Cassiobury Park to Black Jacks Lock

Having managed to keep lots of things secret yesterday Mick was very surprised when I handed him three presents and a couple of cards this morning in bed! He does surprise quite well. Originally we were going to have a cooked breakfast but with 6 miles, 8 locks and a festival to navigate our way through we thought we’d best not take our time, so the birthday breakfast has been postponed until tomorrow. NB Book and Spud came past as we were finishing our cereal they were only heading down this lock today so we didn’t feel the need to rush to join them.

We paused for quite a while to fill the tank at the water point above Cassiobury Bridge Lock and watched the tube trains coming and going from Watford. Two swans were starting to make a nest on the other side of the cut. Mum was sitting down and collecting any sticks around her whilst Dad was passing sticks back to her, a true team effort.

The sun that had greeted us this morning kept being hidden by very black clouds all day. From glorious sunshine one minute to torrential rain the next. I really thought that Mick could have arranged his birthday weather better.

Over the last few days we had heard that Rickmansworth Festival was on this weekend and doing a bit of research on the internet we realised that we would be cruising right through the middle of a lot of boats, however there were more than we’d imagined. At Batchworth Lock the local Sea Cadets were helping to work boats through, with three trip boats going back and forth they were being kept busy. The two lads on the gates were quite soggy from the storm that had just passed over, but chatted away whilst we waited for the next trip boat to load up, reverse and eventually come into the lock. Once it was our turn I jumped onto Oleanna and took the opportunity of a ride down, it also looked like it would make things a lot easier if I was on board as the way through the bridge below was blocked by boats.

Below workboats were breasted up four deep and we were very glad of our narrowness. We’d wondered about pulling into the Tesco mooring for a paper, but there were boats there too, so we carried on. A vast array of boats and lots of music from every direction greeted us as we crawled past. I suspect we were the newest boat in the whole pound.

At Stockers Lock a boat was rising, so I went to lend a hand. Most of the time was spent asking gongoozlers to please move to the other side of the lock beams otherwise they would get pushed in. It was just like a sunny Sunday afternoon at Foxton, except there was only one lock and the heavens opened as we were going down.

At Copper Mill Lock there was a  family with two young boys enthusiastically helping a boat up, they stayed to give us a hand. Mum and Dad were as enthusiastic as the boys were, wanting to know how far you can travel in a day. Our days are far slower than hire boaters so it was hard to give him an answer, 3-4 miles or about 4 locks an hour. I should have told him that the most we’ve ever done is 44 miles in a day, assisted by the tide, but I suspect he wouldn’t have been that impressed.

We stopped to drop off rubbish as they all raced down to the next lock to help there, Mick did tell them that we might just stop before it if there was space. Luckily there was and we pulled in between a couple of other boats and retired below for a cuppa and a surprise birthday cake with candles. One young lad walked past wanting to steal the cake but Tilly would have seen him off!

This evening we have booked a table at The Old Orchard for a Birthday meal. I believe it was recommended by Joa last year.

8 locks, 6.37 miles, 2 cards, 1 search light, 2 old fogie CDs, 1 full water tank, 1 vertically challenged pony, 5 drenchings, 3 trip boats, 30 odd working boats, 82 other moored boats, 6 bands, 1 play, 31 gongoozlers, 0 balloons for us, 1 super excited family, 1 handy mooring, 1 disappointed family, 7 candles, 1 Birthday Boy.

Toovey’s Mill Arm to Cassiobury Park

The rain didn’t seem too bad this morning so we prepared ourselves with full waterproofs, well those that used to be waterproof. Every lock ahead was set against us, we were following someone.

We worked our way down the couple of locks before going under the M25. Here a couple of cruisers caught our eye. One had had a wooden top (much like an arc) built around it’s existing fibreglass top, whilst the other had built a wheel house spanning it’s two cabins. They made us smile as both boats were aspiring to be just that bit different.

The M25 looked like it was being held up with tonnes of scaffolding. I seem to remember some scaffolding the last time we came this way, but today we hoped we’d get under before anything collapsed! Once through we could see that none of it was structural, but still there must be something major going on for it to be there. A short distance on and we arrived at North Grove Lock. What a peaceful lovely place it must have been pre 1975.

Heather from NB Bleasdale had said what a lovely place Hunton Bridge was to moor. Certainly other people thought so today as it was quite busy. We’d just been wondering where we’d see the boat with the car, when there it was. It seems to have added a motorbike to the bow now. It was far too early to stop, maybe we’ll have a look round on our way back. Shortly after the two locks the railway stopped following us as it goes into a tunnel and heads off further east.

I was just starting to set Lady Capel’s Lock when Mick shouted that there was a boat coming. I had looked ahead but the canal takes some sharp turns and Mick could see a boat around the bend just as I was lifting a paddle. So I emptied the little I’d put in and we both helped the chap up. He confirmed that we were following about six boats who were all heading to Rickmansworth for the festival this weekend. Last time we came through here we were sharing with what appeared to be a single hander, until his girl friend surfaced from inside just as we’d finished working the lock and he moored up. Today as the boat came into the lock there was a surprised gasp from an oriental lady inside who then disappeared from view very quickly, maybe I should try hiding at this lock!

We wound our way round under the roving bridge, past the golf course where President Obama played golf with David Cameron last year. There were a lot of golf buggies out today and the hole flags weren’t the normal sort. Round the next bend at Grove Mill there was space to moor. It is a lovely looking place and normally full, but sadly today it would have given me a very long walk to collect my deliveries so on we continued and down the two Cassiobury Park Locks.

We managed to moor up, in a sort of fashion before Iron Bridge Lock. The pound was down today which made it hard to get the stern in, but this was where we needed to be and is a perfect place for Tilly. Since last year a large gap in the woodland has been created, a fire gap maybe, which makes our mooring much lighter.

Once I headed off across the park to the Post Office Tilly was allowed shore leave and she headed straight for the trees not to be seen for hours. This place is amazing! One trip out I went that way. Came back for a drink, bath and to tell them all about it before going back out and going that way instead. So many trees! I really didn’t know which ones to climb.

My parcels had arrived and once I was back at Oleanna some secret wrapping took place, before some secret baking.

8 locks, 3.91 miles, 2 sets of waterproofs to stop the rain, 5 showers, 1 stowaway oriental lady, 1 rambling honeysuckle, 1 jaunty mooring, 1 sunny warm afternoon walk, 1 pair of padded waterproof trousers 2 warm, 2 parcels, 1 White House in Watford, 1 paddling lapping dog, 4 presents wrapped, 7283 trees, 1 secret cake baked, 1 deer.

Pixies Farm Bridge to Fishery Lock

No way! Is what should have been said this morning. The weather forecast had suggested light rain this morning followed by heavy rain this afternoon. The volts meter on the battery monitor was low so we needed to run the engine no matter what, so it might as well run as we moved along in the light rain.

The first lock of the day was full, even though it should have been left empty, and we arrived at the same time as a widebeam who was wanting to come up. He climbed over the bottom gates and worked the paddle on his side to help us down. As Mick was pulling Oleanna out of the lock the chap warned that there was another widebeam on it’s way. Here there are quite a few moored boats and the widebeam met us just where the canal bed was too close to the top for us. They hung back to let us pass, but we were well and truly stuck on the bottom so we waved them past. Standing on the port side, forwards, backwards, pole pushing, eventually we worked our way free and could carry on.

Here was our first lock with both the gates left open, we’ve got to get used to this now we are within 30 miles of London! A short distance on was Winkwell Swing Bridge which often has problems remembering how to operate. Today in the now heavier rain it behaved itself lowering it’s barriers and swinging out of the way for us, it also remembered how to close up too.

The next lock had been left empty and we timed our arrival along with a narrowboat from below. We exchanged comments about the rain as we both stood and waited for their boat to rise. They were on a mission to get to Worcester in ten days having left Tottenham two days ago. The closed lock just north of Berko would give them a short day today which I think was a relief as they were both quite soggy.

By now our waterproofs were just holding water not repelling it. So we decided that if we could get into the side below Fishery Lock then we would call it a day there and not carry on further into Hemel Hempstead. With some of the ground paddles leaking  I had to re-open the offside paddles to be able to open the gates which all took extra time and meant we were absorbing more rain. Holding onto the railings to cross the gates I wasn’t sure if the water pouring from my hands was from the railings or my non-waterproof-waterproofs.

Once down Fishery Lock we stopped under the wide road bridge for me to take off my coat and head inside. My waterproof trousers weren’t going to come off until I was inside as there were no trousers underneath them! Mick stayed outside and valiantly moored us up for the day. We wondered what the rain would be like later on if this was meant to be light showers!!

Tilly as always was keen to be outside as soon as we moored up, we certainly had no plans on heading out for the afternoon, so the back door was opened up for her. She jumped onto the roof, jumped down onto the stern and returned inside all within a minute. What has happened to our rain loving cat? No way was I going to go out in that stuff! What were they thinking of moving the outside to a wet place!!

The rest of the day we’ve been sheltering inside, pottering. The bedding has been changed, which led to a discussion about Ikea bed sizes and UK bed sizes. The new sheet we bought the other day is 2m long,, UK beds are 1.9m long and our cross bed mattress is 1.8m long. Even if we had a UK sheet it would need shortening. Then the duvet cover was too long, that one is easier to sort out though and I’ll wait for it to have been washed first in case it shrinks.

One of the jobs today was to email Ricky at Finesse with our up to date snagging list. He beat us to it by calling us for a catch up. They are still waiting for a new cooker top to arrive and had emailed the battery people earlier today for an update, which he hadn’t had a reply from. Our list has been amended and emailed to them, so that anything that needs prep work doing can be sorted before they come out to us.

It’s still raining and Tilly is still dry!

5 locks, 1.64 miles, 1 swing bridge, 2 low volt reading, 2 widebeams, 1 narrowboat, 1 grounding, 1st gates left open, 2 soaked non-waterproof boaters, 1 soggy moggy, 3 NO WAY!!s, 1 cat growing up, 1 list longer, 8 inches too long, 2 inches too wide, 0 battery news, 1 exceptionally wet day, 1 shower full of clothes, 1 broken nephew!

Berkhamsted Castle sits close to the canal so we decided to go and have a look round. Originally built out of timber the motte and bailey was begun in 1066. In 1155 Thomas Becket was granted the honour of Berkhamsted by Henry II, so he rebuilt the castle to show of his new status and to house his large staff. A large flint curtain wall was most probably built then, portions of this still stand today. In 1164 Becket was accused of embezzlement by the King and lost the castle.

The castle is surrounded by large earth works and water filled ditches to stop anyone from tunnelling under the curtain wall. In 1216 the defences were put to the test as Prince Louis of France bombarded the castle  with huge stones. Besieged for two weeks they only surrendered after orders came from the King.

In the 1830s plans to build the new London and Birmingham Railway threatened the castle, but there were concerns over the need to protect ancient monuments and buildings. Berkhamsted Castle was the first building in Britain to receive statutory protection from development, however the route still required the track to pass through the outer fortifications and in 1834 the gatehouse was destroyed.
The earth works are huge and the flint walls now surround a large lawn where once numerous buildings would have stood. Instead the 19th Century chocolate box Keepers Cottage now sits in the grounds only missing some rambling roses and a white picket fence. Entry is free and it’s worth the climb up the steps to what was the keep on the motte for the view across the valley as trains hurtle past. I’m not sure that the two ladies we met had chance to admire the view as their personal trainer kept sending them running up to the top of the steps, “We’re paying for this!” said one of them as the younger personal trainer checked facebook pretending to time them.
Sam from NB Red Wharf paused to say hello and ask after Tilly as we were having our lunch. Our paths last crossed with him at the bottom of Lapworth when we were making our way to Crick on Lillian. Have a good summer Sam and maybe our paths will cross again.
We had to wait for a couple of boats to come past before we could pull out, this would mean that the locks would need resetting for us. No lack of water as we  made our way to Ravens Lane Lock,in parts it looked like it was about to cover the towpath. Here and the lock before have new top gates and when refilling the locks, all paddles open they resonate and sing a note until they are all but a couple of feet full.
A hire boat was coming up hill and had to wait for us to come down as I’d not seen them until it was too late. The chap I was talking to said they would be heading on through Berko, the chap Mick talked to thought they’d be staying the night. At least I mentioned that Gas Lock was closing in the morning and they could end up being stuck for a day and half, I think they’ll be heading a bit further today.
Back in the land of leaving locks empty again and the boats ahead were leaving paddles up as instructed, at least both gates were closed so it wasn’t too much of a pain to drop them. Here the lock chambers leak and boy do they look like it, chunks of brickwork are missing in places and there are just only traces of mortar left between the bricks. Apparently they are scheduled for routine maintenance this coming winter according to the sign dated 2014.
The clouds around us got darker and heavier and there was a distinct feeling that the heavens would open any minute. Luckily we only had a few spots before we pulled up for the day. Our mooring is one we’ve used a couple of times before and featured in our Christmas card in 2014 on a frosty morning, today it is just humid and we were grateful that the towpath was on the opposite side to the side hatch, so we could have it open whilst Tilly went to find friends amongst the watercress.
6 locks, 2.22 miles, 1 cat lucky not to have been thrown in! 0 sign of swans though!! 2 visits to Waitrose, 1 very old draughty castle, 2 foolish fit ladies, 1 Lily Ann, 1st time spotted, 2 ahead, 3 left empty, 1 shiny boat standing out somewhat.

Cowroast to Berkhamsted

Oleanna was on what felt like a bigger list this morning, maybe the pound had dropped a little overnight. So before breakfast Mick  pushed us out so that we were slightly more level and would be able to keep the milk on our cereal. Outside it was raining and if we’d have been a bit more level maybe we’d have stayed put for the day, but instead we donned our waterproofs and made ready to push off.

At Cowroast we stopped to fill the water tank. Mick connected the hose and turned the lever, I held the other end and waited for the hose to be flushed out before popping it into the tank. All of a sudden the hose flew off the connector at the water point end producing a horizontal water jet straight at Mick who leapt out of the way. Good job he had his waterproofs on as he was dripping! With the hose more securely attached we continued to fill the tank, the exceptional pressure meant that it didn’t take long which was just as well as another boat arrived to go down the locks.

With Oleanna and NB Windruff sharing we suggested to the single hander that I’d open one of the bottom gates for him to exit and then Mick would move Oleanna over to use the same gate. This meant he could stay on board and not have to bow haul his boat out of the lock or climb any ladders and I wouldn’t have to do anymore work than I would if we were on our own. This all worked very well and despite the rain it was a good morning going down hill.

Our aim was to get past Gas Lock 1 which is closing for a day and a half this week so that they can reduce the water loss on it. Many of the locks on this stretch you have to leave empty. Either because the water in a full lock can seep through the chamber walls and flood nearby properties or because the bottom gates leak so much that if the top gates were to open over night a hole pound could gradually empty. Going down hill leaving them empty is easy, leaving a paddle up will keep them that way.

The route into Berkhamsted is full of willow trees and really quite pretty. Just a shame that the west coast main line runs next to it with it’s speeding trains all day. Down the last lock into Berko and we pulled in waving our companion goodbye. There was enough space for us on the 14 day moorings before the new 4 hour shopping mooring.

As we were leaving to go shopping NB Books and Spud was just pulling in. A boat in front of us had moved off since we’d moored making it look like we were hogging two spaces, so we nudged ourselves back to give them enough space to be on the 14 day mooring. We were just tying back up when NB Chance passed heading up the locks, they are another blogging boat that is for sale at the moment.

A walk around town didn’t find us a hardware shop, but the craft shop behind Waitrose came up trumps with some felt and cotton tape to put loops on our towels now that we have hooks. A few purchases from Waitrose, I had taken the time to adjust ‘My Picks’ before going so that our shop was cheaper than it would have been elsewhere and we got a free newspaper too.

I’ve spent the afternoon looking longingly out of the windows. It looks brilliant here, plenty of friendly cover, trees and sideways trees, but they wouldn’t let me out! Something to do with a big boat pecking Dad swan that wouldn’t leave us alone, I’d have shown him! That and his babies were exactly the reason she wasn’t allowed out!

7 locks, 2.68 miles, 1 wet day, 1 dripping Mick, 37 very fast trains, 1 mermaid, 8 tentacles, 2 towpath monsters, 1 nudge back, 1 Chance, 1 boat eating bully, 4 cygnets, 0 on at the cinema we fancied.

Bridego Railway Bridge to Cheddington Bridge, The Margees Garden.

As I stepped out of bed this morning I had forgotten that we were on a list to port, so I stumbled across the bathroom. Luckily the list was no more than it had been yesterday evening. When it came to pushing off  we had to do a bit more pushing than normal. The bow moved out, but the stern didn’t seem to want to go anywhere. With a spurt of engine Mick got the back off and then of course back on the bottom. A few toing’s and froing’s and Oleanna was fully afloat again.

We had been passed by a couple of boats before we started this morning, one was a hire boat with six grey haired crew. As we approached the first lock the hire boat was ascending, I hopped off and walked up so that I could reset the lock when they were finished. They seemed very keen to lend me a hand which was very nice of them, but I really didn’t need it so said thank you and would they wait for us to join them at the next lock. They thought that there might be a boat waiting for them.

Up we came into quite a low pound, we crawled our way along and could see that the hire boat was rising in the next lock along with another boat. We didn’t risk pulling Oleanna into the side I just hopped off the bow and Mick then loitered in the deeper water. There was a single hander waiting to go down and four of the crew from the hire boat stayed to help. It was quite obvious that this was their first time and none of them really knew how things worked. Once the single hander was down I said that I’d be fine on my own just as the chap who’d been at their helm came to chivvy them along.

Along this stretch there are either pumping stations by the locks of rather nice lock cottages that boast their build date of 1914 above the front door. On we pootled, at the next lock the hire boat had just closed the gates as we approached, the other boat had obviously got bored of waiting and gone off ahead. The hirers hadn’t thought of waiting for us, even after me talking to them about saving water by sharing. So we came up hot on their tails. A Red Kite swooped over head just out of arms reach, sadly I didn’t have my camera with me.

At the next lock we had caught them up so shared with them. It was now even more obvious that none of them really knew what to do, they were very nice with it, but I felt that the day was about to get very long indeed. Mick suggested that we go ahead to get the next lock ready, so I hopped on and we left them to faff closing up the lock. The boat ahead of them had waited, so we ended up sharing the rest of the days locks with NB Duxllandyn, leaving the hirers behind.

Mr Duxllandyn walked ahead to open Seabrook Swing Bridge for us to go through first as we were planning on mooring up soon afterwards. Under the bridge was a reed floating island which turned out to be covered in metal mesh a bit like a gabion. It moved as the bridge was swung and then Mick tried to move it out of the way, only to get our boat hook caught in it for sometime. At least it got it well out of the way for the next boats passing by.

Once round the S bend involving a rail bridge and marina we pulled in right in front of a house we heard a lot about last year. Cedarwood House was built by Alison and Laura from NB Large Marge in 1999. They lived there until they moved on board NB Large Marge three or so years ago. What a location with a fantastic view and mooring to boot. Mick headed off to a shop that the Margees had pointed us to for our Saturday newspaper.

After a spot of lunch we decided that we’d stay put for the rest of the day and do some jobs. Tilly was allowed out to explore whilst we got the drill and screw drivers out. Hooks that we’ve had since leaving Sheffield have at last gone up on bathroom doors. At last we can hang the bathroom window bungs up along with our towels. A clock has gone up in the bedroom along with a hook to hang Micks’ Akubra on. A couple of boxes of stuff have been resorted and transferred into storage boxes and my model of Oleanna has come out of it’s tube and is now under the TV, back on display.

They seem to think it’s good here. But I’m not so sure, where’s my friend Jaffa!? The new people in his house have a woofer and they have spent the afternoon pulling up green that my friends tend to like hiding in. And he then put the green onto a heap that fell into the canal!

7 locks, 3.61 miles, 1 swing bridge, 3 attempts to get off, 1 ditch crawled, 6 clueless crew, 1 floating paint scrapper, 1 sales pitch, 3rd viewing of Lillian, 1 unimpressed Cat, 1 paper shop, 1 house with a view, 1 number entered  in the book, 7 hooks, 1 clock, 2 storage boxes sorted, 0 tasty neighbour!

1 Big Happy Birthday to Frank from all three of us.

Fenny Stratford to The Globe,Old Linslade

Yesterday, when they had finished moving the outside, a couple of false stops and a long period of inactivity! I got chance to go out and explore. Some woofers and bikes kept me close for a while but then I ventured through the thick sideways trees. There in front of me was a huge wall of greenery, trees, plenty to climb and lots of opportunities to find friends. Once up and over the mesh that contained this green wonderland I forgot all about anything else, Wow!!!

This lush playground was one of the best I’ve come across, the hour and half I’d been given was certainly not going to be anywhere near long enough, so I just carried on exploring, jumping and climbing, this could take me days to do this new outside justice.

Darkness doesn’t bother me at all, cats have very good eyesight, scientifically proven you know! I started to head back to Oleanna as I was feeling a bit peckish and my food would have been sat there for a while waiting for me. I got to the edge of the green wall, but things were different. I could see the towpath, but no boats! I could hear Her calling, but no boats! Had they moved the outside with me in it? How could they!

I called to say where I was and She called back, but still no boats. Had the green wonderland brought me to a parallel towpath where I could hear them but not see them? Was I destined to spend the rest of my life running up and down the towpath following noises but never being able to return home!?!

Familiar footsteps approached, could it be that Tom had managed to break through from the other towpath to find me. A large beam of light swooped along the towpath and reflected in my eyes, Yes it was Tom! Thank goodness!!! I took some persuading but in the end I had to trust him to jump through the sideways trees on the other side of this parallel towpath and I would return to the outside I had left hours ago. I held my breath and launched my whole being at the sideways trees. There was my boat with Her calling from the side! I didn’t have chance to check that I had made the leap across in one piece I just had to get back to the safety of the inside.

Tilly was gone till after 11pm last night!

Today we saw to the yellow water tank and pootled up to the lock which volunteers had been painting between showers, luckily one of them came out to help, so no chance of getting black or white paint on me. Once filled with water we pootled along the pound leaving Milton Keynes behind escorted by Poplar trees most of the way.

Stoke Hammond Lock welcomes you back into the countryside and is the first lock where you can see where there used to be a second lock chamber with it’s two arched bridge. The pumping station was hard at work back pumping to try to keep the levels up.

At Soulbury Three Locks I emptied the bottom chamber of a foot of water as a volunteer came down to chat. There was one boat just starting to come down the top of the three locks, so once up the first lock would we wait to swap locks with them, certainly. Of course with the lock half full a boat appeared behind, so we waited for them to join us in the middle lock. NB Pond Life were on a bit more of a mission than us as they were wanting to reach Aylesbury before the weekend, so they left the lock first and we followed.

The canal wraps itself around small hills, nestling up to the railway at times and then turning it’s back on it the next. Not far before we moored up outside The Globe Inn for the day, one space left along the road, we grabbed it as soon behind us would be the returning hire boats. A few boats ahead was the familiar sight of Heather (Mrs Bleasdale) mooring up Tench right outside the pub. We had successfully managed to meet up with Alarum Theatre Company on a show night.

As soon as Heather had finished tying up she was round for a nosy on Oleanna and a cuppa. She had hoped to have reached the pub yesterday but a stoppage at Grove Lock had held them up overnight. Luckily C&RT finished their work on time and removed the stop planks, the other boats kindly letting Tench and NB Morning Mist through first.

Kate and the other Heather accommodated the pub somewhat by delaying the start of the show so that people could actually eat their food that had taken so long in arriving. But the wait was very worth it. Idle Women is actually two performances written and performed by the writers, Kate Saffin and Heather Wastie recounting the story of the women who worked the boats during WW2. Tench and the company are recreating the journey that the boats and trainees took through the summer and performing as they go. Bulls Bridge to Limehouse, to Birmingham, to Coventry and then back to London. We hope that on our way north we can coincide with them again and maybe do a bit of crewing too. If you get chance to see the show do, most performances are free, but donations to their running costs are gratefully received.

5 locks, 6.58 miles, 1 swing bridge, 1 empty wee tank, 1 full water tank, 1 last mooring, 2 cats next boat! 2 Heathers, 1 Kate, 2 great performances, 1 dry evening, 2 torches and mooring spikes as footlights, a little 2 much to drink.