Grand Union Canal or Lea Valley

[tiredoldhorse]

I have just acquired an open canoe and want to take the kids for a sedate day trip somewhere starting within reasonable travel of North London. Does anyone have any suggestions for good places to put in/ out on the lower stretches of the Grand Union? The Lea might be another possibility, possibly west of Welwyn GC? Any advice gratefully received.

[sqirt]

Hey

My vote would be for the river lea its a very nice canal and not that busy. I work at the outdoor center on the banks of the lea in Cheshunt and we use it all the time the only down side I can think of is that in some sections the locks are quite close together compared with the grand union.

happy paddling

sqirt

[garya]

Pm or call me. I live on the river lea in Enfield and also help out at the same center as sqirt. The upper lea is better (Ware to waltham cross) and more seanic than the lower lea. There are a number of great sections to paddle like dobbs wier to broxbourne or broxborune to waltham abbey.

I am not sure how many cars you have but the shuttle is easy with the train or you can cycle along the tow path. I can help out with this too.

I would be happy to join and guide you down if the timings worked out for us, and also know where all the nice tea shops and stops are are too ... :-)

Gary Archer

The following links will also give some background info on the area

http://www.leevalleypark.org.uk/

http://www.edmonton-canoe.org.uk

http://www.hymb.com

[TechnoEngineer]

Don't forget your BW licence if you haven't done so already (comes with BCU membership).

[dudekzbranne]

Hello!

Can I ask about the BW license? DOes it mean that one needs to have a dedicated license to take a canoe on to the river Lea? How much does that cost? Is it the same on river Thames? Has anybody tried canoeing the river Thames upstream of Richmond? I would not consider coming close to the water downstream of the weir in Richmond.

Cheers. Jakub

[Kayacb]

Also the regents canal is a fun paddle with lots going on and not a huge amount of traffic. There are long tunnles (bring a good torch) Camden is entertaining! and just up from there is London Zoo...

[dudekzbranne]

Hello! Thanks for the advice. we might do it one day. sounds like fun. Do you know how is it with the British Waterways license? Is it really illegal to canoe on the water without some special license. Cheers. Jakub

[garya]

Join the BCU. Your membership includes a BW and EA license and sticker you can put on your boat. You will need to display this to the lock keepers on the Thames.

Try the Chiswick Pier Canoe Club if you want to canoe on the Thames below teddingington. The usual club day is sunday morning

http://www.chiswickcanoeclub.co.uk/Asp/home.asp

The tideway is quite straightforward as far as chelsea, but below this it can get very busy and choppy as it narrows past westminster and there is a lot more commercial and high speed boat traffic about. You also need to get the tides right as well.

This is also a great place to visit for information on the London Canals. Just in battlebridge basin on at the kings cross end of the Regents Canal.

http://www.canalmuseum.org.uk/index.html

Gary Archer

[Matt Fletcher]

Hello!

Can I ask about the BW license? DOes it mean that one needs to have a dedicated license to take a canoe on to the river Lea? How much does that cost? Is it the same on river Thames? Has anybody tried canoeing the river Thames upstream of Richmond? I would not consider coming close to the water downstream of the weir in Richmond.

Cheers. Jakub

Couple of years late in response but here goes

I have just got back from canoeing that exact stretch of the thames, I had a good long look at the weir and it's terrifying, no way it can be paddled in my opinion, there's no way out of it and the two back was about 30 ft out and then boils out even further than that. Cant find much info on it but it's not really a weir, it's a sluice gate. There is a real danger of getting sucked under it.

The roller / slip way they have on the side throws you out right next to it as well, it's really dangerous.

Up stream of that anyway is fine, tidal flow is still a bit strong making paddling into it quite tiring and boring. Coming back on the tide is fun though, you get some real speed up.

[Eliza Dolittle]

Cant find much info on it but it's not really a weir, it's a sluice gate.

More information on Richmond Half Tide Lock here
http://www.pla.co.uk/display_fixedpage.cfm/id/2253
If you time your journey down from Teddington so that you are near the top of the tide you can just paddle straight over the structure without even noticing it. When the lock is in operation then the rollers are very slippery. The consensus on the Devizes to Westminster threads are to time the arrival at Teddington to avoid that portage if possible.

[Neilroy]

Hi, I'm looking to canoe the Grand union from Leicester to Blisworth, can anyone inform me of any waterways restrictions that may apply. I have a license.

Thanks

Nr

[Eliza Dolittle]

You need to look at the "Stoppages" page http://www.waterscape.com/things-to-do/boating/stoppages on the Waterscape website to find out about any closures and restrictions to boating. You will be able to download Guides for the Grand Union from this site too.