On Biking and boating

  

Introduction - On Biking and boating

After living on a boat for almost 5 years, I now very much appreciate the comforts of living in a flat. There are many things that we take for granted; hot water on tap, rubbish collection and recycling, the fact that we are not likely to sink or to to be blown adrift. On a boat one has to be more pro-active and this can make life harder. Having to live in lots of different places can make transport difficult, especially if commuting to work, which is where a bike can come in handy. Join me in a reminiscence of the highs and lows of boating and biking, as we travel through the city of London, from the picturesque Colne Valley along the Grand union canal, and up the river Lea via Limehouse to the bleak industrial zone at Ponders End.

Ergonomics and practicalities

Quite early on in our boating life I switched to Schwalbe marathon tyres. Since then I have not had to worry much about punctures. The tyres are re-enforced underneath by a hard plastic shield. This can give one peace of mind when inevitably caught out by occasional sprays of smashed glass on the road or footpath, thus reducing risk of swerving and having an accident. I have only had about 2 slow punctures since I got them almost 5 years ago and they are still going strong. 

Boring bit

Before I got the Schwalbes I got a puncture whilst attempting to cycle along the rough track from Tottenham to Ponder’s End. This would have been a long commute anyway (having already cycled from Highgate), but the puncture occurred pretty much as soon as I hit the towpath. I then had to walk about 2 miles in the rain at night along past the reservoirs. Central London to Enfield is a bit too far to comfortably cycle on a regular basis, for me anyway.    

Aside note: Ponder’s End was probably the worst of all the places that we stayed on a boat. It’s lifeless atmosphere, poor transport connections, the fact that our barge came adrift in a storm, getting broken into but nothing stolen, the fact that our vessel was boarded and commandeered by pirates (It’s complicated) are not quite compensated for by the single highlight of the area; Wright’s flour mills, whose white weather boarded buildings date back to the 18th century. A remarkable survival and great example of an early industrial factory, set in picturesque grounds.

Be prepared to stray away from the quickest route to where you are going to explore hidden places. Pictured above is Middlesex filter beds, which can be hard to find even if you know where it is, but well worth a detour, and not really on the way to anywhere. Stratford Olympic park is another good one for a bike, and there's always the velodrome if you're into that kind of thing.

If you are thinking of getting a boat, make sure that your bike will fit comfortably through the hatch. Otherwise the stress of having to push or pull it through a tight opening, whilst contorting your body, will add unnecessary wear and tear on your limbs and muscles. There are many boaters who keep their bikes outside their boats but I personally never felt comfortable with that due to to the high levels of theft.

My bike gets serviced at a great little workshop called K's, which is close to where I work. That way I can take it for a service on a morning before work and then pick it up later without waiting around. There’s really nothing like that feeling of riding a newly serviced bike out of the shop. I get it serviced once or twice a year, usually just new chain and breaks. On the river Lea there is a Floating bike shop, ran by a bike enthusiast called Sam, who is a very nice guy and most industrious. A great service if you happen to have your bike near the right part of the river. Mention Human biker for a discount on services. 

Commuting

It has been said that one should vary one’s route to work to avoid complacency and lack of focus. Well, when you have to move location at least 1km every 2 weeks, you certainly need to keep your eye on the road. Regular map checking is a must, at least for the first time round the circuit. I always found it easier to get to work then to get back, as I would often forget where I lived, but my workplace remained the same. 

I invested in some proper cycling clothes, so far all  , not because i can afford them but because I like the brand. However they really are not cheap and I’d be happy to learn of other good brands. I am now very much used to wearing cycling clothes when cycling and will only wear normal clothes in exceptional circumstances or for very short commutes.

Highgate is not the easiest place to get to on a bike, as there is no way to avoid an ascent of around 400m. However it is pretty much equidistant from most spots on the boating circuit. Not surprisingly I began to get a more comprehensive perspective of the city then I had done just commuting from the one place. I’m also learning to be more patient with other road users. Expect the worst, and be kind.

Once we get out as far as Greenford, it makes more sense to get public transport. This is a chance for me to read, which I would not usually do at home. I read Evelyn Waugh novels while we were out that way, and am still working my way through his work chronologically. In Oxfam at Lauriston Road near Victoria park I discovered E F Benson’s “Mapp and Lucia”, which become another obsession. Whilst boating and commuting I also got into Fitzgerald for a bit, as well as everyone’s favourite comedy writer; P G Wodehouse. It has to be said that one does not read as well whilst cycling.

Exploring

Perhaps the only thing I now miss now about living on a boat is all of the different places we stayed at. Broadway market is probably the busiest location where we would stay (the sheer volume of pedestrians which stroll along the towpath, many of them gawping shamelessly either into the boat or at you if you are sitting outside, can be quite tiring), and is one of the best places in the East end to buy food. There’s also a good bookshop which always has cool music playing and has many books about things which I know nothing about, set within an elegant Georgian building.

Head straight to Wild Country Organics for the best vegetables. Downland Produce for some nice cuts of meat, or Hook and sons for organic beef and dairy products. For a special treat go to Hill and Szrock, if you can justify spending the extra money then you will not be disappointed. At night the place turns into a restaurant.

Greenford has a nice, rural feel but is spoiled by the smell of a factory that produces foul smelling snacks laced with MSG. Upwind from that the canal and its environ’s have some charm, and Horsenden Hill is definitely worth a climb. Hayes and Harlington is uninspiring for the main part but has some interesting churches within cycling distance, some with very old, carved doorways. One has cat's tongue motif carved into the archway, another has bird heads. A third church had a tramp sleeping in the porch which prevented me from photographing the doorway.

 

Most notable is the medieval barn at Harmondsworth, the largest of its kind and very well preserved. Heathrow biodiversity area is nearby. Roads around here are nice for cycling. Some quaint villages with a windmill or two.

Uxbridge is as far West as we went, although the Grand union continues all the way to Birmingham. The Colne valley is a great place to explore by bicycle. For a few years environmental activists were camping in the woods trying to prevent or delay the building of the ridiculous HS2 train, which now cuts through the greenbelt. Muntjac deer can be found in the woods. Crowfoot communities grow in the Colne river. A good bike trip from Uxbridge is to Harefield. The medieval church is worth a look. There is some chequered brickwork in the outcalls and some wooden headboards in the graveyard. Told them I’d come and give a talk sometime at the church society, about what I’m not sure. The village has character; some good old houses, a green, a bakery. On the way back to the canal is a large public house called The Old Orchard, with large garden with a spectacular view over the Colne valley.

  

Most of the places that we explored each deserve a full Human biker article (Please let me know if you are interested in any of them), these include Finsbury, Hackney Wick, De Beauvoir, Kings Cross, Little Venice, Cannonbury, Victoria Park, Hackney Marshes, Springfield park, Stonebridge. All 5 volumes of my Pevsner architectural guide books are pretty well used now. The only one I don’t have is South London, as I rarely go there anymore.

Limehouse deserves a special mention. A rich maritime history gives the place its own identity, distinct in character from most other parts of London. Feels quiet and off the beaten track. St Anne’s, Limehouse is one of Hawksmoor’s 6 London churches. Its pale tower can be seen around Limehouse by day and by night, and its bells chime on the hour. Its facade shows Hawksmoor’s skill at handling classical components which he uses to produce idiosyncratic and theatrical effects.

I came to visit Hawksmoor’s Saint Annes when I first came to London in 2010, because of its connection with the Jack the Ripper, first suggested by Peter Ackroyd and later developed by Alan Moore in his novel From Hell. One of the good things about living on a boat is that you get to dwell in places that you might otherwise only get to visit, and get to know them better. One the other hand, life is nomadic, one never really get’s to know a place, or it people, and fellow boaters rarely move in sync.

Pubs

The Grapes, is one of the finest and one of the oldest pubs in London. If that’s not enough, the owner of the pub is Ian McKellan, who keeps Gandalf’s staff behind the bar and who reads the quiz questions on a Monday night. Outside the Grapes is a sculpture of a herring hull standing on a coiled rope. The fields behind were used for rope making in the past. Some great old warehouses along Narrow street and places to go and look over the Thames and along towards Canary Wharf. 

Only from the balcony of the Grapes can you see Gormley's stylite on the bank of the Thames, while Uberboats whizz by at about 70mph every 10 minutes, creating a wash which erodes all the the structures along the riverbanks. An oil painting in the bar depicts the pub's clientele back in the day.

Another good pub is the Palm tree at Mile End park. It's a good old fashioned East end pub which has free live jazz every weekend. They only take cash. The band invite people up to sing old-timer songs. The landlord serves behind the bar and provides a charming link to the past.

The Anchor and hope is by the River Lea at Springfield. It has the feel of a riverside pub and its layout reminds me a bit of the Free trade inn in Newcastle, on the banks of the river Tyne. They have regular folk music evenings. It tends to get busy in the summer and very quite in the winter. There was a landlord who had the place for 50 years and was a pillar of the local community. Some of the bar staff still remember him.

Cycling on the towpath

I’m sure that many non-boaters and boaters alike are familiar with the joys and disappointments of cycling on the London towpaths. On the river Lea, one can cycle from Limehouse along all the way to the town of Hartford or branch off the Bishop Stortford. It is a pleasant journey although quite repetitive if coming back the same way. Mountain bikes can enjoy the bumpy track more. Some good nature reserves around Fisher’s green, with reports of nightingale a few years ago. Plenty more wildfowl in the ponds, although the bittern proves as elusive as ever. Without getting off the bike you can see common tern, grey heron, mute swan, Canada geese, greylag, mallards, moorhens and the super-aggressive coots.

The towpath can also provide cycling access to Epping forest via Chingford. There's a great descent coming back down out of Epping forest further up at High beech Loughton. Just make sure that your bike is in tip top condition as you can build up a lot of speed here.

Along Regent’s canal, one can cycle from Limehouse as far as the tunnel at Islington, after which the towpath is tricky to pick up again. Progress gets tough around the Broadway market area, where throngs of pedestrians on a weekend press so strong that cycling almost becomes unfeasible. There are many people who jog while listening to music. They can be recognised from afar by their general lack of spacial awareness, clumsy gait, and tendency to hog the middle of the narrow towpath, blissfully unaware of people behind them trying to get past.

I would say that a bell is a must if cycling regularly along the towpath. Although there’s no pleasing everyone. Some folks complain if you don’t ring it and some complain if you do. I recommend the Spurcylce bell for its clean, unspoilt tone that really cuts through. It's hand-made in America and has spawned cheap imitations with manage to sell more units. The sound is quite powerful and can stun people if not used carefully. It's like a simple instrument and you can play with the dynamic to suit different situations. The alan-key fasten mechanism makes it secure against most modern thieves, and at over £50 for the bell one would hope so.

Conclusion - On biking and boating

With the benefit of hindsight I would say that boating and biking indeed are definitely good bedfellows, and some would say inseparable. If you have a boat; you have a bike, full stop, I have been told. For the last few years my Foffa fixed wheel has taken me to work and back pretty much every day, whereas my partner, who refuses to cycle, has had to endure some horrific commutes from places like Springfield and Kensal green which, although blissfully off-the beaten-track, can also be tricky to reach on public transport, with dodgy connections and long walks to boot. Cycling has also helped to keep me fit, as with all of the constant boating chores (moving the boat every 2 weeks, topping up the water every 3 weeks, general maintenance jobs etc) one easily falls out of of any kind of regular gym routine. Cycling can also be used in conjunction with birding, although has obvious limitations.

I always say that there are 5 great things about cycling: 1) it keeps you fit, 2) it doesn't harm the environment, 3) In London cycling is often quicker than public transport 4) it doesn't cost much (after the cost of the bike just about £200 a year for servicing and parts 5) Cycling is enjoyable.

Boating ticks few of the same boxes, although moving the boat can be enjoyable during the right conditions. Being a handy person is a good thing, as every boats has its problems, and the bigger the boat, the bigger the problems. We are so happy now to be on dry land and that the boat that we were responsible for is now someone else's problem!