Spring Cruise: Day 9

I had to go to work today, and fortunately Aylesbury Station is just a few minutes walk from the basin.  Adrian had a visit from a former colleague, and they went out for lunch in town.

0 miles, 0 locks.  (39 miles, 42 locks)

Spring Cruise: Day 8

Another police officer had arranged to come and see us today, so before that I took a walk up to see if the canal was open (no) and call into Tesco on the way back.  The DC arrived about 11, and wanted to speak to each of us individually, so I went to wait outside while she spoke to Adrian.  During the hour and a half that took, the fire brigade arrived to practise using a hose.

Then it was my turn to give another statement — which took another hour.  While he was banished from the boat, Adrian had been to Waitrose for some lunch.  After I’d had something to eat we moved the boat across the basin to the water point to fill the tank and run the washing machine.  We washed one side of the boat while it was on the towpath side.

Another email came through to say the canal was now open (incidentally, today’s police officer confirmed that the canal was opened briefly yesterday, until search officers found something and closed it again), so we walked up to visit the scene — really just to see if we’d remembered things correctly.  While we were there, a group of CRT people were also visiting, including the chief exec, Richard Parry, whom we had a chat with.

On the way back we routed via the big B&Q across the road to get some logs.  They didn’t have any real ones, so we got some coffee logs instead, which we’ve had before and quite liked.

Of course now we physically could leave Aylesbury, we can’t — because I have to go to work tomorrow for a day that I couldn’t get leave for.  There are no trains on the Euston line this weekend, which is why we’d planned to be back near the car — but here the station is close by and has trains.  We’ll escape on Sunday.

0 miles, 0 locks.  (39 miles, 42 locks)

Spring Cruise: Day 7

First thing this morning, I walked up to see if there was any news on the canal re-opening.  There wasn’t.  After breakfast, we acted on a suggestion of Paul Balmer of Waterway Routes, and took a train two stops down to Wendover, where we found the end of the Wendover Arm.

We have boated the other end of the arm, which leaves the mainline at Bulbourne Junction and goes a couple of miles to a big winding hole.  The middle section is being restored and is not currently in water, while the Wendover end has water in it, but of course isn’t connected.  There will need to be some work raising bridges and moving pipes before any boats can use this end.  The first bridge is one of the narrowest we’ve seen.

At Halton, there’s another bridge that’s too low for a boat, which carries a road.

Just behind is Rothschild Bridge.  The Rothschilds were big landowners in the area.

The sunshine had given way to clouds and the odd spot of rain, so we returned to Wendover, which is an attractive town with a market in the High Street.  We had tea and cake at a cafe; a small-scale anti HS2 protest was going on.

As we waited for a train back to Aylesbury, a CRT stoppage update came through saying the Arm was now open again, although the towpath remained closed.  When we got back to the boat, we immediately made preparations and set off, up the two locks and onto the crime scene — where the police tape was still across the bridge.  I went to speak to the police on duty, who knew nothing about any opening; I then phoned CRT, who called me back a little while later to say that they’d been told by the police they could re-open the navigation, but that on double checking the police had now changed their minds.  It meant we had another reverse and turn to do, before returning to Aylesbury Basin.  Adrian was at the helm for the difficult bit this time.

During the day there have been a few updates.The man arrested is under guard in hospital, the woman arrested has been released on bail, and the victim’s name has been released.  His family has released a statement.

3 miles, 4 locks.  (39 miles, 42 locks)

Spring Cruise: Day 6

Calling it a Spring Cruise seems like a misnomer at the moment, as we still can’t go anywhere.  This morning we walked up to the crime scene to see if anything had changed.  The police on the outside of the cordon can’t tell us anything about when the canal might be open again.  The towpath diversion goes up onto an embankment, which encloses a flood water storage area for Bear Brook, which runs through Aylesbury.  We followed the Brook back alongside the canal; at the top end of lock 15, it goes under the canal which is carried on a hefty brick aqueduct.

We called in at Tesco on the way back for some shopping, and this afternoon had another wander through Aylesbury town centre.  The more we see of the town, the less it has to offer!  It’s also turned colder and showery, so we lit the fire this afternoon.

0 miles, 0 locks.  (36 miles, 38 locks)

Spring Cruise: Day 5

Yesterday evening, a couple of police officers came round to take our details and basic information about what we’d seen as we came through Broughton Lock.  They said they were investigating a homicide.  Later, there was a police news release about a murder inquiry having been started.  A bit later, all the police tape was removed from around the basin and the police who’d been stopping people using the towpath all disappeared.

This morning, I checked the CRT stoppage notices and rang the police to see if the canal was open.  They said they didn’t really know, but there was nothing on the log to say it was still shut.  So after breakfast we crossed the basin to the service point to fill up with water, and started a wash load.  We then set off, up the first two locks.  But at Bridge 16 we could see police in hi-viz, and some more tape.  The towpath was shut.  As officer came to tell us we wouldn’t be allowed through the lock as forensic work was going on.  We tied up as best we could; subsequently they put some police tape right across the bridge hole.

During the morning, CRT put out a statement saying one of their staff had died yesterday.  Then I had a call from a detective wanting to come and take formal statements from us.  We told her where we were, and she arrived a little while later.  Giving the statements took around two hours in all; at first it seems that you don’t really know much of use (after all, we hadn’t seen the actual incident) but after a while you realise that everyone knows different things, and together they all add up to something significant.  As the DC was leaving, we asked her to try to find out when the canal would be open again.

At around 3pm, we decided we’d rather not wait any longer, so would reverse to the winding hole at Circus Fields Basin, and return to Aylesbury Basin for the night.  The reverse was about a quarter of a mile, but happened relatively straightforwardly.  As we worked our way back, the DC phoned to say the canal would not be open today, and might not even be open tomorrow.

We slotted back into the same space in the basin, and then as I was seriously short on steps today, I went off for a walk.  Aylesbury has very little to recommend it.  The area around the church has some nice old buildings, but most of the town is of an unattractive vintage, and some of the buildings are spectacularly ugly.

Just outside the basin, by the theatre, is a statue of Ronnie Barker, who made one of his first performances here.

3 miles, 4 locks.  (36 miles, 38 locks)

Spring Cruise: Day 4

We set off about 8.45, with me walking to the locks at the top of the Aylesbury Arm, and Adrian bringing the boat.  The top two locks are a staircase pair, and I started filling the top one.  It seemed to take an age, and opening the top gate was a real struggle.  Then it became clear why: the bottom lock had filled too.  Just then, the local CRT guy came along, because the pound below the locks had been reported as being very low.  He said the paddle between the two locks broke last week and has been replaced with a temporary one, which doesn’t seal properly.  Anyway, he ran some water down while we were in the top lock, and went to set the next lock for us.  Eventually we got on our way.

After the first few locks, there was no shortage of water, in fact at some of the locks there was a huge amount of water coming over the top gates.

It’s a very pretty, rural canal, with some lovely views.

It was 2014 when we last came down, and since then there has been a lot of building — including these very smart houses at Wilstone.

We eventually caught up with a boat ahead.  At Broughton Lock, we were surprised they hadn’t already started going down, but it seemed there had been some sort of incident involving a cyclist and someone else, which they had half seen, and a boat going the other way had completely seen.  Both were reporting it to the police.  They had been asked to wait, so once down the lock they tied up and we carried on down the last couple of locks into the basin.  We tied up on a pontoon mooring; the last time we were here, the big while Buckingham University building was just a hole in the ground.

Soon after tying up, we noticed police around, taping off the canal and the towpath.  We headed into town to look at the David Bowie sculpture.  It’s supposed to play a random Bowie song every hour on the hour, but it didn’t do it at 3pm.

The Old County Hall had some filming going on.  I asked what it was but the guy wouldn’t tell me — only that it was a feature film.  I guess they were using the court room in there, because people dressed as barristers were hanging around outside.

Back at the basin, there were even more police about.  We’ve had our details taken, along with all the other boaters here.  Hopefully the canal won’t be closed for too long...

7 miles, 16 locks.  (33 miles, 34 locks)

London-bound: Day 4

Although we are still generally London-bound, today we've actually got further away -- by taking a detour down the Aylesbury Arm.  We tried to do this stretch of water on two previous occasions, and both times it's been closed.  So it was third time lucky.

We set off at just before 8am, making our way along to the junction -- again wondering why most of the visitor moorings were empty.  Work is progressing on the development at the junction, with the new houses having steel frames.

The top two locks are a staircase, and it's just as well we knew what we were doing, as the instruction sign is behind the development fence, with just the CRT logo sticking over the top.  Lock 2 has a new balance beam, fitted just a few days ago -- in fact, at one stage I feared that stoppage would scupper for a third time our chances of doing the arm

At first the locks come thick and fast, with the first nine in about a mile.  They're narrow locks, which should make things easier, but in fact these aren't as easy as some.  The bottom gates are mitres, but the way to cross them is on top of the gates, rather than with a projecting walkway, so it's really not possible to step across when one gate is open and the other closed.  The depth of most meant that once the lock was empty, I could walk across the roof of the boat to open the second gate.  Also, most of the locks have to be left empty, so we usually had to close a bottom paddle and fill the lock before we could use it.  There was quite a lot of water coming down, too, often cascading over the top gates.  However, it's a very pretty run down the hill into the vale.

I worked the first nine locks, then Adrian did the next four, which are in two pairs.  Lock 12 is the one which collapsed recently and had to ave one wall rebuilt.  It's next to the vast new Arla dairy.

After Lock 13 is a stretch of a couple of miles without a lock.  Again, the countryside is very attractive, the channel is narrow and lined with reeds, and the bridges seem impossibly small, partly because the offside is frequently rather overgrown.  At one bridge, two horses appeared to enjoy watching the boats, one on one side of the bridge, and the other facing the opposite way -- like a classic push-me-pull-you.

A couple of locks from the end of the arm, we passed the new basin when the Aylesbury Canal Society is based.  They used to be in the basin in town, but moved and have brand new facilities at Circus Field instead.  Houses are being built alongside.

We carried on down the final two locks into the basin at the end of the arm.  A lot of work has been done here, with a new Waitrose and Travelodge having been built, and the Waterside Theatre a major new landmark.  There's more work being carried out now, with a new educational centre currently at the below-ground level.  Some new finger pontoons have been installed, and Adrian did a great spin and reverse into one of the gaps.

It was almost 1pm, so we went and had a very nice lunch at the cafe in the theatre, then walked around the town centre (everything you could need, but not very inspiring), before returning via Waitrose.  It really is just steps to get back to the boat.

This afternoon, Adrian went to Costa just over the road to make use of their wifi, with only limited success.  I washed the roof of the boat, which has looked like a disgrace so far this trip.  Before we left the marina, the neighbouring field was harvested, meaning the whole boat was covered in baked on dust.  We then both washed the pontoon side, which looks a whole lot better.  We'll do the other side later in the week.

All in all, the Aylesbury Arm is a worthwhile detour.  It's very pretty, and Aylesbury itself is beginning to make the most of the basin.  There's been some noise from the building work this afternoon, but the workers all knocked off at 5pm.  Tomorrow, we retrace our steps back up the hill.

7 miles, 16 locks.  (35 miles, 34 locks)