Tour De Pram 2014/15: 2014

General Info
The Grand Union Canal is Britain’s longest, the trunk route of the canals, linking London to Birmingham passing through rolling countryside, industrial towns and peaceful villages. After a bit of research and chatting to a couple of people it seemed a good option for a pram run. As with a number of canals and river routes there are lots of sections that are good for running and have paths suitable for bikes and therefore the pram. I found most information on the following: -

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/canals-and-rivers/grand-union-canal
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/places-to-visit-pdf/Denham_Deep_Lock.pdf
http://www.sustrans.org.uk/ncn/map/route/route-6

I should point out that the stage 3 route really was a last minute decision this morning and had I paid a tad more attention to the above sites we may have had a smoother ride!

We joined the Grand Union Canal at Colne Valley Park, and parked at their visitor centre for a small fee.
http://www.colnevalleypark.org.uk/visitor-centre
There is a short walk/jog along a bridleway and through some gates to get to the canal and once there, we made a flustered decision to go right towards London. I now know we should have gone left and then we would have enjoyed the Uxbridge to Rickmansworth part of cycle route 6, described as 'perfect for a long walk or a comfortable bike ride.'

Right we went.... but wrong ;)

Run Stats

We were joined on this stage by Dan, (this makes it his 4th Pram run in 6 weeks) for what was not the smoothest outing, which is reflected in the stats.

Overall Experience
As I mentioned, this route choice was a bit of a last minute decision and in addition to this the ambience of the household, as we got ourselves together, was as harmonious as broken pottery scraped across a chalkboard which may have tainted the first kilometre or so. Getting to the start was straightforward, we came out of Colne Valley visitor centre and on to the bridleway behind a group of hikers, as it was a narrow path we strolled along whilst deciding left or right. There are a couple of kissing gates that were easily navigated with the pram, no lifting required and then we got to the canal and went.. right.
For the first few hundred metres things went well, the sun was on our faces and we passed a handful of runners in race bibs going in the opposite direction. The path then took us over a bridge to the other side of the canal and became quite treacherous. The weather from the last couple of years seems to have churned the tarmac path up and it was full of pot holes making it an ankle twisting and rocky ride. Over another bridge to the other side of the canal and we swapped pot holes for sludge and puddles and so went the first 4km. Not even the sun could brighten the mood, the pram was passed between us as we struggled to find a pace and very little attention given to our surroundings.
At Cowley things evened out, the path became smoother and wider and we finally settled into the run. The way back, was a lot better, yes the path was just as muddy and uneven but we were more settled, Scarlett was interested in her surroundings as well as getting Dan to catch up and run alongside me so she could hit my backside (Dan was pushing on the return) and with the sun behind us we were no longer squinting and could look around. The majority of the canal on this stretch is lined with what we assumed were residential canal boats and they took most of our attention with their variety of colours and styles. The other side of the path from the canal was a mixture of industrial blocks, business parks and residential areas yet over all it was an attractive and varied route with plenty to see. Finally after what felt like the longest 10k ever, we were back to where the bridleway joined the canal path and we had done it. Scarlett came out of the pram and we took time to play, running over the wooden bridge and through the copse and fields back to the visitor centre for some lunch and warm drinks.