Three ex-Guardian journalists on board, so where else can we head for than Kings Place, the new offices overlooking Kings Cross marina and the Canal Museum. Skipper’s son and grandson joined the crew for a while. Here they are going through the Maida Hill tunnel.
Next, behind the line of new fake classical mansions in Regents Park (for oligarchs?).
Then past Lord Snowden’s aviary in London Zoo and a sharp left turn by the floating Chinese restaurant.
Finally, to Camden Lock, our first on this trip, where we met Brian and Linda Reynolds (left and centre, with Chris) cousins from Las Vegas, who are on holiday in London.
Lunch was from the market stalls – between us we chose Ethiopian, French, Spanish and Thai. Special note: I overheard a tourist explaining to his girlfriend how complicated the locks were “but these people have been doing it all their lives”.
After lunch we waved goodbye to the Reynolds and went through three locks to a towpath mooring between the University of the Arts, in its newly converted canal side buildings, and the Guardian offices at Kings Place. The garage opposite our mooring, now called The Filling Station, is for the moment a smart pop-up bar and restaurant.
Chris and David take us through the lock before Kings Cross. The preserved (and listed) gasometer is behind.
tide by tide 