8/09/25 Trains And The Lack Thereof. And A Canal.

Our hotel was at the end of the Heathrow airport runway. Roger was in raptures, glued to Flight Radar and able to watch planes land without having to change out of his pyjamas. He would happily have stayed there all day but alas, we had buses and trains to catch. We were test-driving our route to St Pancras International Railway Station to make sure we would get there in time tomorrow.

Transport For London (TfL) proudly declared multiple suspensions of service due to strike action, and cheerfully advised commuters and tourists that they best saddle up shanks' pony if they wanted to get anywhere. All the travellers flying into Heathrow promptly got on the one active line into town, clogging it up with themselve and their baggage and taking forever to get in and out of the carriages. Londoners rolled their eyes and exercised considerable patience. We caught a bus to the train station and joined all the other travellers, except we went sans bags for our practice run.

Apart from being jammed in like sardines with thousands of sweaty commuters and gormless tourists, the journey to St Pancras Station was uneventful. The Station itself was impressive, to say the least.

"We could catch a train to town," said Roger, once he had satisfied himself that he knew where the Eurostar would leave from tomorrow.  "And look at the touristy stuff."  Then he remembered that trains were a bit light on at the moment, and we decided to look at local stuff instead, which was initially more of a challenge than anticipated.

The Foundling Museum: closed on Mondays.

The British Library 'Treasures' exhibition (where you can view the Magna Carta): closed until long after wed left London.

The British Museum: open but a bit far to hoof it there and back.  Our shanks' ponies were not that energetic.

So off we went for a wander on foot instead and lo and behold, Kings Cross/St Pancras had more than enough to keep us busy without the need to catch any trains which, in case you had forgotten, were missing in (industrial) action.

Industry repurposed: the frame of one gas holder left open as a park, the rest turned into bespoke residential units.

Industry repurposed: the old sheds now a hub of shopping, food, and entertainment. Although i think the slightly illegal rave parties moved on when the repurposing started.

Just down from Granary Square lay Regent's Canal. The Canal's construction history included such notable incidents as not enough water (kind of necessary for a canal), experimental lock designs that didn't work, and embezzlement of funds over and above the usual price blow outs that happen with constructions. Nevertheless it was finished in 1820, a scant 20 years before the railways took the freight trade away from the canals. Then a gunpowder barge blew up in 1874, destroying a nearby bridge and somewhat complicating plans for canal repurposing. 

To cut a long story short, lots of stuff happened, including war. Commercial canal use all but disappeared but increasing numbers of the public took to the canals and tow paths on foot, by bicycle, in kayaks and dinghies, and increasingly by canal boats. Thus it was that in the middle of hectic, crowded London grappling with a public transport strike, I ambled happily beside still waters, taking photos of picturesque canal boats and Canadian geese.

On the other side of the canal was Camley St Natural Park, run by the London Wildlife Trust and providing more bucolic pathways where trees and tweety birds insulated us from traffic and public transport woes.

We came home via a wander down the High Street of Hayes Town, where Roger with great delight discovered Pound n More, a veritable bounty of drinks, snacks, and general junk all for less than 1 pound per item.  By then it was early afternoon and the bus was clogged with schoolchildren going home and commuters trying to get ahead of all the other commuters on their disrupted journeys.  We rode home on the upper deck of red London bus and the day couldn't have gotten any better had it tried.

Well, the trains could have run, but let's not be picky.