Paddington Basin Rolling and Lifting Bridges

As I was keen to convince my new friend that I was completely normal, I thought I would start by skipping anything normally tourist and make her walk back streets into an area totally devoid of people and anything 'London'! - yup fail!  Anyhoo:

Paddington basin has 2 very cool bridges.

This photo doesn't show either of them!!

The first one is a rolling bridge.  It is literally rolled up and is uncurled on a Friday at 12 noon according to anything I've read.












Or possibly "is broken so maybe next Tuesday" according to the man with broken English in hi-vis.

*Sigh*











So courtesy of a stolen google image - here's what we could have won.












But no worries, Paddington Basin also has a lifting bridge.  Its stunning display happening at 12 noon on a Friday.













"It just fixed, you maybe wait hour" said another hi-vis man.














So I promised my new friend great things and appeased her with an M&S cake and flat white whilst I tried to listen to her and hop from toe to toe excitedly waiting for another man in hi-vis to do something with an on switch.

He didn't.

So unashamedly stolen from Google is another - wouldn't it have been marvellous to see picture.











But I'm not bitter!

It actually is a fairly nice place to hang out.

Although strangely attracting little people.  (I know nothing of Sir Simon Milton except he was really rather small.)

If you come down this way in warmer weather it's probably worth walking onto little Venice to see the boats.

If I come down this way in warmer weather I'll let you know!!