RowedTrip Update - Reached London

London, Unfounded Concerns, Equipment Performance, English Channel & More
by Larry Lagarde

Life has been moving along at a lightning pace these past weeks so it's been tough keeping up with the RowedTrip rowing and cycling expedition across Europe; however, Colin and Julie have made it to London and will soon be crossing the English Channel. Following are some photos and quotes from them that highlight this period of their journey.

Oxford Canal

After many hard days cycling through hilly central England, we launched our boats in the Oxford Canal just south of Banbury. The canal, ranging in width from 30 to just seven feet, passes through rolling farmland of yellow and green fields.

Julie and I were delighted to find that the narrow locks on the Oxford Canal were without lock keepers, and the system designed to be boater operated. We took turns cranking the sluices open and closed, and then levering the great gates open to allow our boats through. Each lock would drop our boats roughly six feet as we descended in elevation towards Oxford City. The locks were spaced several kilometres apart, offering a pleasant reprieve from toil on the oars. We passed through small villages and much farmland before finally reaching Oxford City at the junction of the Thames. John Scott, a friend of Tony Hoar from Tony's Trailers who built and designed the trailer system for our boat, had spent much of the day cycling on the tow path next to us and also guided us through this ancient university city.

Made It To London

Now we're back where we started, a little fitter and a lot dirtier... we will explore this metropolis from the water before continuing down the Thames and on towards France.

Remembering Initial Expedition Concerns

When we first arrived in London - more than two months ago - with hundreds of pounds of equipment, tentatively awaiting the arrival of our rowboats, we were nervous about the challenges that lay ahead. Would the firths and lochs in Scotland prove too tumultuous to row? Would we be allowed to travel through the canal locks? Would we be able to cycle on narrow English roads towing 18-foot boats?

Performance Of Boats, Folding Bikes & Trailers Remarkable

My boat, Niobium, suffered a few bruises when her bow slammed into the wall of a lock while being towed in and Tantalum also has a few dings from less-than-graceful dockings. The Helly Hansen dry suits kept us safe while we crossed the rough waters of Loch Ness, the Solway Firth, and other turbulent Scottish waters, while their fleece, merino wool, polypropylene, and rain gear kept us warm and dry in what we're told has been an unusually cold and wet spring. On land our folding bikes from RideTHISbike.com and trailers have hauled astonishingly heavy loads up more hills than I thought Britain had. In fact the only equipment problem we had was a stove with clogged fuel lines, which a bit of tinkering fixed.

English Channel

We hope to row across the Channel but that depends on whether we're able to get an appropriate weather window and coordinate the logistics for the crossing. It's the busiest shipping area in the world and crossings by unconventional crafts are highly regulated, requiring appropriate approvals and an escort boat.

To learn more about the exceptional RowedTrip Expedition, visit RowedTrip.com.