Another year over

Since my last post we have moved a whole mile!

We stayed close to Leighton Buzzard as it was a convenient place for Tony to come an collect us for our Christmas visit to Peterborough. It has the added bonus of shops and boaters facilities. We, like the rest of the country, have seen some rather wild weather.We have had great amounts of wind and rain, at the worst the brook that runs beside the canal burst it's banks but luckily the canal is on a slight embankment where we are moored so it was the field on the opposite bank of the brook that flooded. Water levels in the canal were up about ten inches and did overflow onto the towpath in places.

We had a very nice couple of days with Mandy, Tony and the grandkids. All the usual Christmas festivities were enjoyed with good food, good drink and good company.

We now have to do a quick run, for this time of year, to get through Marsworth Locks by Sunday at the latest. The weather today has been more of the same but from tomorrow there is supposed to be some improvement.

2012 has been a fairly good year, apart from the weather, no major crisis apart from our alternator problems  although we now seem to have a problem with our fridge/freezer. It's chilling but not enough, oh dear!

Happy New Year to everyone, hope it's good one!


In 2012 we travelled 876.9 miles, 675 locks,  55 swing bridges, 23 lift bridges and 31 tunnels

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 2078.6 miles, 1761 locks, 111 swing bridges, 61 lift bridges and 71 tunnels

Update - Now at Leighton Buzzard

We stayed a few days at Fenny Stratford. Saturday night saw the canal frozen again and we had snow,not a lot but some. We did a bit of Christmas shopping,a bit of bargain shopping and of course some grocery shopping. Our best bargain was an LED striplight from IKEA, list price £30 reduced to £4.90 because the 12v/240v transformer was missing. That's the bit we chop off and throw away because we run on 12 v!!

On Monday the canal had mostly thawed and in mid afternoon Phil on Hyperion came past. Phil is our coal and diesel supplier when we are down near Watford, he doesn't often come as far north as Milton Keynes. When he came back on Tuesday we topped up with diesel and had a couple of bags of coal from him too.

On Wednesday night the canal froze again but as another boat had come north and the ice didn't seem very thick we decided to make a move on Thursday. Bad move!! Even where the ice had been broken by the other boat it was hard going and they had only come about a mile. Once we reached virgin ice it was virtually impossible to make progress,after about another 500 yards we gave up and moored. It had taken us an hour and a half to travel less than one and a half miles and one lock.

Friday was exceptionally windy so even though the ice had thawed we didn't move. Saturday dawned sunny and mild, we made our way past Stoke Hammond,up through Soulbury Three Locks and onward to reach Leighton Buzzard. We are moored near Tesco at the moment, but it isn't cat friendly so we won't stay here very long.

This weeks journey's 7.5 miles, 6 locks and 1 swing bridge

So far this year we have travelled 875.9 miles, 675 locks,  55 swing bridges, 23 lift bridges and 31 tunnels

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 2077.6 miles, 1761 locks, 111 swing bridges, 61 lift bridges and 71 tunnels

The Milton Keynes icebreaker

Today was our first real taste of winter, we woke up to a frozen canal and a very heavy frost. the ice wasn't thick enough to stop us travelling so we decide to head for Fenny Stratford. We crunched our way slowly along the long straight at Cosgrove and across the aqueduct. The ice was breaking up ahead of us and we were pushing huge sheets of it up on top of the unbroken ice. Even though it was less than a centimetre thick it was very solid. Once we were through the bridge by the Galleon the ice disappeared for a while, the canal is a bit more sheltered there.

We continued to encounter patches of ice for the next hour or so but once we reached Great Linford the ice had virtually disappeared. It was a cold day but we fortified ourselves with cups of coffee laced with Baileys and we had my homemade Lentil and Bacon Soup to look forward to when we moored. It took us about four hours to reached the 14 day moorings at Fenny Stratford and managed to get moored right on the end.

We are planning to stop here for a few days, we want to visit IKEA and do some Christmas shopping as well, plus our normal shop of course.

Today's journey 10.2 miles

So far this year we have travelled 868.4 miles, 669 locks,  54 swing bridges, 23 lift bridges and 31 tunnels

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 2070.1 miles, 1755 locks, 110 swing bridges, 61 lift bridges and 71 tunnels

Not a lot happening

We have moved every day this week but not very far and nothing noteworthy has happened so I haven't bothered to blog every day.

Wednesday was Mandy's birthday, my presents,  via Amazon and card, posted at Buckby Flight arrived on time so I was happy about that. It was quite a chilly day so we didn't travel far, we stopped briefly at Weedon for bread and milk then carried on as far as Bugbrooke for our overnight mooring.

Thursday was cold but beautifully sunny, I don't mind the cold if it is dry so I took the tiller and let Ray stay in the warm for a while. We pulled in just before Blisworth tunnel to check our tunnel lights then carried on through to Stoke Bruerne. Surprisingly,we didn't meet anyone coming through the tunnel but there were three boats in the tunnel heading our way. Blisworth tunnel is reasonably dry compared to some but the water was pouring down the ventilation shafts like a waterfall.

I was impressed to see a working blacksmith at the tunnel end, it's good to see craftsmen on and beside the canals. We moored at Stoke Bruerne for Thursday night and continued our journey down through the locks today.

This morning very frosty but again very sunny. We set off down through the locks,there is still a lot of water about from the recent rains. The water was flowing over the gates at the second lock like a waterfall. when we were partway down I realised that there was another boat following us so I reset the locks for him and we waited for him to catch up so we could share the last couple of locks. There was ice on some of the side ponds but none on the cut.

We met NB Vectis at the bottom lock, we have met them before around Rickmansworth. They told us there was ice on the canal near Cosgrove. We decided that if the canal is starting to ice up it was better to travel in the middle of the day and carried on to below Cosgrove Lock. At Cosgrove we encountered a meeting/photoshoot  of the Buckingham Canal Society and were included in their photos.

Since my last post we have travelled 19.7 miles, 8 locks and 1 tunnel

So far this year we have travelled 858.2 miles, 669 locks,  54 swing bridges, 23 lift bridges and 31 tunnels

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 2059.9 miles, 1755 locks, 110 swing bridges, 61 lift bridges and 71 tunnels

Enduring Buckby Flight

Heavy overnight rain cleared by this morning leaving us with that horrible fine drizzle that just slowly soaks you through. As the weather forecast was for more of the same we wrapped up warm, donned our waterproofs and got on our way.

There wasn't much sign of other boats on the move,we were soon at Norton Junction and round the turn onto the main line.The top lock of Buckby Flight was against us, a fair indicator that the rest of the flight would be. I think these may be some of the hardest locks on the entire canal network, after the narrow locks of Foxton and Watford the gates were, inevitably, going to feel heavy but even taking that into account these locks are hard work. In summer I have walked the flight but today I got back onboard between locks.

At the fifth lock we met a boat coming up the locks,the only boat we met today. As there was so little movement on the canal I left Ray sitting in the sixth lock while I dashed to the postbox which is just across the road to post Mandy's birthday card. I wouldn't be able to do that in the summer!

Ray stopped on the lock moorings below the bottom lock while I went to the chandlery for some milk, I decided I deserved chocolate after enduring Buckby Flight so bought a couple of Mars bars as well. No, I didn't eat both,one was for Ray.

We continued about half a mile beyond Whilton Marina and are moored sandwiched between the railway and the motorway. Homemade Scotch Broth warmed us up nicely.


Today's journey 2.7 miles and 7 locks

So far this year we have travelled 838.5 miles, 661 locks,  54 swing bridges, 23 lift bridges and 30 tunnels

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 2040.2 miles, 1747 locks, 110 swing bridges, 61 lift bridges and 70 tunnels

Watford Locks and beyond

We braved the rain this morning to head to the services then down through Watford Locks. We decided to stop before we reached Norton Junction and the Grand Union mainline. Previous experience tells us that the visitor moorings at the top of Buckby Flight are often fairly full and Although my knee seems to be OK now I didn't fancy having to go down any more locks today.

We followed a couple from California on a hire  boat down through the locks, I felt like apologising to them for the English weather!

We think we will probably aim to reach Berkhampstead or Hemel Hempstead for Christmas. Berkhampstead would mean about 30 hours cruising which is only an average of just over an hour a day. Our main aim is to get beyond Tring summit as there is a closure at Marsworth just north of there from early January. The only other closures that could affect us are towards the end of January and into February. We can't plan for the weather of course.

Today's journey 2.4 miles and 7 locks


So far this year we have travelled 835.8 miles, 654 locks,  54 swing bridges, 23 lift bridges and 30 tunnels

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 2037.5 miles, 1740 locks, 110 swing bridges, 61 lift bridges and 70 tunnels

Another day,another tunnel

This morning was still very windy but the rain had gone and we had sunshine, I'm still excused major boating duties but my knee is much improved so hopefully by tomorrow I will be feeling my normal self.

Today's journey was a straightforward one to take us to the top of Watford Locks. The fact that I was out of action didn't matter much as there weren't any locks, just cruising and Crick Tunnel to negotiate. Ray is still loving our new tunnel lights. We still haven't met any incoming boats in a tunnel so we don't know whether they are likely to dazzle incoming steerers.

We have the M1 for company now and it stays with us for the next few miles. Something obviously happened this afternoon on the motorway as the traffic was at a standstill. I'd rather be here than there!

Today's journey 5.6 miles and 1 tunnel

So far this year we have travelled 833.4 miles, 647 locks,  54 swing bridges, 23 lift bridges and 30 tunnels

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 2035.1 miles, 1733 locks, 110 swing bridges, 61 lift bridges and 70 tunnels