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.