Tag: Soulbury

Homeward Bound …

elainehayesblog

We took a turn round Waterhall Park before we set off. The park seems to mark the end of Milton Keynes and the beginning of the countryside.

Just the other side of the towpath is an avenue of Lombardy Poplar trees which have been planted either side of a footpath which run from here, all the way through Milton Keynes.

It gives access to an almost uninterrupted stretch of parks which I wish we had explored more fully and we kept catching glimpses of the these tall trees all along the canal.

Once we set off, I had another go steering, but still couldn’t get the hang of it and even managed to collide with a parked boat … albeit very gently!

As we approached Stoke Hammond lock, we looked out for the unusual double arched bridge which we’d missed on the way up.

At one point, duplicate narrow locks were built to take smaller boats saving water and time. They have since been filled in but the second arch shows where it was.

We caught up with the boat we had started out with, also making their way back and worked the lock together.

We stopped for lunch then refreshed, continued to Soulbury and the Three Locks. As we arrived another boat had just come through, so they were in our favour, and if they could come through just a single boat, then so could we. It was hard work though, working all three locks on our own, with Chris on the boat steering and me working all the paddles and gates. I did manage to get Chris to close one set though … just so he could have a go! At the end we were quite pleased with ourselves!

A bit later we moored up and went for a short walk past St Mary’s Church in Old Linslade and along the towpath.

We moved a short way further and moored for the night beside the site of Bridge 112, carefully chosen as far from the railway as possible and leaving just a short run back to Wyvern Shipping in the morning, setting a daily record of 6 miles, 31⁄4 furlongs! We polished off the last of the cake and a well deserved cuppa!

We came away, prepared to self cater throughout and brought enough with us so we didn’t need to shop, after all we are only on Daisy for four days and keeping our distance seems sensible at the moment.

We had thought if we passed an appealing pub at lunchtime we might stop for a bag of chips but it didn’t happen, and by choosing secluded moorings we were too far from a pub for dinner. We’ve had homemade soup, sandwiches and beans on toast for lunches and the dinner menu has comprised sausages with roasted sprouts and potatoes, Higgedy Pies and veg, homemade chilli and on our last night we have pesto pasta. This has worked out really well and meant we could both enjoy the whole experience and spend our time watching the world go by rather than slaving in the galley.

And from galley to gallery, just in case I’ve not included enough photos already, here are a few more, including some of the quirky views from the canal …

Next morning we were out on the water at 8.15 to ensure we were back on time. Just Leighton Lock to go through …

… and 31⁄2 furlongs to travel and we were back at the boat yard, handing Daisy back.

We caught up with others who had been out for a midweek trip like us, some making Cosgrove and the tunnel at Stoke Bruerne beyond, a lady who had dished up a full roast dinner one night and a chap who had backed into the winding hole by mistake, but a good time was had by all.

We’ve really enjoyed our first trip afloat and it was a perfect way to celebrate our anniversary, especially this year with options being limited. We may only have travelled a total of 22 miles, 1⁄2 furlongs and 12 locks with a revised destination of Campbell Park but we were obviously a little too ambitious thinking we could get further! Daisy is just lovely and we’ve already told her we hope to see her again soon … maybe we can get to Cosgrove next time and see the aquaduct!

Maps

Actual Route

The Adventure Begins …

elainehayesblog

We enjoyed our 90 minute drive to Leighton Buzzard, noticing how some of the leaves are turning already. We stopped briefly at Tiddenfoot Waterside Park to stretch our legs and eat our sandwiches …

… and caught the first glimpse of the Grand Union Canal.

We were at Wyvern Shipping at 1.30 on the dot to collect Daisy, and were quite surprised to see lots of other boats were going out as well.

While Chris brought the car over to load our things, I quickly took some snaps of Daisy.

Simon gave us a full tour inside and out, together with operating details and safety. It seemed a lot to remember. Then we set off with Simon showing Chris how to manoeuvre the boat and me how to work the first lock, Leighton Lock. The locks here are big enough to take two boats, and another of the Wyvern boats had come down the canal behind us so we went through together. Chris might have the most technical task but I seem to have the most active, having to use the windlass to raise and lower paddles and my back to push the gate open and closed. Simon suggested we proceed to the three locks at Soulbury and go those together with the other boat and with all the instructions fresh in our mind, it seemed a good idea. We had thought we might moor short of the locks for the night and do them fresh in the morning, but it is best not to do this set of 3 locks on your own, and we could end up waiting a while for another boat the next day.

Our induction complete, Simon returned to the boatyard and I put the kettle on for a cuppa. The canal meandered through the Ouzel Valley past farmland & woodland and under several bridges …

After around 3 miles, we approached Soulbury and moored up to survey the scene, with the flight of three locks ahead, a road bridge, a historic cottage and pub on the left and the old pumping station on the right.

Even this was easier said than done as drawing the boat in to the bank at the right angle to end up alongside in one go looks like it will take a little practice! I went with the chap from the other boat to look at the lock and figure out what we needed to do and we quickly established we weren’t too confident at all! A couple of other boats had moored up behind us and Jim came forward to rescue the situation. He had also hired his boat from Wyvern, but had done this before and got us organised as to who should do what when and I even managed to take a few pictures along the way …

Relieved that we had survived the three lock ordeal, we looked for a safe spot to moor for the night as it had started to spit with rain and ended up stopping quite soon,just short of Bridge 106 and a total of 4 miles, 11⁄4 furlongs from Wyvern. After a little backwards and forwards, the hefty hammering in of stakes and tightening of ropes, we were securely moored and we scuttled in to the dry.

We did a bit of unpacking, made more tea and put the oven on for dinner then tucked in to pies and veg and a bottle of red wine in our cosy cabin. Any worries we had that it would be chilly were unfounded as the heating is very efficient. After all the excitement, we had an early night and could hearing the rain falling on the roof of the boat as we fell asleep.

Maps