and chips, we noticed that the gates to Chess Lock were open, something I’m not sure I’d seen before, so photos taken, brunch arrived and we tucked in heartily. Daryl, Emma with Erin and Keilyn were making their way from home down the Ebury Way and towpath and they soon turned up while we were watching a boat go through the main Batchworth Lock.  Below us, the Pride of Batchworth was being boarded by those taking the trip up to Stockers Lock (a nice little trip), Pride being aided and abetted in the ferrying by another boat over the weekend – Hidden Depths. Down on the canalside by the Little Union Canal model, the Phoenix Morris Dancers were performing and Erin was quite fascinated with all the stick slapping and jingling bells.

From the Canal centre we made our way under the bridge and along the towpath where all the boats were moored. I love the boats. All the boats; narrow boats, working boats, tugs, even the more modern ones. I love the names and the paintwork – the castles and roses – and all the other artwork and colours. By this time my camera was already working overtime, though I had decided I would try and take some photos from a slightly different perspective this year; try and capture something different, if I could.

               

Martin, Daryl, Emma and the kids were ahead of me when I stopped by Raymond.  Admiring the Castles and Roses around the cabin door I was asked by one of the Friends of Raymond if I would care to step aboard. I didn’t need to be asked twice and sat inside the cabin while I listened to a history of the butty.  She was originally towed by the motor Roger (which is kept at Rickmansworth and which was moored down near the bridge) and then by Nutfield, which happened to lay alongside this fine sunny morning. The cabin, where the whole family lived, ate, slept was extremely small and the life such families had, extremely hard. One of Raymond’s more famous jobs was carrying coal from Atherstone in Warwickshire to the Kearley & Tonge jam factory at Southall, London, which became known as the “Jam Ole Run”.  Launched in 1958, trade kept going right up to 1970. The Brays, who had worked Raymond all those years, lived aboard until 1980 when Raymond was sold to Jim and Doris Collins, who kept her until 1993.  She was then taken to Runcorn where it was hoped she would be fully restored, but instead she fell into further disrepair and was eventually sunk!  However, in 1996, she was acquired by the “Friends of Raymond”, refloated in 1997 and towed to the Black Country Living Museum at Dudley and decisions finally made about restoration. The butty has a fascinating history and further information can be found on the Raymond website (http://friendsofraymond.org.uk/).

Back on the towpath I continued on towards Stockers Lock taking more photos as I went, recognising boats from previous years that had made the trip to Rickmansworth and some that were moored there semi-permanently. Martin, Daryl and Emma had long since turned off towards the Aquadrome and the arenas but I walked on to Stockers before ambling my way down past the kayak club and the environment village before making a quick call to check where the family was.  They were in front of the Cafe in the Park, the kids tucking into a packed lunch.  We all sat for a while on the grass before heading back towards the environment village, Martin and I deciding we needed a cold drink.  The ‘slushes’ we purchased were rather more than cold and you know when you sometimes eat an ice cream or a lolly and get “brain freeze” ? (think Hot Fuzz). Well, I certainly got brain freeze, throat freeze, rib freeze and don’t think I’ve ever tried to drink anything so freezing in my life!  However, in the heat of the day the ice melted enough to be finally downed and Martin and I wandered through the marquees and the around the stalls, picking up any freebies or informative leaflets before heading to the main arena.  It was time for a proper drink and I opted for a strawberry cider from the beer tent.  Music was coming from the stage and eventually we found a spot on the crowded grass where Daryl and Emma soon joined us. Then a work colleague of Daryl’s joined us, along with his mum and his son.  Erin had been eyeing up the helium balloons and finally Daryl took her across to choose one. – Peppa Pig.  We stayed for a while longer, the kids all around filling the air with bubbles, before we all headed off towards the funfair.

Erin chooses a balloon

Erin captivates Uncle Martin

 There was a wide assortment of stalls selling everything from fudge to wood carvings, canal-ware to clothing, jewellery to caramel vodka with everything in between.   The path between them was heaving with festival-goers and clogged with buggies and people with dogs and kids with scooters and bikes. We stopped often to look at what was on offer before we finally got round to the rides. While Daryl took Erin and went off with Jason and Charlie, Martin, me and Erin with Keilyn wandered further around the lakeside, stopping to take one or two photos and then it was time for a coffee. After a while we wandered back and met up with Daryl again and decided it was time to head home.  Keilyn was a bit under the weather and the heat had got to her, so we made our way onto the towpath again and began the trek back to Watford.

As we approached the bridge opposite Tesco, the path was barely passable with people gathered to watch the boat tug-o-wars, an annual fun event which sees two boats out on the canal, tied together with a rope, seeing who can outdo the other.  Martin and I stopped again to take some more photos before catching up with the others.

Tug-o-war opposition

 Eventually we got to Batchworth Lock and made our way along the towpath to the bridge near Lot Mead where we went up onto the Ebury Way and  finally got back to West Watford.  Martin and I headed off across the field next to King George’s and so onto the estate and home, where on went the TV as we were just in time to watch the cup final.  And who won?  Arsenal!!!!  A great end to a lovely day.

 

Taken again from my WordPress site. 

 Golden Evening Bike Ride

(3rd offering from my much neglected WordPress site) May 2014

So when you get an evening like the one today, where would you rather be ?
I left work and headed for dad’s and sat for a while on the patio with dad and Martin. Tea and cake in the late afternoon sunshine, watching the young starlings squabbling and squawking and the pigeons nicking the bird food and the squirrel making the most of the nuts Martin had put out. Dad decided he wasn’t that hungry and didn’t want a lot for tea – until I suggested an omelette. That did the trick and he tucked into said dish with relish.
Walking home I decided it was just too lovely to sit indoors, so dragged the bike out of the shed, pumped up the tyres and with a bottle of water and a couple of cameras, headed off down to Byewaters. It was the first time I’d been on my bike in months and was pleased my balance wasn’t off. The canal would not be a good place to wobble into!
The swan was on her nest, the eggs not yet hatched. Mallard, geese and a moorhen paddled up and down, probably glad the cob wasn’t around at that point to shoo them away. The surface of the canal was covered in a film of fallen blossom, turned to fluff now. I paused on the bridge at Common Moor and then decided to head down the towpath to Lot Mead.

The water was very still and the reflections were amazing, as was the light and the colours. Stopping every few yards to take a photo, I finally arrived at Lot Mead. Sometimes there’s a heron on the far side of the lock looking for fish, but not today. The cottage, all painted white with its picket fence and wisteria around the porch looked lovely. Should I cycle on ? Or be sensible and head back ? I rode on, thinking I’d just pop down to Batchworth Lock and then turn around. Afterall, as I had said, it was some time since I had been on my bike and the legs weren’t used to the exercise. You always have to remember that however far you go, you have to ride the same distance home again.
There were a few more boats than usual, as I’d guessed, it being the Rickmansworth Canal Festival this coming weekend. I made it to Batchworth where a working boat was going through the lock, so parked up my bike and sat on the steps in the warm sunshine to watch it sail on its way. There were quite a few people about; walkers, joggers, cyclists, dogs. After a few minutes I thought I would just pop up to the Aquadrome and see if there were any swans about. There were certainly a lot more boats along this stretch of the canal. I stopped and took a photo of the artwork on the side of Tescos – there’s a new piece of local art every year. The Tesco sign reflected brightly in the water, eventually disturbed by some more geese.

I turned off the path and headed around Batchworth Lake. There were one or two anglers casting their lines, but the birdlife seemed to be over the far side, so I detoured out through the car park and back in to stop by Bury Lake. Just up passed the Cafe in the Park, a fleet of model sailing dinghies were bobbing about and out on the lake itself a couple of canoes (or kayaks) were being paddled with ease. The sun was gorgeous. Dazzling. After a few minutes a swan swam close to the bank and out came the camera again. Then another joined it and stood in the shallows preening itself. I could have stayed a lot longer. It was warm and peaceful and golden. Photographers actually call it the ‘golden hour’. I hope it’s a portent of the weather to come for the weekend.

But it was time to head home so it was back to the towpath – the quickest and flattest route. As I reached Batchworth Lock again, there were a handful of people gathered just on the far side of the bridge, so I stopped and dismounted and then realised what they were looking at; the Phoenix Morris Dancers were there, in all their finery, bells-a-ringing, sticks-a-clacking, clogs-a-tapping. I love it. Smiling at the serendipity of it, I took a few photos and then wheeled my back up to the lock where a guy was sitting with an enormous Irish wolfhound. I took a couple more photos and then set off again. Just as I did so, the bells of St Mary’s rang out – must have been bell-ringing practice. How delightful. How very English. How could you not smile at such simple joys?

The ride back was a little slower. The sun was sinking, but the light was still beautiful. The canal was still casting reflections, disturbed only by fish jumping for flies and the birds were indulging in evensong.
The last lap from Byewaters to home was somewhat uphill and my legs were really feeling it by now, but I kept going. There was a sense of achievement when I got back and staggered through the gate. My first ride in months and I had got all the way to the Aquadrome and back.
So, the question ………… where would you rather be on such a fabulous evening ? I know my answer. England.

 

A Walk With Trees

Another post rescued from my WordPress site. February 2014

A Walk With Trees

I belong to a Women’s Walking Group. In fact, I lead the group on our lovely walks. We meet once a fortnight, on a Sunday morning and aim to ramble about for two or three hours around the West Watford area, weather permitting. Occasionally we go a little further afield, depending on the goodwill of those with cars to offer and arrange lifts.

However, this Sunday 16th February, we met up outside the West Watford Community Centre in Harwoods Road a little earlier than usual and headed off towards Cassiobury Park where we were meeting up with two or three other members in order to join a walk with someone from the Middlesex and Herts Wildlife Trust. We were also joined by one of the Council’s Park Rangers. We then discovered that unlike ourselves, who had booked places on the walk, many people had simply turned up, encouraged by a notice in the Watford Observer which didn’t mention booking and which meant that about 30 or 40 people set off from the rustic bridge over the River Gade, where the willows were looking fabulous in what could only be described as Spring sunshine. Trying to avoid the cross-country runners coming the other way, we gathered on the other side of the bridge for our first tree stop. The walk and talk was basically an introduction to our native trees, how to identify them and some interesting facts about each species and the first one we were introduced to was the Alder. Rob, our leader, was obviously a big fan of trees and extremely knowledgeable and threw in several facts other than those simply related to the identification of the tree, its catkins, its pollination, what soil it liked (it’s often one of the first trees, along with the Birch, to grow on reclaimed or waste ground) etc., etc. so that we also learned something of its place in Mythology.

Keeping to one side, we negotiated the ‘Iron Bridge’ over the Grand Union Canal, with the runners still coming at us from the other direction and then dodged across the path to the lovely open space beneath the beech trees, where we received more interesting facts about – yes, you guessed it, beech trees. Then it was a walk up Lime Avenue, where we learned that dendrochronology had been carried out on some of the trees and many were found to date back to 1672, while the northern section was replanted sometime in the 18th or 19th century. The Lime Tree has nothing to do with the citrus fruit and is/was also known as the Linden tree. They are hermaphroditic, having perfect flowers, both male and female. They’re also one of the trees you see Mistletoe growing on.

From the avenue, we picked our way over a carpet of dead leaves, twigs and a few bramble roots to be confronted by the most wonderful, clearly ancient tree. It was a Sweet Chestnut and was calculated to be about 400 years old. How many times over the years have we walked up that avenue to Whippendell Woods and not noticed this worthy specimen of treehood? Its shape, we were told, was probably because at one time it stood in open space and was able to grow outward horizontally. Now many of its branches are withered and twisted and stripped of bark, not to mention truncated, yet it is still heroic in stature. As there were a number of kids on the walk with their parents, Rob, our leader and tree expert, got them to take part in an exercise to calculate the girth of the tree by producing a tape measure. We were all asked to take a guess, with the winner assured of receiving a cake! It turned out to be about 15 metres. I had over-estimated and said 21. Nevertheless, a 15 metre girth is a noteworthy size! Due facts imparted and photos taken, we strolled on over the golf course and along to the top of the hill that is generally accepted as the boundary to Whippendell Woods.

Standing back to survey the woodland around us, it was easy to see how many people were actually on the walk and while the kids messed about with sticks in the undergrowth, clambering over fallen logs and generally having a good time, Rob gave us a few geological facts about the area. The reason why Whippendell Woods where we stood remained so notably dry after all the rains and storms we had had, was because of the gravel. While much of Hertfordshire is clay, the south west of the county, especially the Chilterns is chalk and gravel; hence the water drains away fairly quickly. At this point, one of the group (I believe it was Laurie Elvin who had given a couple of talks to the West Watford History Group and who is extremely knowledgeable about Cassiobury and Watford’s industrial heritage) gave us an extra insight into the geology of the area after someone asked where the name “Whippendell” came from. He explained that its present name probably comes from the Anglo Saxon “Wippa denu”, meaning “Wippa’s valley” or possibly “Wipp’s dale” and that the surrounding geology was a result of glacial deposits of gravel, therefore, a river down in the dell (the Wipp?) would drain away very quickly and hence remain dry. There was a brief discussion about all the geology of the land between Watford and the Thames before we moved on.

Assimilating all this acquired knowledge, we headed down the slope to view the area of saplings to the right. Asked why this patch looked the way it did, Rob said it was down to mismanagement – that someone had obviously planted the area with all good intentions, but then for some reason it had been left and not managed properly – mismanagement of woodland being a topic close to his heart, as we soon found out!

Down in the dell, we turned left and headed off in the direction of Rousebarn Lane. By this time the group was quite strung out and those of us dawdling at the back or busy taking photos, missed some of what Rob was saying, but it was such a glorious day, it didn’t seem to matter. Despite the glacial gravel deposits we did come across some rather large, awkward patches of mud and then we found the path completely blocked by a fallen beech tree. The kids treated it as just another plaything, while some of the more agile members of the group hopped over and under the branches with little difficulty and others of a more senior age (one of our walking group is 80!) or of lesser agility, cleared the obstacle with more care and less speed. Once we reached Rousebarn Lane, we turned left and had to negotiate more mud. One young mum who had pushed a buggy the whole way round suddenly found the mud too much, so I sent her on a quick detour down the lane itself but then once back with the group was confronted – as we all were – with a rather steep hill which would take us back up to the golf course and then down to the canal and the bridge from where we had started. Well, chivalry isn’t yet dead and a kind-hearted gentleman offered to push the buggy (containing a sleeping tot) up the hill for her while mum herself piggy-backed her daughter all the way up and her little boy walked with the rest of us.

Very soon, with just one or two stops more, we found ourselves back at the rustic bridge and people quickly began to drift away. I took a couple of minutes to fill in a survey for the park ranger (feedback for the Council) and then picked up a card from Rob with website and email addresses on as he said he was heading up a dawn chorus walk next and was also looking for volunteers. Will have to check that out.

The women of our walking group decided to head straight off, but with hunger pangs gnawing, I made for the kiosk and had a burger and a coffee. By this time the park was heaving with people – and dogs (too many dogs). I basked in the sunshine for a while before wandering slowly homeward along the Gade. Detouring over one of the bridges to take some reflection shots of trees, I then found my way cut off by a large pond of water near the watercress beds. Legs aching by now, I couldn’t be bothered to retrace my steps so waded in. It was ankle deep and I walked the rest of the way home with squelching boots. It didn’t matter much. It had been a good day. There were even crocuses out in the grass near the railway bridge. What a difference a bit of sunshine makes.

 

The Day We Went to Southend

I recently rediscovered my old Wordpress posts. Rather than just leave them where they've been languishing for a few years, I thought I would relocate them to this Blog and add - hopefully - a bit of new interest. This piece is from 2014 when mum and dad were still with us. 

“We all went down to Montreux, on the Lake Geneva shoreline ……”  So sang Deep Purple in 1972. Don’t know why I should quote those lines, but they just popped into my head as I began to write about our Bank Holiday trip yesterday.  We all went down to Southend, on the sunny Essex shoreline. No, doesn’t quite have quite the same ring to it, but at least some stupid with a flare gun didn’t burn the Casino down!

As kids, we were taken to Southend for days out, I suppose because it was fairly close and easy to get to and more importantly fairly cheap. As a teenager, I bunked off school a couple of times (after registering first), caught a train from the High Street, got to Liverpool Street and from there down to Southend. Just had time to run up the pier and back, grab a snack and then back to Watford, aiming to get home as if it was just another school day. Mum didn’t know for years.  Later, we’d go there with boyfriends or when playing away with the Amersham Angels (Ladies Football Team) as one of our fixtures was against Southend.

We had a lot of fun at Southend – mum and dad and all us kids piling onto the coach with our bags of food and buckets and spades, towels and swimming stuff.  We must have gone with Premier Albanian coaches, which were based in Queen’s Avenue, Watford and even back then there must have been the usual pick-ups elsewhere.  It took longer, of course, and you couldn’t just zoom around the M25, but once on the A127, you knew it wasn’t far and even now, you go passed the pub where all the coaches used to pull in for a courtesy stop – though I don’t think they called it that back then. A few years later and I still can recall the excitement of going on a Diesel train. Steam had or was being phased out and there was this big, new, smelly, dirty diesel engine on the front of the train. How we long for steam now!

This time we went by car, me and Martin in the front, mum, dad, Alysha in the back and the two wheelchairs in the boot. The morning had started off misty, but by the time we were half way round the M25 the sun was coming out and when we finally pulled into the car park it was a lovely sunny day with clouds sailing overhead. It was only a short walk to the front and there we were at Southend. There have been some changes, of course, in the intervening years, but all pretty much to the good. Even though the fairground has relocated across the road to the sea side, we were pleased to see the facade of The Kursaal still standing; that iconic reminder of all good times past.  We strolled along the front and finally up onto the pier.  

                              

Now here beginnith the history lesson.  As many of you will know, Southend pier is the longest in the world, at a mile. Well, actually, it is 1.34 miles long. Originally it was built of wood, 600 yards long and opened in June 1830. However, it was too short to be usable at low tide,  so by 1833 it had been extended to three times its length and by 1848 was the longest pier in Europe at 7,000 feet (2,100 m). By the 1850s the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway had reached Southend and with it a great influx of visitors from east London.  The many visitors took their toll on the pier and in 1873 it was sold to the local board (the local government of the time) and in 1887 the board decided to replace the wooden pier with a new iron pier. The new pier was opened to the public in 1887 , though it wasn’t completed until 1889. It was such an immediate success that demand outstripped the capabilities of the pier and a futher extension was proposed. This extension was completed in November 1897 and formally opened the following January. An upper deck was added to the pierhead in 1907, and the pier was further extended in 1927. Further work was carried out to accommodate larger steamer boats and the work of doubling the electric railway was completed in 1931.

During World War II Southend Pier was taken over by the Royal Navy and was renamed HMS Leigh with surrounding areas being renamed HMS Westcliff. It was closed to the public on 9 September 1939. Its purpose in the war was twofold. Firstly it served as a mustering point for convoys. Over the course of the war 3,367 convoys, comprising 84,297 vessels departed from HMS Westcliff. Secondly, it was Naval Control for the Thames Estuary. Notable in its career was the accidental sinking of the Liberty ship SS Richard Montgomery which, still containing several thousand tons of explosives, is visible from the North Kent coast and Southend beach at low tide, and continues to pose a threat to navigation and the surrounding area to this day.

In 1945 the pier reopened for visitors. Visitor numbers exceeded pre-war levels, peaking at 5.75 million in 1949–1950. However,  in 1959 a fire destroyed the pavilion located at the shore end of the pier. Over 500 people were trapped on the other side of the fire and had to be rescued by boat. The pavilion was replaced by a ten-pin bowling alley in 1962.

The use of the pier slowly began to decline and with it the structure began to deteriorate. In 1971, after a child was injured on the pier, a survey was undertaken and over the course of the next decade repairs had to be made including much of the replacement of the pier walkway

In 1976 another fire destroyed much of the pier head. The massive blaze was battled by fire fighters working on the pier and from boats, and even using a crop-spraying light aircraft. The following year the bowling alley was damaged in yet another fire, and a year after that, the railway was deemed unsafe and had to be closed.

In 1980 the council announced that the pier was to close.  A surge of protests followed, then in 1983 the Historic Buildings Committee gave a grant to allow repairs to be made. The total cost of the repair including new buildings and pier trains was £1.3M. Then on 20 June in that year, the MV Kingsabbey crashed into the pier, severing the new pier head from the rest of the pier, destroying the boathouse used by the lifeboat service and causing major structural damage due to the destruction of iron piles and supporting girders. This left a 70-foot gap in the pier. While this was temporarily bridged to restore access, full repairs were not completed until 1989.  Then in 1995 the bowling alley burnt down!

On 9 October 2005 a fire severely damaged much of the Old Pier Head including the railway station, pub, shell shop, snack bar and ice cream shop. Much of the wooden planking was destroyed, but the main iron structure was largely undamaged. Heat from the fire was so intense that the Pier Railway tracks buckled and trains can now only run to about 15m short of the old station.

In recent years Southend Council has invested in the pier to restore it as a visitor attraction. Funding for this has been coordinated by the “S-SHAPE” (Southend Seafront, High-street And Pier Enhancements) project with funding coming from European Objective 2 funding and national Government regeneration schemes.

The pier head was extensively redeveloped in 2000 creating a new sun deck and, in partnership with the RNLI, a new lifeboat station was built. The new station is constructed in glass to give a strikingly modern style. It also houses a museum and gift shop relating to the history of the RNLI and lifeboats.

In 2003 the shoreward end of the pier was redeveloped in a similar style to the pier head. The pier bridge was raised to enable taller vehicles to pass under it (a recurring problem had been double-decker buses getting stuck under the bridge) and a visitor centre/tourist information centre was built. This connected with the new Cliff Lift and redevelopment of Pier Hill that was constructed the following year.

On 15 September 2009 Southend Borough Council announced the winner of a design contest for a new pier head. The design called Sculpted by Wind and Wave was lowered onto the pier and on 21 July 2012 it opened to the public.

Here endeth the lesson. One can’t help wondering when the next Southend Pier disaster will happen. Happily, nothing happed while we were there, so, back to the day’s outing. We took the train up the pier and parked the wheelchairs so we could all take in the sea air.  On the way up we had spotted some boats heading from the estuary and out towards the pier and only when we walked round to the Royal Pavillion (a wonderful cafe open to the seaward side and with easy access ramps up to the cafe itself) did we realise from the broadcast commentary that we were witnessing a race – it was the 50th Thames Sailing Barge race and the sailing barges were an amazing sight and, of course, a wonderful photo opportunity. After a coffee, we had intended to walk back, but with time pressing and lunch overdue, we took the train again and then crossed over the road to sit in the sunshine outside one the many cafes. We’d all been talking about having fish and chips at the seaside, but in the end only mum partook of the conventional fayre; the rest of us dining on burgers, pies and an all day breakfast!       

 

Meal over, we began a stroll along the front, reliving times past. It was busy, the sunshine having brought everyone out and eventually we stopped where a ramp had been placed down to the beach with an area of decking perfect for parking the wheelchairs – as close as we could get mum and dad to the sand. Alysha and I went off for a paddle, Martin took some more photos and then it was time for tea and dougnuts. Of course. Then just as we were thinking of crossing back and perhaps heading for the car park, we discovered a new addtion to Southend and that was the fountains set in the pavement. Always game for a laugh these days, I risked a soaking (and not to mention broken bones had I slipped) and played a game of dodge the water with Alysha. Such fun.

We had one last thing to do and that was the Amusement Arcade. Copious amounts of 2p pieces to hand, we spent the next hour happily dropping coins into the slot machines and gleefully watching them pushed over the edge into the catcher below. Well you just have to, don’t you.

And then it was home. It had been a good day with lots of memories and I’m so glad mum and dad enjoyed it.

Southend-on-Sea and St Katherine Docks

 Southend-on-Sea and St Katherine Docks London

Part One - 23rd August 2024

I've included these two destinations together because they both involve the replica 16th/17th century Spanish Galleon Galeon Adalusia.

When I discovered that this ship was doing a tour around the British coast, stopping off at various ports, I thought it would be pretty good to see it. Finding out it was going to be anchored off the end of Southend Pier was a real enticement for a trip to the seaside.

Have always loved Southend. It's just a typical English seaside resort; nothing fancy, but where we were all went as a family back in the day, usually by coach on the well-remembered Premier Coaches from Watford and once, perhaps twice by train - a very well remembered trip being diesel hauled (always steam previously). We'd lug all our paraphernalia to the beach - well, mud really - and find a pitch for the entire day. If we were lucky and if mum and dad could afford it, we'd visit the Kursaal before heading back to the coach. The Kursaal being the amusement park with a big dipper (roller coaster), a 'wall of death' and the 'laughing policeman' in a glass cabinet. Happy days ....

Even in my teens, Southend was still the go-to place; close enough that you could register at school in the morning, jump on a train from Watford High Street and then from Liverpool Street make it down to Southend in time to run up the pier, grab a sandwich and get home so that mum was none the wiser! Years later I found out my son did the exact same thing!

However, back to 2024.

Me, Sue and Martin travelled from Croxley on the Met Line through to Liverpool Street and got our tickets for Southend. Time for a coffee and croissant before the train and then all aboard for the seaside. It's a nice easy run down and from the station it's a bus hop to town and then a walk down to the seafront and the viewing tower. 

Viewing tower with lift down to the esplanade

Deciding on lunch first, we found a fish and chip restaurant - Alfie's - on the Esplanade and rather splendid the food was too. Then it was across the road onto the pier from where we could see the galleon at the end, checking in with our prepaid tickets and beginning the famous 1.3 mile walk. It was a beautiful sunny day with fluffy clouds and dodgy knee not withstanding it was a fabulous walk, each of us taking loads of photos, watching the pier trains going passed, the sun playing on the water and just enjoying the outing. 

We made it to the end and the knee was holding up (some days it does, some days it doesn't) and as we were a bit early for our timed ticket, we got a tea and then wandered about looking at the ship and taking more photos. Then we spotted a stall selling merchandise and had to buy a T shirt, of course. By which time it was our turn to board so up the gang plank we went and were finally on the ship. What fun it was going from deck to deck. I found it easiest to negotiate the stairs backwards (as I believe the sailors would have done) and explored everywhere. But eventually we had seen pretty much all of it and disembarked (nautical terminology ha ha) took a few more photos and then began making our way back. Fortunately I had included a one way trip on the train with our tickets, so we could take it easy going back and watch the shore getting closer. 

For those who may not know, Southend Pier is the longest in the world at 1.33 miles extending out into the Thames Estuary. Construction began in July 1829 with the railway opening in the 1890s.  It has suffered fires, been taken over by the Royal Navy, suffered decline, been closed, been reopened and renovated and is now Grade II listed. But there is a lot more history so follow this link to read all about it:

https://Wikipedia/wiki/Southend_Pier

Once back ashore, we decided tea/coffee and donuts were in order. Normally we would have had ice cream with Rossi's Ice Cream being extremely well known, especially in Watford, but no, donuts won out.  Then it was a walk back to the viewpoint, lift to the top, stroll up the High Street to the bus stop and return to the station. All in all a jolly good day out. 

End of the pier.  See lots more photos in the gallery

Part Two - 4th October 2024

My friend Vera had seen my photos of the galleon and wished she could have seen it too.  Discovering the ship was being sailed up the Thames to dock near the Tower of London was the perfect opportunity for Vera to do just that and an excuse for another day out. So, we picked a day and then changed it because of the weather and finally decided the end of the week looked best. As Vera doesn't like the Tube, we took the overground to Euston from Watford Junction and then waited for a 205 bus. Can't say I've travelled around London by bus very much, it's always walking, so it was going to be interesting. And so it proved. We were advised to alight at St Botolph Street and the ride getting there took us through parts of London you obviously just don't see when you're underground. We didn't venture on to the upper deck, but could see things fairly well as we travelled, despite the bus being crowded at times. So much diverse architecture. A real treat. 

The onboard screen finally flashed up St Botolph Street and we alighted and got our bearings. I helped that I recognised a lot of the tall buildings poking up on the skyline, so knew which way to head for the river. First point of interest was an obelisk standing on a wide expanse of pavement which I later found out was called 'Spitalfields Column' featuring reliefs of animals and people representing the trades that were common in the area and is at the Aldgate end of Middlesex Street. 

Spitalfields Column

From here we made our way down towards the Tower of London and to St Katherine's Dock where we got our first look at the Galeon Andalusia. It was another glorious day and we worked our way around the marina looking at the various boats, taking time to view the Royal Barge Gloriana. Such a beautiful vessel. It was then that we saw a boat - not sure you could call it a yacht - making it's way alongside the galleon towards the bridge across the lock. Realising it was going to be leaving the marina, we moved closer to the other end of the dock to watch the proceedings. The water had already been raised to the level of the marina, but we found out it was going to take about half an hour to empty the dock back to the level of the river for the vessel to leave, so we went and grabbed a coffee and sat near the girl and dolphin sculpture until things began to happen. 

SKD (St Katherine Docks) has a history dating back to the 12th century. In May it hosted the biggest fleet of Dunkirk Little Ships seen in the UK in recent years, an event that Martin and me attended. The Dunkirk evacuation​, code-named Operation Dynamo, saw the evacuation of Allied soldiers during World War II from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the north of France, between 26 May and 4 June 1940. A collection of approximately 850 private boats and 20 warships participated in Operation Dynamo and more than 200 ships were lost. Known as ‘Little Ships’, many of these courageous vessels live on, privately owned and exquisitely preserved. It was quite a sight to see so many, to hear the stories of heroism, but equally quite sad to hear some of the stories of those who didn't return. 

The Royal Barge Gloriana at SKD

Yet as Vera and me sat drinking our coffees and soaking up the sunshine, it was fascinating to think about the boats going through the locks on the canal near home, while watching this which was on another level really, seeing as the boat was going to be manoeuvring out from the marina into the River Thames. And eventually it did, the bridge opening, as had the one at the other end and the vessel slowly moved out. And as that one left, so a Thames barge came in. Bonus. We hung around until the dock was filled again and the barge edged into the marina and after a few more photos, went across the bridge for Vera to go aboard Andalusia.

As I'd already been on deck and my knee was beginning to whinge, I sat and waited at the side of the dock, people watching. And with Vera clutching her T shirt and photos taken, we decided it really was time for something to eat. So we wandered round the marina again and eventually decided on Cafe Rouge. And what a lovely meal it was too. We opted for the two course menu, but were tempted by the dessert options and so  'pushed the boat out' with three courses in the end. 

And then it was time to make our way back. So it was up the steps from the marina across from the Tower of London and retrace our route up the A1210 towards St Botolph's street where we found the right bus stop and waited for the 205 back to Euston. By the time we had crossed over the street to the station itself, my knee was really hurting. Trying not to make too much of it, we caught a slow train to Watford Junction and then a W20 bus to the estate, stopping at the shops to pick up a few bits and pieces. 

By the time we got home I found from my app that I had walked over 12,700 steps (my average being between 4 and 6). No wonder I was in pain. But a couple of paracetamols soon put it right and afterall, it had been another fantastic day, with sun, boats, sights and very good company. 

Vera aboard Galeon Andalusia