Plenty of Locks

Monday 2 August 2010
Marsworth to Winkwell
9 Miles 23 Locks. and 1 Swingbridge

Firstly I have been ordered to clarify something that was on yesterdays blog, Jayne is only 37 days older than me, there, that's done.

Well today was a hard one, 23 Locks, we started early for us,7.45, first stop was Marsworth Yard to empty a Cassette and the rubbish, then it was up the seven remaining Marsworth Locks  and  along the Tring cutting which gets the Canal across the Chiltern Hills, this is the highest point of the Canal known as the summit level.

The Tring Cutting, plenty of vegetation

I was reading Narrowboat World last night and one of the Contributors Victor Swift mentioned a boat, un-licensed moored on the Tring Cutting that had accumulated 3 tenders, none of them licensed, a sun lounger, motor scooter and 2 Barbecues and here it is.

He forgot to mention the trucks, one is from Homebase.

After the Cutting we arrived at Cowroast Lock where the Canal starts to drop down through Berkhamsted on it's way to London.

Between Locks 52 and 53 in Berkhamsted there is a Waitrose supermarket next to the Canal on the towpath side, they obviously have not grasped that boaters need supplies as there are no bollards or mooring rings and the way in from the towpath is quite a walk.

Below Berkhamsted British Waterways contractors are restoring the Canal bank on the opposite side to the towpath using a type of membrane supported by wooden stakes, the stakes are hammered in by a huge piece of plant equipment mounted on a workboat, the whole thing is held together with wire, the space left behind it is then to be filled with what is dredged from the Canal, this then with form a solid bank !!, looks a bit dodgy (cheap) to me but I am sure it has all been worked out by very clever people.

Wooden Stakes waiting to be knocked in

Workers in Drysuits wiring the membrane to the stakes

We shared the last 8 locks with Narrowboat Tarka,  when we arrived at Winkwell Swingbridge one of their crew went ahead to open it, it is electrically operated and requires a British Waterways key to gain access to the controls, as it carries a minor road, barriers come down to stop the cars (hopefully) before the swing bridge moves, we cruised through as the traffic waited.

We moored below the next lock, Jayne is exhausted so we will take it a bit easier tomorrow.

We are pleased that we are past Berkhamsted before mooring up, as 2 boaters had told me that the native yoof's enjoy nothing more that untying your boat in the middle of the night.