Stoke Bruerne to Home!

You will have probably guessed by the absence of the blog that we have got sick of the rain. Having enjoyed a pleasant evening beside the pub and top lock at Stoke Bruerne last Friday we awoke the next day to heavy rain, although it was probably wetter going through Blisworth Tunnel! We persevered on and moored at Whilton, below the Buckby flight. The bright spot of the day having been a quick trawl with the magnet that  produced a substantial mooring spike, 2 mooring hooks and some useable chain! followed by a small win on the Lottery!

The next day started well, and we moved up the Whilton locks alone, but with a wide CART work boat close on our heels. Through Braunston tunnel, lunch and then teamed up with an experienced tug boat crew aboard Leonard, with a newly installed very sweet sounding Russel Newbery engine.

We moored at Braunston - plenty of space - enjoyed excellent 2 for 1 steaks at Marstons The Boat, and went to bed happy. Woke on Monday more rain - visited Midland Chandlers and bought fenders on offer - still raining - no let up until late in day - we have had enough. Only bright spot that day was the dog finding a toy in the bushes! See pic.

So we drove home a couple of days later with no regrets, as we loaded up in more pouring rain. Now, the jet stream has moved and the weather has picked up of course, but we will return after hacking back the garden and shredding the junk mail. 

Cosgrove - Milton Keynes - Cosgrove - Stoke Bruerne

Since our last blog we have been further south and on to the envrions of Milton Keynes - a very pleasant cruise in the sunshine too!

We decided to turn round at the point where the new canal linking this point of the Grand Union to Bedford - see pic of sign - after turning we saw this ugly crack in the same bridge and hope that the newly formed CART have this on their good intentions list.

We lunched alongside a lovely parkland area, where there was a large rusty head statue - see pic - hope the metal oiks don't steal this.

Our mooring on Thursday evening was just below the lock, back at Cosgrove, a very good day in the sun.

We are now back above the locks at Stoke Bruerne, sharing locks by coincidence with some blasts from our past. It really is a small world!

Bugbrooke to Stoke Bruerne, to Cosgrove, Grand Union Canal

Yesterday, Tues 10 July, we were very, very fortunate not to get a drenching by the rain. Our morning started with a walk into the village of Bugbrooke - much prettier than the name suggests - using the village walk leaflet, we tramped round muddy corn fields, no surprise the crops are rotting, through the Churchyard and found 2 good shops, discreetly  set in a typical English village with thatches and nail scissored grasses!

A leisurely cruise further south and we saw a herb garden butty boat - see pic - and renovated work boats - see pic

Raincoats on for Blisworth Tunnel - very, very wet pretty all the way through. A fellow boater said in 20 years of frequent travel through the tunnel, he he had never experienced such a deluge.Makes you start to think about landslides and slips after all this rain! We were lucky to find a very good mooring at Stoke Bruerne, between the Fudge Boat and the Welsh cheese boat! Usual gongoozlers around despite the drizzle - another trim and tidy village expecting lots of people for their Village at War event in September.

Today we did get wet, but went down the 7 double locks below Stoke Bruerne, before the rain, where gallons of water was pouring over all the gates, which made opening some of them quite difficult.

We are now moored at Cosgrove a village, in Buckinghamshire, that we recall because it has a very narrow tunnel under the canal known as the Horse Tunnel- it is perfectly shaped for horses to walk through. We also walked a short way down the Old Stratford arm - another dreary canal arm with overhanging trees and mossy green craft and lots of diy rubbish, all this looking for the village shop and PO which we found had closed down ages ago!. Fortunately there is a very well stocked shop within the Cosgrove Caravan Park, adjacent to the canal.

Well, yesterday we certainly paid the price for not having waited at Foxton locks, as we sat for 2 hours at the top of the Watford flight, before the lock keeper gave us the nod to proceed down. Fortunately, everyone was happy, and helpful,  as it was sunny, and the Wimbledon and Silverstone events were still to come!

Alas, dark clouds, thunder, and extremely heavy rain during the afternoon. very disappointing results all round.

Never mind there is always next year!

Today, we have to make a decision - which way to go at Norbury Junction - left, down 7 big double locks, and on towards Stoke Bruerne or right and back to Braunston and on towards the car and the lure of home. As it is a sunny morning, we turn left, onto the Grand Union big time, and team up with another boat, so going down the locks wasn't too demanding, especially as we met several sets of boats coming towards us, and left gates open galore!

We encountered a brand new widebeam Dutch barge with a high wheelhouse, moving very slowly and carefully under bridge arches. Fortunately, we were able to pass it by, otherwise our journey would have been rather frustrating. Not a very practical craft even for a wide canal.

We  passed attractive Weedon Wharf - see pic - and a boat with a similar paint scheme to our own, and on towards Bugbrooke, passing Edgeware - and old work boat, sadly much neglected now.

Now we are moored at Bugbrooke, rural, but oh so close to the railway! and ball retrieval duties have started!

Hooray - a dry morning, until lunchtime - so we boated on to Yelvertoft Marina for a pumpout where by chance we encountered some new friends aboard narrowboat Harmony, as they moved away from their marina mooring. We followed them down to Crick, where we we moored and the heavens opened once more. We think we have problems, but seeing the surface water at Silverstone we have got away lightly today.

Thank goodness we chose not to do the Leicester ring as the River Soar is in flood and we would have to have moored up and waited for the level to subside, or worse, turned round.

Friday 6 July 2012 Welford Arm back on to GU Leicester Arm

Rain greeted us as we woke and did not cease all day, apart from a slightly lighter hour or two in the mid morning when we decided to leave the delights of Welford and head on back to the main GU Leicester Arm. We met several boats on their way down the arm and we wanted to tell them not to bother, but let them discover for themselves!

Back on the main canal again, and we moored for an early lunch as the rain was coming  down in buckets again. Thankfully the TV reception was good so we enjoyed and afternoon watching Wimbledon, and very satisfying it was too.

We hope for a dryer day tomorrow, especially for the sake of the bored dog.

Thursday 5 July 2012
Up Foxton locks and down the Welford Arm

A lovely summers day today and we visited the Foxton shop in the Skittle Alley of the Black Horse pub (honest), for a paper and then back to the boat and we were the first boat of the day to check in with the volunteer lockkeeper. He very kindly helped us up the staircases and we were at the top in 45 minutes and not another boat in sight.

After coffee, we went on towards the junction and turned left to go down to Welford. A place we had been to 3 years ago, that is even a more dreary, untidy and depressing end of canal place, with narrow, and overhanging trees as you approach, than we remembered. .Some boats here look fixed to the spot with dank, green algae clinging to them, little daylight reaching the boats, and so giving very miserable onboard existences for the liveaboard boaters. About 20 years ago this was probably an attractive location with new information boards and tended grounds, but not now. Why did we come down here?.

Foxton - Market Harborough - Foxton

We travelled down the Foxton staircases in the pouring rain, but on reflection we had probably saved ourselves a lengthy wait at the top, as boats were booked into the bottom lock as soon as we emerged. A sharp right hand turn, through a swing bridge and onto Market Harborough. The road swing bridge a little further on, that some oiks had treated with super glue and placed a rogue key into the lock last weekend, had been sorted out by BW, thankfully.

In the very tidy basin at the end, there are the usual BW services, plus a waterfront pub, plus a hire boat base, and attractive residential flats and apartments around the basin edge. There were plenty of moorings, a little dark from overhanging trees but absolutely fine. A mile or so walk into the town, and a good centre - no boarded up shops evident. The rain was unceasing.


Our picture shows 'Frank the Plank', a clever sundial statue at the end of the basin. The etched slate pavement around Frank forms part of the timepiece.

We are now back at Foxton, moored below the locks and have our rally plaque from the Inclined Plane Trust, that we qualified for, as we turned up, although no rally took place!

Above Foxton Locks, Bridge 60

Yes, we are still here, and despite the rain, we waited with hope of seeing the Olympic torch as it visited the locks here today.

We didn't have to wait too long before the expected arrival, just after 4pm, and we had a really clear view across to the appointed lock, where the BW historic narrow boat "Swift" was already in place in the lower lock of the top staircase. The rain was unceasing. The spectators were outnumbered by 2:1 by Police, BW, Olympic personnel etc etc etc We have never seen so many yellow and orange reflective jackets strolling round an event. Crowd control was hardly an issue. Samsung kindly? handed out plastic batons to make a noise with, and when the torch bearer appeared, flags and cheering and squeaky batons welcomed him as he ran and waved, and stepped onto Swift.Once on deck, the torch bearers then kissed torches and the flame was transferred, the paddle was lifted, and the boat slowly lowered into the lock, and all we could see was the flame above the lock edge!. Fortunately the new bearer realised he needed to bend below an approaching bridge, as the boat moved forward into the next lock. The rain did not have the last word, and the flame flickered on undaunted, and the torchbearer then stepped off the boat and the flame was whisked away into Foxton village, where the road had been ready since 7am!.

The spectacle was over so quickly, but everyone moved off with a satisfied sort of grin on their face!

Unrepeatable!