One Lock, One Tunnel and One Impatient Swan!!

Pedestrian Swan

27/03/12 - Sturts Lock - Islington Tunnel


At Sturts Lock the mood immediately lightened.  We were making our way through,  when up the slope behind us walks a swan.  Bold as brass, making his way around the lock. Peoples faces were a picture! Particularly the lady in black who didn't see said swan till she came round the corner!  It was quite a surreal few minutes as he mingled with all the workers on their way home from work as if he too was on his way home after a hard day at the office.  The lock being against him wasn't a problem and for those few minutes everything went back to river time while busy commuters allowed him to make his weary way home.

Anyone for a massage?

This stretch of the canal had a couple of other interesting sights for us.  The first riverside shops came into view, with a cafe and a lady giving neck and shoulder massages. 
Being 'country bumpkins' we're not used to seeing shops at the side of the river, or on boats in the river for that matter.  Apart from the lovely Liz on the coal boat and Les the Icecream Man.  The other thing we noticed was how people had banged their mooring pins in between the paving stones or concrete.  Suppose its the only choice there is, but it did surprise us a bit, wasn't expecting that.

Doom and Gloom Approaches

At City Road Lock it loomed.  Islington Tunnel. 960yds of dark drippy wetness. Ironically running under HMP Pentonville.  Neither Yog or I have ever been through a tunnel by boat before and personally I was pooing myself!  I turned on all the lights inside the boat and Yog switched the headlight on before we made our approach.  There was no putting it off, we were running out of light and there was nowhere to moor before the bridge, so it was now or never.  Ive taken a video that I need to work out how to edit so its not too boring and when Ive managed it I will post it on the blog. The tunnel itself was totally cool, and not nearly as scary as I had imagined it to be. :0)