Aylesbury Basin to Berkhamsted

Monday 1st July - Aylesbury Basin

Today we drove to Totton, Southampton to visit Annie, Pete and Alba.  Alba is 6 weeks old today and we had a lovely day playing with her, having lunch and going for a walk.

Alba is growing quickly and is now able to hold her head up for a few moments at a time!










Tuesday 2nd July - Aylesbury Basin to Wilstone

Today Toby went for a haircut and we did some provision shopping and filled up with water.  Once we had collected Toby, we set off on our journey back up the Aylesbury Arm.

Lock 16 of all 16 locks up to the main branch of the canal.

This marina is just beyond lock 15 and you can moor here for 14 days free of charge, don't think I know of anywhere else you can do this!

For the eagle eyed amongst you, you may realise I used this photo last week, but I've put it in again to show the reeds narrowing the channel.  This time it was very weedy, and it slowed our moving right down, and we waited for a boat to clear the reeds as it was constantly getting stuck.









So, we managed to get as far as Wilstone, after 8 locks and decided to moor up for the night, a pleasant enough stop with a strange story.  In 1751 a dastardly act took place according to local legend at Dinah's pond in Watery Lane. Even today many old villagers would not stroll down there at midnight!   An accused Witch was subject to a trial by ducking, the last to take place in the county, having been outlawed for 16 years. The unfortunate woman Ruth Osborne drowned and the inquest was held at the Half Moon. The main perpetrator was tried at Hertford and condemned to hang in chains on Wilstone Green.

5 miles, 8 locks, 4 hrs cruising time.


Wednesday 3rd July - Wilstone to Little Tring (Wendover Arm)

We cruised up through the 8 remaining locks, this was taken as we entered the bottom lock of the staircase locks looking back along the Arm.

At the top of the arm we turned right and continued up 7 more wide locks.  Here I am waiting for a widebeam to exit the lock.

At the top of this lock we turned right on to the Wendover Arm.  The Wendover Arm of the Grand Union Canal provides a scenic and tranquil route from Bulbourne to Wendover - built as a feeder to provide much needed water to the Tring summit on the Grand Union. For a small additional cost the canal was made navigable and opened in 1797.  It provides 1.5 miles of lock free cruising, delightful!

Half way along is an enormous flour mill, Heygates Flours, bringing much noise and bustle to an otherwise idyllic scene.

We turned in Little Tring Winding Hole and moored at the visitor moorings.  Apart from a few fishermen, it was completely deserted.  We decided to stay for an extra day and explore the rest of the Wendover Arm which is currently being restored.







3.25 miles, 15 locks, 4 hrs 48 mins cruising time.


Thursday 4th July - Little Tring Winding Hole

Another glorious day, so we decided to walk early so it wouldn't be too hot for Toby.  This stretch of the Wendover Arm is currently being restored, this was last worked on in June.

This section is already in water, although it looks full of weed at the moment.

                                                      We diverted our walk down to Wilstone Reservoir and walked all the way round it.

Moorhen sitting on its nest and other ducks, geese and swans lazily moving on the water.

Toby found some shade and sat quietly to cool down whilst we watched the antics of the diving ducks.

Sunset over Little Tring Winding Hole, so calm and peaceful.  This mooring must rank as the most delightful we have ever been in, the arm is a hidden treasure and is an absolute delight.









Friday 5th July - Little Tring Winding Hole to Berkhamsted Lock 53

This craft was moored at the end of the winding hole and left at 10pm last night.  It got as far as this on the way to Berkhamsted, it is another oil rig life boat adapted for canal cruising and living.  It is powered by an 15hp outboard motor.





We cruised down through the 7 locks, put some water on and arrived in Berkhamsted by lunch time.  We had a phone call from Lizzie after a visit to the doctor, she has acute tonsillitis and a nasty case of quinsy.  The doctor gave her a letter which would admit her to hospital immediately if the quinsy got worse.  We decided to hire a car and Dave drove to be with her for the weekend until she is out of danger.  Toby and I were boat sitting in Berkhamsted until Dave returns.




Saturday 6th July - Berkhamsted

Toby and I spent the day in and around Berkhamsted.  

Walking along the canal we found a totem pole of all things.  The pole was shipped to Britain from Canada and erected at Alsford's Wharf in 1968. Alsford's warehouses were replaced in 1994 by a private housing development which limit access to the pole, so that it can be viewed only at a distance from the public road. It is one of only a handful of totem poles in the United Kingdom, others being on display at the British Museum and Horniman Museum in London, Windsor Great Park, Bushy Park and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

Berkhamsted Castle was first built as a timber motte-and-bailey castle in the late 11th century. One of the most important early Norman castles, it controlled the northern approach to London, 30 miles away. Kept in royal hands, it was occupied by key figures of the Middle Ages, such as Thomas Becket, Richard, Earl of Cornwall, and the Black Prince. Much of its stone was plundered during the 16th century.










Sunday 7th July - Berkhamsted

Today, Dave felt Lizzie was well enough to leave on her own and he returned to us in Berkhamsted.  We walked along the canal to The Boat and had Sunday Lunch, very good indeed!

This attractive building is on the south side of the canal between Ravens Lane and Castle Street.  It is known as Castle Wharf (The Port of Berkhamsted) which was the centre of the town's canal trade, navigation and boat building activities. This was an area of vibrant waterway activity. Colourful boats, originally mule drawn, were a constant sight.

Main activities included the transport of coal, grain, building materials and manure. Timber yards, boating wharves, breweries, boat building and chemical works and all the people that served these industries, flourished as a result of the canal.








A lovely building, the lower building was a pub established in 1605 and is now long-closed and in residential use.  It was called The Boote, and you can see why!

St Peter’s Church was originally built at the beginning of the 13th century, possibly on the site of an even earlier church, but was restored in 1820 and again in 1870 which is when most of the external stonework dates from. Today, it is the oldest surviving building in Berkhamsted and, architecturally, the most important.








Tomorrow we resume our cruise.

London Calling Week 4 - Cosgrove to Aylesbury Basin

Monday 24th June - Cosgrove to Fenny Stratford

We left our mooring in Cosgrove on a rather overcast morning and I and Toby walked down to the lock.

The Buckingham Arm stretches across to the right and is now undergoing restoration, with a nature trail following the disused canal. 

This is The Great Ouse Aqueduct, which carries the canal over the Great Ouse via an iron trunk aqueduct.  Built in 1811, it is a square cast iron trough carried on stone pillars, which replaced a brick structure that collapsed in 1808 and before that  a series of nine locks which were abandoned due to the risk of flooding.

There are a number of sculptures in Milton Keynes - this one is called 'Reaching Forward' and is at the start of the vast new city of Milton Keynes.

This mural on the wall commemorates the history of Wolverton which continues to be home to the royal train.

We stopped off on our way at Great Linford and took Toby for a walk through the park.  During his time as owner of the estate, Sir William Pritchard provided a school house, at that time stated as for the education of local boys, and three almshouses each side for six unmarried poor people of the parish. These ancient buildings, which overlook the Water Gardens, along with the nearby renovated thatched barn, and the pavilions, are occupied by the independently-run Milton Keynes Arts Centre.

The centrepiece of the park is Great Linford Manor.  The Manor was built by Sir William Pritchard, who later became the Lord Mayor of London in 1690. The estate passed to his relatives, the Uthwatts, who extended the house during the 1700s to its present size, employing a number of tricks to make the house look more impressive. For instance, the wing nearest to the village was originally a single storey ballroom, but false windows were put in to create the impression of an 'upstairs' and preserve the building's symmetry.

Along this stretch of the canal is a new marina, but it is also the proposed starting point of the new Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway. The Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Trust was established in 1995 to promote the development of a  broad waterway park, which will link the Grand Union Canal in Milton Keynes to the river Great Ouse in Bedford through a series of waterway parks.

This heron has a wonderful vantage point from this bridge.  He continued to follow the boat, flying over and beside us as we cruised towards Fenny Stratford.

The lock at Fenny Stratford is unusual because it has a swingbridge in the middle which must be opened before you can go through the lock.  The lock has a rise of 1ft 1 inch!

A lovely example of a mile post for the Grand Junction Canal Company.  This company was merged with the Regent's and Warwick Canal companies and became known as the Grand Union Canal Company in 1929.








11 miles, 1 lock, 4 hrs and 30 mins cruising time.




Tuesday 25th June - Fenny Stratford to Leighton Buzzard


A chilly grey sort of day, we left Fenny Stratford and made our way through the lock and swing bridge before filling up with water and disposing of rubbish.

At the Soulbury locks we were met by three volunteers, John, Richard and David, who helped us up through the three locks.

The restoration of the historic pumping station at Soulbury Three Locks is being carried out by the Canal & River Trust with the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund, who are contributing £391,100 to bring the historic building back into use. 









We got to Leighton Buzzard and it was very busy with very little space to moor.  We eventually found a space past the town bridge and moored up for the night.  After a walk into town to do a small shop, too far to carry a lot of shopping, we settled down for a quiet evening on board.

8.25 miles, 5 locks, 1 swing bridge, 4 hrs 48 mins cruising time including putting on water.



Wednesday 26th June - Leighton Buzzard to Marsworth Lock

Set off from Leighton Buzzard on another cool and damp morning.

At this lock is a three-bedroom house which started life as a church and, when it was in use, was known as the smallest in Buckinghamshire. St Michael and All Angels, in the hamlet of Grove, near Leighton Buzzard, had room for only 50 parishioners.

This unusual craft is a converted oil rig lifeboat.  It was tied to the boat in front, so must make added living accommodation.

This extra arch at this lock is the remains of a duplicate narrow lock which was installed alongside the original wide lock in an effort to reduce the amount of water used by single boats.

In the distance are the Chilterns and it is possible to see the chalk Whipsnade Lion cut into Dunstable Down in 1933 to advertise Whipsnade Zoo.









We moored just below the Marsworth Locks for the night and met up with friends for an evening at the Red Lion.

7.25 miles, 9 locks, 4 hrs 36 mins cruising time.


Thursday 27th June - Marsworth Locks to Aylesbury Basin

Today we set off from our mooring to head up through the two Marsworth Locks.  It took us over an hour as the pound between the two locks was practically dry and Dave had to fill the pound before I could leave the first lock.

Here we turned off the main canal onto the Aylesbury Arm.  A narrow canal with 16 narrow locks all the way into Aylesbury.  It opened in 1815 and working boats used it for about 150 years.







  

We passed a boat with Market Drayton on the side, the first we have ever seen!

The channel narrowed considerably and the towpath disappeared from view, all very peaceful apart from the whispering of the tall reeds as we passed.

The Yellow Water-lily is a common plant of still or slow-moving water and grows in ponds, lakes, canals and ditches. It has large, lily-pad leaves that are up to 40cm across, and grows in water up to 3m deep; the leaves and flowers float at the surface, while the rest of the plant is submerged, growing from the mud at the bottom. It flowers during the summer, from June to September, and smells like the dregs of wine, hence other common names like 'Brandy Bottle'. Water-lilies are good plants to add to a wildlife-friendly pond, providing shelter for frogs and early nectar for insects.

Ducks standng on the lock gate as the lock emptied below them, 

A beautiful mooring in the basin, 14 days absolutely free, all the facilities you could possibly want and a short walk into the town.  









6.75 miles, 18 locks, 6 hrs 36 mins cruising time.



Friday 28th June - Aylesbury Basin

In the town under the arch we found a statue of Ziggy Stardust which plays one of 2,000 David Bowie tracks on the hour every hour throughout the day.  David Bowie launched Ziggy Stardust in Aylesbury 45 years ago.








After a haircut and an early evening meal, Dave and I went to the Waterside Theatre to see the Illegal Eagles in concert.  It was an amazing evening, brought back loads of memories from our student and early teaching days of the music of The Eagles.  

Saturday 29th June - Aylesbury Basin

The hottest day of the year so far - spending a quiet day on the boat trying to keep Toby cool

Liz runs the small trip boat moored beside us.  She is planting water lillies in the basin and told Dave she was praying to them as someone told her that was the key to success!

An aerial view of the Basin and Ella from the carpark above Waitrose.  The trip boat is getting ready to take out a 30th birthday party, you can see the balloons being loaded onto the boat.






Sunday 30th June - Aylesbury Basin


We hired a car yesterday for 2 days and are spending Sunday in Linton and Cambridge and Monday in Totton.





Today we drove to Linton and met up with Lizzie and Bea and had a walk around the village.  A beautiful place with a scarecrow festival going on.  Bea has found The BFG.

Then we went for lunch at The Dog and Duck, where we were joined by Laura and Amy.  After lunch we went to Cambridge and then called in to see my mother in Wootton on the way back to Aylesbury.







All in all, a busy day, but very enjoyable!