Grafton Regis to Leighton Buzzard

Wed 16^th September  Grafton Regis to Stanton Low Park

Moored near Grafton Regis.

This was a peaceful mooring, and we had another sunny day, a beautiful day for boating.

Good boating weather

 

A pair of working boats

We cruised past Yardley Gobion, where we saw what seemed to be a course for bicycles or motorbikes.

 

Competition course?

 

Sunflowers

 

An unusual pheasant

At Cosgrove, where we wanted to take on water, there was a boat already there, so we pulled in behind them. They weren’t moving for a while, so we managed to connect to the tap by connecting two hoses. The pressure was low, and it took 45 minutes. Meanwhile Robin and Laura on Miss Matty arrived and waited. We have met them before at Cavalcade in Little Venice.

 

Congestion at the water point

Miss Matty

We moved on down through Cosgrove Lock, and along the straight mile across the aqueduct over the Great Ouse, and on to Wolverton where we moored up and visited Tesco for some supplies.

 

Cosgrove Aqueduct

 

Looking down on the Great Ouse

 

Railway carriage manufacturing works at Wolverton

Moored for shopping in Wolverton.

We set off once more to go another two miles before mooring up. We passed the railway mural, and further on we met Aylesbury moorer Andy on Earlswood.

 

A heron

The mural

Andy on Earlswood

We continued to Stanton Low Park, one of our favourite Milton Keynes moorings. There were a lot of moored boats, and we were thankful to find a space on the piling, overlooking the ruins of St Peter’s Church.

It was a busy week with fine weather, and we heard that all the hire boats in the country had been booked out. There were lots of blue and red Wyvern Shipping hire boats around. Some were more experienced than others, and one hit us, as they were coming round the corner too fast and lost control.

Whiff and Anne came past again on Maris Otter. When all the boating had settled down, we had a lovely peaceful mooring.

1 lock, 7 miles. Dep 0945, arr 1245 Wolverton (incl 45 mins water). Dep 1405, arr 1455.

Thu 17^th September  Stanton Low Park to Hammond Lock

A lot of our boating was on tickover this morning, as we passed many moored boats, including Maris Otter once more. We passed the Old Wharf House, where the junction with the Newport Pagnell branch used to be. Soon after that we saw Kay on Karry B, another Aylesbury boat.

 

Old Wharf House

 

Met Kay on Karry B

 

The site of the proposed link to Bedford

Heron on a tree 

Fenny Stratford Lock had two hire boats going up in front of us. There were two more boats arriving as we left, so we could leave the lock gates and the swing bridge open.

We came across Tudor and Flo on Out n About. We see them nearly every time we pass through Milton Keynes.  Kathryn’s old boat Leo II was a little further on.

Out n About

Leo II

We shared Hammond Lock with a hire boat, and moored up just around the corner. James picked some blackberries.

 

Sharing Hammond Lock

 

Blackberries 

2 locks, 10 miles. Dep 0945, arr 1355.

Fri 18^th September  Hammond Lock to Leighton Buzzard

Two boats went past before we ready to move. When we set off, we were pleased that we had moored where we had done, as there were lots of boats moored along the Stoke Hammond pound, with few spaces between them.

We arrived at Three Locks, and discovered that the bottom lock was full, with the top gates open. The middle lock had the two boats going up, the ones that had passed us, and in the top lock was a hire boat waiting to move down to the middle lock.

James helped the hire boat down through the middle lock and the bottom lock, before we started up. At least we had the first two locks in our favour.

Our turn

 

Ascending Three Locks

When we left the Three Locks, we found that one of the boats in front had moored up. We followed the zig zag route past the Globe Inn, and arrived at Leighton Lock just as the other boat was going in, so we shared with Ooh-La-La.

They moored up soon afterwards, before the hire boat base where staff were busy turning boats around ready for more customers. The hire boat trade has been hiring out every boat recently, because people don’t want to go abroad for fear of having to quarantine on their return.

 

Sharing Leighton Lock with Ooh-La-La

 

Wyvern Shipping with few boats

We stopped outside Tesco on the two-hour visitor moorings. We visited Superdrug, Waitrose, Aldi and Tesco, and slightly exceeded our two hours. It is not enough. It should be 4 hours. If we wanted a haircut, or lunch, we would be overstaying.

We moved on another mile to find a more peaceful mooring away from the traffic, by the footbridge 115A, opposite a canoe club.

Our mooring in Leighton Buzzard

4 locks, 5 miles. Dep 1010, arr 1240 Leighton Buzzard. Dep 1455, arr 1520 Br 115A.

Next: Back to Aylesbury over three days