June weekend: Day 1

I came up to the boat after a night shift.  I dozed off on the train, so the journey seemed quick, and I got to Wolverton at 8.12.  I set off walking along the towpath to the marina, which took just under an hour; it was already sunny and very warm.  After doing a few jobs around the boat, I set off just after 9.30.  The fuel boats, which I’d walked past at Cosgrove, were servicing some of the boats on the outside of the marina.  I considered stopping to change a gas bottle, but thought it might be a bit complicated.

It was a beautiful morning to be boating.  When I got to Cosgrove Lock, it was almost empty so needed filling.

By the time I was going into the lock, a boat had arrived below, so they helped and I didn’t need to shut the gate.  I carried on to Wolverton, arriving almost three hours after I’d walked through there.  Now I had hot water, I had a shower and a change of clothes, then went to Tesco to get food for the next few days.

Back at the boat I had lunch, then about 12.30 set off again, heading for the winding hole at New Bradwell.  I turned around and re-traced my steps.  After about 45 minutes I was going through Wolverton again.  When I got back to Cosgrove Lock I turned around again.  I’d been planning to top up with water, but realised I didn’t have a BW key with me; we have at least three, but because I travelled light they’re all at home!  I moored up in the first spot below the lock — Adrian is on his way here, so I wanted to be as near to car access as possible.

I’m only a mile from the marina, but I’ve done six miles to get here!

6 miles, 1 lock.

May Bank Holiday: Day 1

We left home at 7am, and drove up to Brinklow Marina, to attend the Electrika electric boat show.  We listened to some of the talks and spoke to a lot of people, and I’ll be writing a piece for Canal Boat.  It was good to hear from electric boat owners, and see some of the latest tech.  We left about 2pm, made a stop at Tesco in Rugby, and headed for Briar Rose.  We were soon unpacked and setting off, heading for Cosgrove.

Before the lock we passed a couple of boats going the other way, and then at the lock a boat was about to come up.  As the lock landing is a bit awkward there, when the gates were open I went in to give them room to come out.

We’d realised that we probably hadn’t filled the water tank at the end of our Christmas trip, so we stopped on the water point below the lock and filled up.  It’s just as well we did, because it appeared the tank was quite low.  We moored a few hundred yards further along towards the aqueduct.  I still needed a few thousand steps so we went for a walk round the Ouse Valley Park, and were delighted to find the ice cream man by the aqueduct.  We had to walk through a field of cattle, then headed back towards the aqueduct.

It’s got really quite warm this afternoon, and we’ve been wishing we’d brought some shorts with us.

1 mile, 1 lock.

Christmas Cruise: Day 3

Christmas Day, and the wind had finally dropped.  We treated ourselves to a cooked breakfast, then as it wasn’t raining, set off.  We were very shortly crossing the Wolverton Aqueduct.

A little bit further on, we turned around in the wide section at Galleon Wharf, and headed back.  We were very shortly crossing the Wolverton Aqueduct.

We moored up a couple of boat lengths along from where we’d been, mostly to get away from our neighbour’s generator, which seems to be running most of the day.  As we had coats and boots on, we headed off for a walk round the Ouse Valley Park, walking all the way to the railway viaduct.  On the way back, we passed the ponies, in a field up by the farm.

At lunchtime we started cooked our Christmas dinner: rolled turkey breast, massive pigs in blankets, roast potatoes, carrots and parsnips, stuffing balls and brussels.  With a bit of juggling, everything fitted in the oven and got cooked.  This afternoon it has been raining on and off; we’ve been binge watching series two of Vigil, three episodes yesterday, one so far today, and two more which will almost certainly be completed later today.

We hope everyone is having a lovely Christmas, and if it’s not a good time for you, we hope you are at the very least having a peaceful one.

1 miles, 0 locks.  (2 miles, 1 lock)

Christmas Cruise: Day 2

The forecast for today was for 40mph winds, so we were always unlikely to be going anywhere.  We also had a visit planned, from my second cousin Catherine and Nigel.  Grace was at work and Matthew was being a teenager and had gone back to bed!  We started with tea and then moved on to mulled wine, along with some of my mince pies and Catherine’s Christmas rocky road.  We haven’t seen them since the end of our trip in September, and it turned out we had a lot to catch up on.

Afterwards, we had lunch then went out for a walk.  It’s been very blustery but at least it’s been dry.  Our walk took us round part of the Ouse Valley Country Park, with nice views of Wolverton Aqueduct on the way back.

Lots of people are out and about walking the towpath, and all seem very cheerful and Christmassy.  Merry Christmas to all the readers of this blog!

0 miles, 0 locks.  (1 mile, 1 lock)

Christmas Cruise: Days 0 and 1

Adrian wasn’t working yesterday, so came up to the marina first thing.  He did a stock take and then went shopping at a packed Tesco in Wolverton.  He’d also brought quite a lot with him.  Then it was a matter of getting the boat warm.

I came up this morning after my night shifts.  Part of the M1 was down to 20mph on the variable speed limits, due (according to the signs) to an oncoming vehicle.  I didn’t see one, but the slow bit lasted for several miles.  It had been very blustery in the night, and was still very windy this morning.  We debated whether to head out of the marina or not, and decided it was probably safer not to.  So instead we got in the car and headed off to Canons Ashby, which is decorated for Christmas.

The decorations are on the theme of King Arthur, because one of the house’s former owners had written an opera about him, with Purcell doing the music.  They were quite imaginative,  especially the enchanted forest and the dragons in the kitchens.

We’d got there not long after the house opened, so got a fairly early slot, and it’s not that big — so we ended up having a rather early lunch too.  We also went across the road to the church, one of only four in the UK that are privately owned, apparently.

On the way back, we had a walk up Buckby Locks, and talked to the owners of a boat going up.  We also decided the wind wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been, so we headed back to the boat and set off.  Although it was fairly breezy in the marina, outside it was fine.  We went down through Cosgrove.

We went down the lock, and moored towards the aqueduct.  It’s pretty calm here, and we’re not being blown about like we were in the marina.  The forecast is worse for tomorrow though, and we have visitors in the morning, so we may not go anywhere at all.

1 mile, 1 lock.

Pre-Crick: Day 1

We are able to set off for Crick a bit earlier this year (or kind of set off, anyway).  I came up to the boat after a Breakfast shift, and Adrian came from home; I arrived just after 11 and had time to re-set the loo before Adrian got here about 45 minutes later.  We unloaded the car, then went to Tesco in Wolverton for a big food shop.  We had lunch back at the boat, during which there was a feeble attempt at rain, and then set off at 2pm.  We turned right out of the marina, which is the opposite way to Crick!  We were soon at Cosgrove lock, which was in our favour and with a gate open, and going down.

We moored up on the aqueduct moorings, which were quite busy, and a boat coming the other way immediately pulled in behind us.  This afternoon Adrian has been doing some work, and I went for a walk round the Ouse Valley Park, where one of the grazing areas was occupied by lovely grey ponies.  Of course one of them thought the grass was greener on the other side of the fence.

1 mile, 1 lock.

BSS weekend: Day 2

As I looked out of the side hatch yesterday evening at about 7.30, I saw a barn owl flying along the opposite bank of the canal — quite remarkable really given the huge housing estate just the other side of the park.  I slept really well and had a leisurely start to the day.  To get some steps in, I decided to go and have a look at the ponds they restored recently at Great Linford, which you can see from the canal.  I walked along the towpath, then over the old railway bridge.  Signs say these were the pleasure gardens for the Manor House.

There are also some nice new interpretation boards.

On the way back I walked up the old railway line and eventually came out opposite the Asda at the far side of the park and housing estate, and returned back through that part of the park.  The lady from the boat in front was about, and we had a nice chat about their live-aboard life.  I set off about 11.30, heading for the winding hole.  The one before the bridge had a boat moored where my stern would have swung round, and a fisherman at the apex, so I decided to go through the bridge and use the one the other side.  As I was halfway through the bridge, I saw a boat coming the other way, but we were able to dance round each other, and I was round in no time.  In fact, going back through the bridge I caught him up almost immediately as he was barely moving; he waved me past, and I noticed he did the same for another boat a bit later.  The new houses by Bridge 76, which were not finished last September, now are — and most are occupied.  I rather like the shape of them, and the detached version has a double height section in the middle.

As I crossed the Grafton St Aqueduct, there was a rail replacement bus among the traffic, and as I got toward the Wolverton Rail Bridge I thought I could see why — there were lots of working trains sitting there.  I particularly liked the name of the one I could see.

Not all lines were closed though, because trains were still going through Wolverton Station.  At around this point, a lady on the towpath asked me how I keep my ‘tent’ so black — so any disappointment that the cratch cover still looked a bit green in places disappeared!  I had to confess that I’d scrubbed and re-waterproofed it only yesterday.  I moored up by the flats in Wolverton to make a dash to Tesco.  Earlier in the morning I’d tested the CO and smoke alarms, and found the smoke alarm wouldn’t make any noise.  While the CO alarm appeared to work the first time, I now can’t get that to change its display either.  Anyway, Tesco had no replacements and nor did any of the other shops in Wolverton, so it’ll be a trip to B&Q first thing tomorrow.  I had some lunch while I was there, then set off again.  The boat with the duck in the flower pot had gone, so either the duck wasn’t nesting, or they’ve taken it with them.  As I approached the aqueduct, I could see the familiar yellow umbrella of the ice cream man.

Would there be space to moor up today? I thought there might be because one of the boats I’d passed had been moored here yesterday — and sure enough there was a space.  In fact, there’s room for another behind.  Once secure, I walked back and got an ice cream.

Having seen all the caravans in the park below the embankment, I wondered if their shop might have alarms.  They don’t, but the shop has been completely re-done since I last called in, and now includes a smart cafe.  Back at the boat I washed the towpath side, put some polish on it, and did the first stage of dealing with the scratches below the gunwales.  It’s a busy towpath, and a few people stopped to chat.

5 miles, 0 locks.  (10 miles, 1 lock)

March visit: Day 3

Adrian was coming up today, but the length of the drive meant he wouldn’t arrive until lunchtime.  I walked up to the tunnel and back to get some steps in, and by the time I got back it was starting to rain.  Shortly after I was inside, it absolutely hammered it down.  Next I made tonight’s dinner, a moussaka, as I’d brought with me an aubergine that came in the veg box.  I also had time to read some of my book.  The weather improved dramatically, so much so that it was sunny and warm enough to have the side hatch open.

I was also pleased to see that the solar panel was topping up the batteries quite significantly.  Even the past couple of days when there’s been no real sun, it’s kept them level during the day.  Adrian arrived just before 12.30 and we had some lunch before setting off.  It was a much better day than forecast, although it was very windy in places.

It was really quite warm in the sunshine, and we passed a few boats going the other way.  At times the wind made things tricky as it tried to blow us sideways, but in the sheltered parts it was really pleasant.

We carried on past the marina — the turn in would have been very tricky with the wind — to Cosgrove lock.  One of the top gates had blown open so we were able to go straight in, although the wind also made that more work than it should have been.  The moorings between the lock and the aqueduct looked very busy, but there was actually plenty of room at the far end.  We went over the aqueduct, turned round at Galleon Wharf, and returned to a spot over the aqueduct.  Nick and Mary with the Jules Fuels boats were moored further along so we walked down to get another bag of coal, because you just never know whether you’ll need it at this time of year (occasionally we’ve even needed a fire at the Crick Show in May).  They could only take cash because the card reader had fallen in the canal yesterday; I never carry cash, and Adrian was about 50p short of the cheapest bag — but they very kindly let us have it anyway!

I need to make a béchamel sauce for the top of the moussaka, and then that can go in the oven.  Tomorrow, we’re back to the marina.

7 miles, 1 lock.  (12 miles, 1 lock)

Autumn Cruise: Day -2

Finally, later than usual, our autumn cruise is under way.  Except that it isn’t really because Adrian doesn’t finish work for another few days. I came up to the boat after work last night, arriving about 9.45.  This morning I had a pretty relaxed start to the day, and then began sorting things out and going shopping for food for the next few days.  I have never seen the Tesco at Wolverton so busy; it was a job to find a space in the car park, and trolleys were in short supply.  Apparently they are closed tomorrow for the Queen’s funeral — but honestly you’d have thought they were closing for a month.

Back at the boat I stowed everything away, had lunch, and then set off towards Cosgrove.  It had been sunny first thing but had now clouded over and was quite blustery.  I passed about six boats going the other way between the marina and the lock, so I had high hopes that it would be ready for me — but in fact it was empty with a bottom gate open.  I filled it, went in, and then noticed a boat heading towards me, so I went round and opened the other gate for him.  In fact there were two boats coming, but at least if the first one came down with me, the second one would have easier access to the lock landing.  The steerer of the other boat was also working the lock single handed (although I got the impression there was someone else on board), and then two guys from the boat behind came up and said they’d open the gates for us.  The other boat was going further than me, so I suggested he went first.

I moored up between the lock and the aqueduct, nearer the aqueduct end.  A job I needed to do here was see if a new tv antenna would work.  The little tiny one we bought a few years ago is only any good in a strong signal area, which this definitely isn’t — so we have bought a Moonraker instead.  Before doing anything too complicated, I just used the suction fixing to see whether it picked anything up.  It did — the best signal we’ve had for ages.  Then it turned out that our pole is too skinny for the pole mounting kit, so I’ve just left it suctioned to the cratch glass.  I’ll be interested to see whether it would still work in that position with the boat facing the other way.

I’d only done about half my steps target for the day, so I went for a walk around the Floodplain Forest Nature Reserve.  By this time, the sun had come out again, and the day was much better than forecast.  I went down the steps by the aqueduct, where you get a decent view back to it.

I stuck to the perimeter path, along by the River Ouse.  The river itself seems ok, level-wise, but some of the streams flowing into it are dry.  At the far end of the walk, there’s a very impressive railway viaduct taking the west coast mainline across the Ouse Valley.

There are sheep and cattle grazing in parts of the park (which is all run by the Milton Keynes Parks Trust), and there were also signs up about not feeding the ponies, although I didn’t see any of them today.

1 mile, 1 lock.

Spring Cruise: Day 1

We left home at lunchtime once I was back from work, and got to the marina at around 3.30.  We unloaded the car, topped up the boat’s water tank, and set off.  The pub by the marina has a number of semi-outdoor pods in the garden, as well as a big marquee.

The new houses in Cosgrove look just about finished.

We went down the lock and moored just before the aqueduct.  I needed to do a few more steps to get to my target, so went down under the aqueduct and walked round to Holy Trinity Church, which we’ve often seen from the canal but have never been to.

1 mile, 1 lock.

Autumn Cruise: Day 28

This was another day when we expected to get very wet, because the forecast was was rain pretty much all day.  And there was rain last night and early this morning.  But by the time we got up, it was fairly bright and the sun was even trying to come through.  We were getting ready to leave when a single boat came along, having come down the top two locks, so we got our act together and joined them.  It turned out to be a man who’d bought the boat as a replacement for a caravan at the Cosgrove Park, being helped to move the boat by his friend and his two sons.  With crew, it meant I could go ahead and set the locks ahead.

Even though we were catching up with a single-handed boat going down ahead, we did the five locks in about 45 minutes, largely thanks to each one being ready and open for the boats to enter.  At the bottom of the locks, we set off south.  It was sunny, warm in the sunshine, but very blustery.

We had intended to go back to the marina today, as Adrian needed to get a train to London and I had hoped to do a boat test tomorrow.  However for various reasons the boat test is postponed, so we sailed right past the marina entrance, went down Cosgrove Lock, and continued across the Wolverton Aqueduct.

Just before the Grafton Street Aqueduct there was a very heavy but thankfully very brief shower.  The rain hammered it down, but for probably less than a minute.  We turned around at the New Bradwell winding hole, where the boat always seems to turn very easily, and went back to Wolverton.  When we’d passed through, there hadn’t been a space big enough for us, but one of the boats there was coming the other way, so we knew there would probably be room to stop.  The boat was Tarporley from Camden, which has just had a nice new paint job at Baxter’s at Kingfisher Marina.

We moored up, made a quick visit to Tesco, then Adrian got a train from Wolverton Station to London.  I continued retracing our steps, mooring up beyond the aqueduct.  The last ten minutes or so were somewhat frustrating.  I’d caught up with a not-very-wide widebeam to such an extent that I had to keep going into neutral, and in front of that was a monster widebeam, which seemed to make a right meal of getting over the aqueduct, and then through the moored boats towards the lock.  Since mooring up I’ve done a few jobs, including tacking the oven shelves which we omitted to clean when we did the rest of the oven at Hanbury Junction, and trying to seal the bathroom mushroom vent, which appears to be letting in water.

11 miles, 6 locks.  (289 miles, 302 locks)