March Weekend - Day 1

We came up to the boat separately yesterday -- and both had less than satisfactory journeys. Adrian set off at nearly 3pm from Liss, where he'd been to a meeting; he eventually arrived at the boat at 8pm having suffered from traffic and road closures. I got a train after work, and everything was delayed because someone had been hit by a train at Cheddington earlier in the day; I got to Wolverton at quarter to midnight, with Adrian waiting to collect me.

Adrian had got the fire going when he arrived, and it stayed in well overnight. This morning we got ready to cruise, and slipped out of the marina just before 9am, heading south. At Cosgrove there was an interesting looking boat, apparently made from a shipping container with a hull welded on. The bow is a straight triangle, with no finesse whatsoever.

Cosgrove lock was the only one of the day. After yesterday's sunshine today was dull, cloudy, with a bit of drizzle in the air. But at least it wasn't windy. Through Milton Keynes there were signs of Spring, with some trees already having some blossom.

They're doing work to Bridge 67, and the workmen were grappling with what looked like a big pile driving machine. I'm not sure what they're doing, but the bridge does look a bit cracked in the middle. It possible needs work to stop it shifting further.

After Milton Keynes marina there's a new block of apartments, which looks quite attractive. This is where an office building had burned down, and then the new building seemed to stall. For a long time it was just a shell, but now it's finished with people living in it.

We had lunch on the move, then moored up at about 1.15 at Fenny Stratford. In the afternoon, we walked to the shops, mainly because Adrian wanted to get some new walking shoes. We also went to Ikea and got onions from Tesco, as he'd forgotten to get them yesterday. As we walked past the lock a single-handler was coming down, so we closed the gates and the swing bridge for him; as we arrived back, the widebeam hire boat from Milton Keynes was about to come through, so I waited and did a gate for them too.

12 miles, 1 lock.

 

May cruise - day 2

We woke to a beautifully sunny, calm morning, and although we're both quite tired were up and about reasonably early, setting off at 8.15.  The first major landmark is Wolverton, where the old railway sheds have been converted into smart flats and offices, with new builds opposite.  There's a dramatic sculpture outside the flats, then a little further on there's a mural highlighting Wolverton's railway heritage.

By canal, there's a bit of a gap between Wolverton, Great Linford, and Milton Keynes; by road, there's no gap at all.  There are quite a few moored boats along this stretch, so going was fairly slow.  When we got to Milton Keynes Marina we turned in because we needed a pump out.  There's plenty of room once you're through the marina bridge, and I was able to spin round and reverse onto the wharf so the pump out point was on the correct side.  They told us it was self service, but brought out a rubber cone to make sure the connection was air-tight, and also had to turn the pump on and off for us; so semi-self-service, really.  Either way, we were able to give the tank a good rinse through.

Setting off again, a hire boat had just come in the moor opposite the marina entrance.  It didn't make much difference the way we were going, but it would have made a turn the other way virtually impossible.  They realised it wasn't the best place to moor, and followed us for a bit.

We met a boat at a blind bridge hole, which meant a bit of reversing, then had to go through a fishing match which seemed to go on for miles.  Bridge 92 makes for a pleasant scene, with a collection of old canalside buildings.  Immediately beyond it, the A5 thunders overhead on a high bridge.

There were only a couple of boats on the extensive moorings at Fenny Stratford, so we picked out spot and moored up.  After lunch, we walked through Fenny and Bletchley to Bletchley Park, home of the wartime codebreakers.  The museum seems a little disorganised in places (some might even say random), and some attractions, like the model railway society, have nothing to do with codebreaking at all.  Still, we had a pleasant couple of hours looking round, and our tickets are valid for a year.

Bletchley town has very little to recommend it.  Our route took us along the main shopping street, which is mostly discount stores, takeaways, and charity shops.  When we arrived back at the lock, a couple of boats were going through, so we swung the bridge back for them.  Tonight, we'll roast a chicken and take things easy.

10.5 miles, 0 locks.  (12 miles, 1 lock)