Cosgrove to Weedon

 

Mon 8^th Mar  Cosgrove to Stoke Bruerne locks

The plan today was to cruise to the top of Stoke Bruerne locks, and maybe a little further, then tomorrow to complete the trip to Weedon. Then James would take three buses to get back to Aylesbury for our car, and drive from Aylesbury to Weedon to collect Hazel and all our things from the boat. We wanted to be off the boat by the end of Tuesday, as heavy rain and gales were forecast for Wednesday.

We sent an email to Kathryn, our friend in Stoke Bruerne, to tell her our plans. We had an email straight back to say that Stoke Bruerne Locks are closed today, while workmen collect the bricks that had fallen in under the road bridge. They needed to drain the pound to achieve this, and James had missed the stoppage notice that been sent out on Thursday. Annoyingly, we could have continued yesterday and got up the locks past the affected area.

We quickly devised a plan B, which was for James to return to Aylesbury to get the car, take it to Weedon, and come back to the boat at Cosgrove. Looking at the bus timetable, we realised that the buses to Milton Keynes are only every two hours, and one was leaving in two minutes – not enough time to catch it.

To get everything done in time, James borrowed Hazel’s phone, and went through the horse tunnel to the pub.

The Barley Mow at Cosgrove

From there he took a taxi to Central Milton Keynes and caught an X6 bus to Aylesbury, and then waited for another bus to Kingsbury, which was shown on the illuminated departure board, but it didn’t show up. The entry just disappeared off the board, with another hour to wait. A taxi once again solved the problem, and after a quick visit to the apartment, James set off by car for Weedon.

Arriving at the boatyard, everything looked closed, but ringing the very loud bell brought a helpful lady, who let James park in the compound, before catching another taxi back to Cosgrove, going back through the horse tunnel, arriving in time to depart on the boat at 3pm.

The horse tunnel under the canal

Meanwhile Hazel had seen Vanguard go past, and had made a loose arrangement to share locks tomorrow.

We passed Solomons Bridge, the very ornate sandstone structure that has needed some work since a car smashed into it. There were a few other notable sights on the way.

Solomons Bridge

Lambs

Old buildings at Yardley Gobion

Swans keeping social distancing rules

Overflow weir to the River Tove

Manor House at Grafton Regis

An ancient willow tree

Winter tree

We reached the visitor moorings at the foot of Stoke Bruerne locks, and arranged with Sharon and Ray on Vanguard that we would start up the flight of seven locks at 9am.

Approaching Stoke Bruerne Locks

Water art

Moored below Stoke Bruerne Locks

0 locks, 5 miles, 3 taxis, 1 bus. Dep 1500, arr 1650.

Tue 9^th Mar  Stoke Bruerne to Weedon 

Dawn 

Early morning below Stoke Bruerne

We had a few chores to do before we set off. We moved up to the facilities, where we emptied rubbish and two cassettes. Meanwhile Ray had also been active, filling a low pound on the locks.

We set off up the locks as planned at 9am, and soon found our rhythm. Sharon likes running and she beat James to the next lock almost every time.

Sharing with Vanguard

 We saw the place where the wall had collapsed, and it looks as though it will not be replaced. The pedestrian access on that side will be closed off. It had a very low ceiling anyway. The pipe alongside the canal is for the back-pumping system.

The pipe under the road bridge 

The remains of the wall

At the long pound we spotted a boat that had gone past us last night. We carried on past for the top two locks. The swans were not yet a nuisance there. When they have cygnets, they occupy the whole towpath, and it is difficult to get past.

At the top lock we knocked on Kathryn’s door to say a brief “hello” as we weren’t stopping. Vanguard went first, and we followed a few minutes later. 

Kathryn

Ray and Sharon

At the mouth of the tunnel, they had stopped to sort out a few things, so we went past into the tunnel. We made good time – 25 minutes from one end to the other. It was extremely wet inside, more than is usual, particularly by the ventilation shafts. I didn’t get my camera out.

Vanguard entered the tunnel five minutes behind us, but we never saw them again. We went as fast as was sensible, without causing a wash, or upsetting moored boats.

We passed Gayton Junction where the Northampton Arm leaves the main line, and this is followed by an excellent example of a turnover bridge, designed so that horses can cross the canal with having to unhitch from the boat they are towing.

Gayton Junction

The Northampton Arm

The turnover bridge

We passed a boat with a remarkably high aerial pole, and when we asked, we found out he was a radio ham. 

High pole 

Phone mast in disguise shows up at this time of year

 

Greylag Goose and Canada Goose 

Rabbit on the towpath

We took it in turns to pack clothes, food, and gadgets to take with us, so when we arrived at Weedon, we were ready. We had a good chat with Steve about the work he was going to do on the boat, and we turned everything off and drained most of the water tank. 

Moored at the boatyard in Weedon

We left in the car, and made a slight detour to see the entrance to the Royal Ordnance Depot. The gates were open, so we drove in to have a look around. It was built in 1802 to store and maintain canons and other weapons, and there was a side arm to connect with the Grand Union. There is still an isolated canal running between the buildings. The building with a clock tower at one end has an arch underneath where the boats used to come in. It is now a visitor centre (when the pandemic permits).

The old warehouses

The canal through the depot 

The boat entrance 

We were soon back at Steve’s as we had forgotten to pack the eggs and some fresh vegetables. We departed for good on the second attempt, and stopped for fish and chips in Winslow. They required cash, and we realised that we still had cash that we drew out at the start of the first lockdown in March last year. Almost everyone prefers credit cards today.

So, we arrived back in Aylesbury and returned to the apartment. Delivery voyage over.

7 locks, 12 miles. Dep 0830, arr 1345.

Next: a few weeks waiting in Aylesbury, with maybe a visit or two to see progress on the boat.