Making good progress

Another nice sunny day enabled us to make good progress from Hemel Hempstead up to Berkhamsted. I even had a rest from working locks for part of the day as I took the tiller while Ray did the work for a while. He is now feeling the after effects so no doubt normal service will be resumed tomorrow. Winkwell swing bridge normally gives me the chance to stop traffic, (something I could do forty years ago with a mini skirt) but at the moment the road is closed while they do maintenance on the bridge.

The water shortage meant that some of the pounds were very low and it's only going to get worse if we don't get some rain. Can it rain between 10pm and 6am please? The River Bulbourne at Berkhamsted is completely dry and has been for some time by the look of it.

If this was a river in Africa there would probably be a drought  appeal

If anyone has any doubts about the shortage of water, look at this and think again. Not only is there no water in the River Bulbourne but the river bed is so dry it has cracks inches deep.


Spring has definitely sprung, the willows and hawthorn are in leaf and the rest of the trees have leaf buds swelling. Swans are nesting and ducks are doing what ducks do in the spring.

Tomorrow will be a slightly lazy day as we will move up to Cowroast ready to cross Tring summit on Saturday.

Today we travelled 4.5 miles, 14 locks and 1 swing bridge.


So far this year we have travelled 30.4 miles, 50 locks and 1 swing bridge

In 2011 we travelled 461.4 miles, 444 locks, 3 swing bridges, 34 lift bridges and 15 tunnels

During 2010 we travelled 740.3 miles, 642 locks, 53 swing bridges, 4 lift bridges and 25 tunnels.

Since Ray retired we have travelled 1232.1 miles, 1136 locks, 57 swing bridges, 38 lift bridges and 40 tunnels