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interest as we wend our way to the
Marsworth Locks. It’s hard to appreciate
that what today is a very peaceful
waterway was once the M1 of the
Industrial Revolution, linking
the
London Docks with the city of
Birmingham. You’ll be back on the
coach to head home by 4.45pm.
If, at the end of our Hidden London
& the Regents Canal day, you stayed
on the boat at Little Venice and had a
week to spare you could cruise along
the Paddington Arm of the Grand
Union Canal, join the main line at
the Bulls Bridge Junction at Hayes,
Middlesex and continue to the highest
point of the canal where it crosses
the Chiltern Hills near Tring. Or you
could come back another day with
your group and enjoy Cruising in
the Chilterns. With picture postcard
villages and a 90-minute canal cruise
with tea & cake included this is a
truly delightful day in an Area of
Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Just 35 miles from the centre of
London but a whole world away.
The day begins at 10.30am in the utterly
charming village of Aldbury which
might seem uncannily familiar - its
picture postcard qualities and proximity
to Elstree and Pinewood have made it a
popular filming location for everything
from The Dirty Dozen to Midsommer
Murders and Morse. There’s time to buy
morning coffee at the idyllic country pub
by the village pond and
if you want to
you can pre-order a lunch for when you
come back. This is normally a pricey
stockbroker belt pub but we’ve been
visiting with our groups for more than
twenty years so for our customers they
do a special and very reasonably priced
lunch menu.
During the morning we are going to
explore the lie of the land by coach.
We’ll visit the grounds of the old
Ashridge Estate, now looked after by
the National Trust and which were once
home to the Duke of Bridgewater - the
father of the inland waterways. You’ll
see some of the sleepy villages that
the late great Sir Bernard Miles talked
about in his Me and Old Charlie wireless
monologues and hear about Rothschilds
and zebra drawn carriages, edible
dormice, witches and the Great Train
Robbery. The photo shows four members
of Enfield Unison Retired Members
enjoying the view from the Beacon
across to the Dunstable Downs and the
Whipsnade chalk lion.
Back to Aldbury for lunch. If you choose
not to pre-book lunch at the pub over
your morning coffee there’s another
village pub and a corner shop that sells
sandwiches with bench seating around
the pond and in the churchyard for
picnics.
When the canal was first cut through the
Chiltern Hills the engineer rode out on
horseback to survey the landscape. With
only limited engineering skills available
200 years ago the canal twists and turns
as it follows the contours of the land. We
enjoy a 90-minute cruise on a wide beam
barge with seating around tables which
is great for a sociable conversation and
ideal for when they serve tea and cake
which is included in the tour fee. The
guide will highlight a few points of
Cruising in the Chilterns
Our members have expressed their
delight with the tour, the unusually
fine weather and your guide Marian’s
detailed knowledge and attentiveness
throughout the day. The pub, staff,
organisation and menu quality was
second to none as was the attentiveness
and courtesy of the cruise staff. All in
all this was real plus for Probus ’91
with another opportunity for members
and partners to meet socially and
for the fellowship, which binds us
together! I would have no hesitation in
recommending the Chilterns Tour &
Cruise to prospective groups.
Geoff Barber, Peterborough Probus ‘91
Available every day from March to
the end of October. You can book
a maximum of 53 people for this
cruise.
Adults & Seniors: £19.95
Coach Mileage: 25
info@cityandvillagetours.com
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