Tue
15th October Peartree Bridge to Leighton Buzzard
Heavy
rain in the night meant that the towpath was very wet and muddy as we set off on
our final week of cruising. We can only imagine what wet paths were like in the
days of horse drawn boats. There were some nice autumn colours around, as well
as a fearless heron, who stayed put as we passed.
We
arrived at Fenny Stratford Lock, which has a rise of just a few inches, and a
swingbridge over the top, which I won't go on about this time. We filled our water tank, which took some time as the
pressure was low, but not like the trickle we had found at Peartree Bridge. We
also emptied bins and cassettes.
James
helped a lady with the swingbridge, as there is a foot catch which is not
mentioned in the instructions on the notice board.
After
Stoke Hammond Lock, we met Martin and Julie on Ruby Louise, the boat we
had shared with on the Buckby and Stoke Bruerne Locks a few days ago. They had
been to Aylesbury and back. Will we meet again? I hope so.
There
were three volunteer lock keepers (like buses!) on the Three Locks flight, so
we made good progress. James gave out “How do locks work” to one of them.
The
Globe Inn looked very picturesque as we passed, and we paused for shopping at
Tesco and Aldi. We seldom pass here without stopping! Out and About was
moored up, but no sign of Tudor and Flo.
Out and About moored by the shops
We
moved on, looking for a mooring where our washing would dry. We found a place
in the sunshine just before Tiddenfoot Park.
6
locks, 10 miles, 1 swing bridge. Dep 0850 arr Tesco 1355. Dep 1505 arr 1520
Wed
16th October Leighton Buzzard to Marsworth
There
were some lovely red autumn colours as we arrived at Grove Lock, where we
remember the old lock cottage being converted into a pub.
There
were no moving boats around as we headed south through Church, Slapton and
Horton Locks on our own. At Ivinghoe Locks we met a small sailing boat. They
seemed unsure of things, not getting back on the boat at the lock when it was
easy, but fiddling around further down the canal instead. Several of the locks
have double arched bridges, where there was a plan to have a second lock built.
At
one point James was taking a picture of a cormorant on a wire, when two
kingfishers appeared, and James had the camera ready.
Side ponds no longer used
The swing bridge at Pitstone
Our
final wide lock was at Marsworth, and we moored up on the rings soon after,
where we still had some sunshine before some trees make it darker.
We
went for a muddy walk down the towpath to the Red Lion for a meal. This pub is
very unspoilt, and has a quaint way of operating, with separate payments for
the bar and the kitchen. The pictures on the walls are completely random, with
a picture of the Thames next to a map of scotch whiskies. The ornaments on the
shelves look like a bric-a-brac stall. The meal was good, and they had a decent
Weston’s cider. The lady chef lives on a narrowboat called Princess Bess.
11
locks, 7 miles, 1 swing bridge. Dep 1120 arr 1555.
Thu
16th October Marsworth to Buckland Lock
This
was another lovely sunny day. We didn’t need to stop for facilities, except for
a bag of ash which James left in the bin as we passed.
Leaving our Marsworth mooring
We
turned into the Aylesbury Arm and descended the staircase pair of locks,
continuing further down until it started to rain at Wilstone, so we moored up.
Lock 1 on the Aylesbury Arm
Eventually
the rain stopped, and we started off again to do a further three locks, before
stopping by the Arla dairy.
11
locks, 3 miles. Dep 1000 arr Wilstone 1150. Dep 1400 arr 1520 Dairy.
Fri
17th October Buckland Lock to Aylesbury Canal Society
We
had heavy rain in the night with thunder and lightning. A lot of leaves fell on
our boat in the wind. Although the dairy was very close to us, there was no
disturbance from lorries or machinery. By the morning we had bright sunshine as
we faced the final three locks of the year.
Crinkly piling at Red House Lock
There
is one very reedy section where the reeds touch the boat on both sides,
reminiscent of some of the waterways on the fens.
A path through the reeds
The view from the bows
Squeezing through Bridge 10
We
had phoned Andrew the moorings manager, but he was off site. Bryan was also
unavailable, so we had to operate the lift bridge ourselves. There is nowhere
for anyone to get off from the stern, so Hazel got off by the bridge from the
bows and then James reversed back for some distance to make a wider sweep into
the basin.
We
then reversed onto the fuel pontoon, where we filled the diesel tank, and
offloaded flowerpots and coal bags. We sat out a small shower before making the
final move across to our usual mooring for the winter.
We
went to the bar in the evening where we caught up with lots of people and
discussed the years cruising, house building, boat painting, pumpouts and
cassettes. We tried to avoid the B word, as Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal will be
voted on tomorrow, and the subject is very divisive.
3
locks, 3 miles, 1 lift bridge. Dep 1010 arr 1150.
Totals
for 2019:
413
locks, 843 miles, 10 lift or swing bridges, 6 tunnels, 371 cruising hours.
No
plans for blogging during the winter. We are off to Australia for a while. Next
year’s boating plans are not made yet.
Thu
10th October Giffard Park to Peartree Bridge
It
was a lovely day for the short cruise to Peartree Bridge to be nearer the bus
routes. WE passed some art works and the entrance to what will one day be a
link to Bedford, now used for moorings.
Moored near Peartree Bridge
Then
we took bus no 4 into Milton Keynes. We ordered some waterproof boots for James
from Hotter, then went to Chopstix for a meal before catching the bus back
again. We had had some rain, and the towpath here was now very wet and muddy.
0
locks, 3 miles
Fri
11th October Peartree Bridge / Saxmundham
Bus
number 4 again, this time to Milton Keynes railway station, where we
successfully acquired our tickets from a machine. We tried to go through the
barriers for an earlier train to London, to give us more transit time, but the
barriers would not open for us. Then we discovered that the only public toilets
were on the platforms, so the guard had to let us through. We waited on
platform 4 where other Euston trains were departing from, but noticed that our
designated train was not listed on the departures for that platform. Making
enquiries, we found it was going from platform 2, so we crossed the bridge
again. As we got on the train, we found that it was stopping at several
stations, and not direct, as the others had been.
The
transit through London was an unnecessary rush as a result, on a section of the
Northern Line, and one stop on the Central Line. A lady in her thirties gave up
her seat for James, who didn’t know
whether to feel grateful or elderly.
At
Liverpool Street we had no time to sit down for a drink as we would have liked,
but instead had to grab take away things. Hazel’s mug of tea fell over in the
paper carrier bag, and tea made the bag soggy, so the whole mug dropped onto
the floor of the train, spilling tea everywhere. James used a lot of loo roll
from the nearby train loo to mop it up before someone slipped on the wet
floor. Hazel went without tea as there
was no buffet car.
We
arrived at Ipswich and were met by Maggie, and we went to visit cousin Andrew
in hospital, who is still suffering from a stroke, and has recently burned his
hand severely from the hot water in his apartment. He was finding it difficult
to find the words he wanted to say, and was obviously frustrated by this. He
pointed to his hand and said, “Half of this is coming off next week”. We hadn’t
been told that he was going to have an amputation. Then it dawned on us that he
meant that some of the bandages were to be removed instead.
We
left the hospital and went via Waitrose in Maggie’s car to join her and Clive
for two nights at their home near Saxmundham.
We
took the cover off our car on their drive where it had been for six months, and
we reconnected the battery. The engine started first time, but the tyres were soft.
No
boating today
Sat
12th October Peartree Bridge / Saxmundham
There
was some post to sort out today, plus car tyres to inflate with Clive’s
compressor. Then we all went for a lovely pub lunch at the White Horse in
Sibton. They have won AA rosettes and other awards, justly deserved.
We
drove back through Framlingham to see the sausage festival, and then discovered
that it wasn’t happening until tomorrow!
No
boating today
Sun
13th October Peartree Bridge / Saxmundham
Looking
out of the kitchen window this morning, there was a kingfisher on a branch
overhanging the pond. He dived in several times, but we didn’t see him catch
anything. He was there for 15 minutes.
We
left Maggie and Clive and set off by car for Milton Keynes. Our route took us
through Framlingham again, but we didn’t stop for sausages.
Before
returning to our boat, we called in at Waitrose for some bits, including their
Ancient Grains Muffins, which had been out of stock in Saxmundham.
Back
on the boat, we lit a fire, and started the engine to give the batteries a
boost. We went for a Sunday carvery at the Waterside, which was very good. We
wanted to leave the car there overnight, and have breakfast there in the
morning, but we were told we would be charged if we stayed beyond
midnight. James found an alternative
place to park, the other side of the canal.
We
visited Milton Keynes Christian Centre and enjoyed their café church. The
sermon was based on the first verse of the first chapter of the book of James.
We met someone who lives in Fenny Stratford, close to where we hope to have a
mission next year.
Back
to the boat by car, parking it on a small estate road, and walking back through
a small park, avoiding the wet towpath.
No
boating today
Mon
14th October Peartree Bridge / Aylesbury
We
drove to Aylesbury, collecting a prescription for Hazel, and calling in at
More+, the café run by our church. We met several friends there and enjoyed
coffee and cake.
We
then went to the canal basin where we collected parcels and post. We left the
car there and took a bus back to Milton Keynes where we had a meal in a sushi
restaurant for the first time. We collected boots from Hotter for James – not
the ones we had ordered, as they were uncomfortable, but instead James chose a
different style.
Then
we took a number 4 bus back to Peartree Bridge and returned to the boat. It had
rained for most of the day, and we stayed put.
No
boating today
Next:
We start the final leg of our journey back to Aylesbury, hoping to reach the
canal basin by Friday, when many of the boat residents gather in the bar.
