It’s great to have crossed the hills and left all those locks behind. Marsworth had several locks every mile but from Fenny Stratford there’s mile after mile of uninterrupted cruising. It’s tempting to drive fast. Nearly came a cropper earlier when, while driving at speed, something caught in the propellor and the boat swung suddenly […]
On the Grand Union Canal
Disused swing bridge
This old, overgrown swing bridge is just north of Leighton Buzzard.
Marsworth to Linslade
Spent last night in Marsworth. Was tired after working so many locks since Berkhamsted. So I had a pint in the White Lion then an early night. Set off early this morning in the company of a lovely traditional narrowboat called Sabrina which was headed for Braunston. With the sun shining we worked lock after […]
Berkhamsted
After several weeks stuck in first Watford then Hemel Hempstead, neither places I would ever choose to stay, it felt good to arrive in Berkhamsted, a lovely small town that I’ve visited many times on walks with my family. The work on Boxmoor lock that was scheduled to be completed Friday was actually completed on […]
Swing bridge
This gentleman kindly helped open and close the swing bridge at Hemel for me. Seeing as this prevents traffic from using the road, it would have been hard to operate single-handed without testing the patience of local drivers.
Stuck in Hemel Hempstead
I’m in Hemel, waiting for work on Boxmoor lock to be completed so I can continue on my journey up north. In the last month I’ve only travelled about 15 miles but at this time of year that’s to be expected. Most scheduled work takes place from January to March. This Thursday the lock should […]
Stoppages
IfI’d checked the list of stoppages before I left Uxbridge I’d have realised that Lady Capel’s lock is closed for a fortnight. I set off to travel the country and ended up in Watford. Beyond that, there was a stoppage scheduled at Milton Keynes but thankfully it’s been cancelled. However, I still won’t get further […]
Spot the monkey
Driving along the Grand Union near Rickmansworth, saw a monkey hanging from the top of this ruin.
Rickmansworth
There seems to have been a long-standing problem with unlicensed and scruffy boats, with heaps of rubbish in piles behind them, just outside Rickmansworth. Although I believe on principle that everyone should pay their licence, I don’t usually get all that het up about it; but when they start piling up their detritus on the […]
More boats that make me smile
This is L’Escargot, a boat I’ve passed several times in Uxbridge and on the Thames: This tiny narrowboat was near Black Jack’s Lock: An imposing houseboat, Queen of the Thames, in the rain: A boat that looks like a Mondrian:
Soggy new year
I came back to the boat after new year to find water rising over the floorboards in the lounge. The situation is worse than before. I don’t know where the leak is so I’m ripping up the entire floor. A chap from the local boatyard brought a pump round and left it running for 25 […]
Dreaming of a dry Christmas
On Christmas Eve I opened up the cabin’s floor panels and found a good six inches of water beneath that hadn’t been there the day before. I started worrying about what would happen if I left the boat unattended for a week. Out with the 2nd world war stirrup pump. Two hours later, I’d removed […]