Monday 16 August 2010

Denham Deep Lock to Slough Arm, Grand Union Canal

This picture shows how deep Denhamm lock is - not the deepest on the system by any means, but still deep.

We took a right turn down the Slough arm, not believing the canal guide about it being weedy and silted - but of course the further we went along the worse it became. Quiet, and rural stretch, needs more traffic.

Sunday 15 August 2010

From Cassiobury Park to Denham Deep Lock, Grand Union Canal


A much better day, bright light and some heat! We set off in the autumn sunshine, passing many boats with covers off drying out after yesterday.

Along the way we saw this toy monkey suspended from a great height, and then to our great surprise a boat coming towards us was narrowboat Icarus, the boat we had built 9 years ago. A great deal of toil and tears went into that boat, now evidently under new ownership. We wondered if it had retained the most unusual facility of a commode within the front door step!

We passed along some very pretty stretches of canal, especially around Harefield, at Black Jack's Lock and Copper Mill Lock.

Our mooring for lunch, and afternoon tea, and then subsequently dinner, was above Denham Deep Lock. A busy stretch of towpath, mainly due to the wellknown Frans tea garden at the lockside.

So tomorrow we are off down the 11'1" Denham Deep Lock.

Saturday 14 August 2010

Hunton Bridge to below Stockers Lock, Batchworth, Grand Union Canal

Yesterday, we teamed up again with the ex hotel boat couple, and so the wide locks along the Grand Union became more pleasant and easier to work. The drizzle encouraged us to stop at lunchtime, and there we stayed. Dreary and dark, under dripping trees as the rain set in.

We have revised our previous wet day record to TODAY as being the worst day of the summer. Torrential rain has spoiled things well and truly.

This morning we teamed up with The Beech Nuts on their narrow boat and made our way down to Batchworth, through very oily waters - someone had allowed oil or diesel to spill into the canal, and did it stink.

We paid a brief visit to Batchworth Lock Canal Centre, Bob was curious to see their model narrow boats - but nothing on show.

Batchworth Tesco with canalside moorings was the next stop - much more worthwhile!

So, now we are moored below the farm, but more precisely, opposite the field where we believe the filming of the tv series Black Beauty was located. Who knows!

Looking forward to better boating weather tomorrow.

Thursday 13 August 2010

Winkwell to Hunton Bridge, Grand Union Canal

As we entered the first lock of the day, a heron stood patiently on the lock edge staring into the depths. Eventually, he gave up and flew a few feet away and started staring again. May be they fall asleep!

As we approached Winkwell swing bridge we could see the crew of working narrowboat Hadar enjoying holding up the traffic as they kept the bridge open for us too. We know of this boat from passing it last year and following their blog with interest, recounting their experiences in London.

We made our way down through Hemel Hampstead, past B+Q where Rose's limejuice in barrels, was once loaded onto barges, and on to Apsley, where many John Dickinson paper mills at Croxley Green once stood. Now smart new houses and a marina have replaced the mills, but good old Fullers have a canalside pub called The Paper Mill.

The final demolition is ongoing and no doubt it will be replaced by more houses, now 3 + 4 floors a piece.

The heavy rain in the afternoon drove us to moorup as we got to Hunton Bridge, but we did pair up with some ex hotelboat crew as we made our way down the locks.

Wednesday 11 August 2010

Bulbourne Junction to Winkwell, Grand Union Canal

Well yesterday was just about the worst day of the summer so far! It rained and then it poured and poured. Fortunately, we called in at Cowroast marina where they had the new issue of Waterways World, so mooring up at lunchtime and staying put was no hardship. Immediately opposite our mooring on the summit level, was a boat named Griffin, which had all the appearance of a Fullers marketing medium!

Today was much better, and we paired up with another boat we had accompanied a couple of days ago, and made our way down now, to Berkhamsted. Today there is water cascading over the lock gates - no big surprise after yesterdays drenching.

We shopped at the canalside Waitrose and then walked down the towpath to Berkhamsted castle. Now just a shadow of its former self, but the part flint walls, and motte and bailey mounds remaining of the Norman castle were fairly obvious. This castle had three moats to deter tunnelling.

Later, as we made our way through the Port of Berkhamsted, we passed Castle Wharf, the boatyard owned by Lindy Foster and recalled the nationwide campaign she launched to save the wharf from developers. It looks as if she suceeded. There is totem pole to mark the years of trading between Castle Wharf and Canada, and wood used in huge quantities for boat building and cabinet making.

A good day, but the barometer is falling!

Monday 9 August 2010

From Marsworth along the Wentworth Arm, and back on to the Grand Union Canal to Bulbourne

Today, we spent the morning walking around Marsworth village and again up the locks alongside the Tring reservoirs. A very tranquil spot with grannies and grandchildren quietly enjoying the lovely area. A mother swan did delay our tow path walk slightly, as she just would not follow her cygnets into the water, and sat preening and defiantly blocking our path. Eventually she became curious as to the cygnets whereabouts and glided into the canal, and we moved on. During our morning coffee on the boat we spotted many, many huge carp just below the surface, They were monsters, and devoured some bread we offered. The local ducks soon backed off!

This afternoon we got going up the 7 locks to the Tring summit, and then made a sharp right turn down the Wendover Arm and suddenly we were threading our way along a narrow waterway, passing a flour mill and some very delapidated boats, some on long,or no mooring lines, drifting out in front of us making progress slow. The navigable stretch ends with a plaque, and a very fortunately, a spacious turning point. We returned back to the junction passing some different fishing styles, hidden in the bank reeds.

We are now moored at Bulbourne, the much photographed BW canal workshops, where lockgates used to be

made, but is now a private concern making unusual garden ornaments in iron.

Sunday 8 August 2010

Fenny Stratford southwards to Marsworth Junction, Grand Union Canal

We have made pretty slow progress as time is on our side, and the weather on Saturday was wet AND the Captain has a stinking cold!

After a shop stop at Leighton Buzzard Tesco on Friday, we moored below the Grove Lock. This was a rendezvous to meet friends for the evening. A little light entertainment before dinner in the form of a hire boat with young children dancing on the roof, and of course one fell in, fortunately she held the centre line on the way down so it was easy to retrieve her!

Good beer and food at the Grove and the pub sign depicts the leaking lock gates, and boy do they leak! ""Fullers" is a total misnoma!

Today, Sunday, we teamed up with a family aboard narrowboat Cream Cracker and shared locks all the way to Marsworth Junction. A very pleasant way to spend a sunny morning chatting and laughing until ........................ as we left the last lock, filing out one behind the other, we encountered 2 old narrowboats, movingtowards us, breasted up. Cream Cracker was lucky and managed to take avoiding action and steer around them, but not for us, the 2 old boats came straight for us and smacked us well and truly, causing damage to our bow paintwork mainly because these rogues did not have bow fenders fitted. Ugh!

The incident post mortem really spoiled the next couple of hours, but we are moored up now, and there are lots of smiling people enjoying Bluebell Cafe ice creams in the sun, so we joined them and soon felt better.

Thursday 5 August 2010

Stoke Bruerne to Fenny Stratford, Grand Union Canal

We are back afloat, having spent a week ashore attending to cutting the nearly green grass of home!

So, after purchasing some Christmas cards from Stoke Bruerne shop, and some Welsh cheese from the Cheese Boat, we have proceeded with apace down the Grand Union Canal. Not so fast that we couldn't pause for a good pub lunch in the garden at The Barley Mow in Cosgrove! Most attractive soft sandstone bridge in Cosgrove - Gothic - and apparently unique among canal bridges.

So many bridges today as we wended our way through Milton Keynes - not used to bridges - so few across the river Nene and Great Ouse. There is a very clever, long mural painted depicting canal boats with a modern slant ie aircraft being transported by boat!

Our day was fine and bright, but there is a most definite feel of autumn in the air.