We had a stowaway today. We had been going for about 30 mins when I noticed a little mouse running around on the roof. He must have climbed up the foliage alongside yesterday and climbed aboard. He started running back and forth trying to find a way off. We were trying to think of ways that we could catch him safely. Eventually he jumped down onto the gunwale. More running back and forwards, then a leap into the water. At this point we thought that was it, he would drown. But no, he started swimming strongly for the shore!

Only a short trip today 6.5 miles and 5 locks. We are by bridge 27 near Tottenham Marshes. Technically we are in London, but it’s very rural. We went for a walk over by the marshes. It’s lovely at one point we couldn’t see anything man made, just bushes, trees and grass.

I noticed this at Ponders End lock. Back home Stoddart & Pitt are a famous name in engineering. There products used to make there way to all parts of the far flung empire!
We came through Enfield earlier. I always assumed that this was part of urban, industrial London, but it’s a pleasant, compact community all of it’s own. The are some houses alongside the navigation called “Government Row”. I’m guessing that these were workers dwelling for the armaments factory. Enfield is famous for making guns and later motorcycles. An Enfield bullet was one of the first bikes I rode back in 1969. It wasn’t mine it was my friend Roger’s. I had a BSA!