Berkhamstead

Berkhamstead, Grand Union Canal – Monday 29 April 2013

A quiet weekend – counting both directions there were no more than a dozen moving boats on Saturday or Sunday.  Unless they all nipped past while I went to church!  I have moved to Berkhamstead covering14 locks and 6 miles – my muscles are getting back into the ‘windlass’ routine.  Journey points – there is no-where to moor between locks 69/68 (Red Lion and Nash Mills) where a new estate has been built, so I had to reverse back into the lock, and walk to open the Nash Mills one.  There is also loads of rubble so I was ‘grounding’ almost the whole way.  Between locks 62/61 (Boxmoor and Winkwell) there was a sunken, burnt out plastic boat that was across the canal and not visible until you were on it and at lock 61 (Winkwell) there was a small tug moored on the lock point that looks as if it was sinking so blocking access.  All in all it did make for interest.  The normal wildlife is around (ducks, geese, swans, moorhens and also a few new babies).  The weather has been good but when the sun pops behind a cloud it does get chilly.

Hemel Hempstead

Hemel Hempstead, Grand Union Canal – Friday 26 25 April 2013

I am now out in the wilds – I’ve crossed the M25!!  Today has been a day of contrasts.  It rained heavily through the night but by 06:00 it had stopped, then it has been intermittent sunny (jacket off) and raining (jacket on) all day as clouds scudded across the sky.  I started out at 07:45 and finished at 16:00 having completed 13 locks and 6 miles.  At Cassiobury Park lock there was a team of C&RT workmen fixing the gates, it was interesting watching them.  No boats were travelling the same way and only three were going down towards London.  I am now here for the weekend.

Batchworth

Batchworth, Grand Union Canal – Thursday 25 April 2013

Hibernation is over!  On Tuesday I finally decided that it was time to blow the cobwebs away and head out again – the boat has been cleaned and re-equipped with the stuff put into storage for the winter.  Then off to ‘pump-out’ and re-fuel.  After waiting an hour (lunch break) I was told they were waiting for a delivery of fuel so back into Packet Boat Marina for another day.

Yesterday I went to check that the delivery of diesel had arrived before moving, then round to the fuel point to fill up and head off.

At Cowley Lock there was a boat coming down (the owners had just bought it) so I helped them through then went on past the moored boats along this stretch.  Uxbridge Lock was in my favour and with a gate open so straight in and through.  The next one is Denham Deep where the level rises by 11 feet and it is the deepest on the Grand Union Canal.  I waited for a ‘Day Boat’ who was being shown how to operate the lock then we shared and off we went with me looking for somewhere to moor.  A long stretch of steel piling (my preferred mooring) looked good but there was a sand bank preventing me getting closer than 3 feet to the bank so I had to move further on eventually mooring near Widewater Bridge.

The weather has been superb – warm and sunny all day.  It is only when you have moored that you discover there is no service on phone or internet.

25 April 2013 - Moved on at 08:00 and passed through Widewater and Black Jack’s locks with no-one else around.  Copper Mill lock has a strong cross current (it is used by canoeists for practice) and there was a new shiny widebeam in the lock.  She is called Lily Pad and her owners had only put her in the water on 24^th so didn’t want to scratch her.

Then on through Springwell and Stocker’s locks and moored near the Tesco at Batchworth.

There were a couple of showers during the night otherwise another fine sunny day (so good I had taken my shirt off).