At Cowroast we moored Legend almost exactly where it was
when we first came to look at it five years ago.
Before
After
The lock was due to get its
top gates re-aligned, so while we were away in Leicestershire counting cars,
navigation was suspended for a few days until the stop planks were
removed.
When we got back we were
pleased to see that Bob & Mandy had moored Matilda Blue just in front of us,
so after dinner we popped in to say hello and make some plans for onward
travels together. We arranged to buddy up to do the locks down to Hemel
Hempstead where Bob & Mandy were going into Apsley marina for a few weeks.
According to CRT’s website, the work on Cowroast lock was
due to be completed by 6pm the following day, so we figured that there was a
good chance that the stop planks would be out at some time before that. Sure
enough, at about 3 when we went down for a nosey, they were running water
through to fill the pound below, and they reckoned it would be all open in half
an hour or so.
A small queue of eager boaters had appeared on both sides of
the lock by the time it finally opened which, along with the gathering of work
boats that had been used for the lock repairs, and the tap that both of us
needed to get to being right by the lock, resulted in a fair amount of hovering
and hanging about at weird angles before Legend and Matilda finally slotted in
together.
At Norhtchurch we caught up with a young couple who’d only
recently bought their boat and were heading to London. We didn’t really get
chance to get acquainted because she’d just dropped her Iphone in the lock and
was, to say the least, a little distraught. Bob had a go with a sea-searcher,
but the turbulence in a lock and the lack of ferrous metal in an Iphone made it
a hopeless endeavour.
At Bushy lock, just as Dave was pushing the front out to go
in, a gust caught the back end and pushed that out as well. Dave still had hold
of the centre rope, so everything would have been fine if he'd simply used it
to pull the boat back in, instead of trying to lasso the back dolly with it.
Needless to say, that did not go to whatever rubbish plan he had in his head.
Lassoing something generally requires a bit more forethought than just "chuck the rope at
it and hope for the best" And so, as he stood on the bank watching it, our
Marie Celeste style boat gently drifted to the other side. Luckily there wasn’t a bramble patch of a
slavering Rottweiler over there, so he was able to nonchalantly saunter across
the lock and retrieve it, whilst trying to ignore the hoots of laughter from
the rest of the crew who were almost wetting themselves.
By the time we got to Berkhampstead the weather was on the
turn so we were very happy to find somewhere to stop by the park. It wasn’t
deep enough for Matilda, so they went through the next bridge and got somewhere a bit
further on.
In the morning we carried on down a few more locks to Pix
Farm, where Dave had moved the car to, then in the afternoon all four of us
walked down to Winkwell boat yard to see about getting diesel. As Matilda is a
gas-free boat with diesel central heating, she gets through it at a fair rate,
and after running out once, Bob likes to keep it topped up. Checking out the
boat yard turned out to be a quite fortuitous as they were closed the next day,
so with two hours left, we hot footed it back to the boats. Bob steered while
us and Mandy worked the three locks to Winkwell.
Dave moved our car to Hemel first thing the next morning and
cycled back while Ann-Marie prepared a casserole for our last meal with Bob
& Mandy before we went our separate ways.
We worked Legend down the locks to where Matilda was moored
and stopped for a brew before setting off together.
We’d planned to stop a couple of locks up
from Apsley marina entrance, which turned out to be the perfect decision as it
started raining just after we’d tied up. It didn’t last long though, just long
enough for Ann-Marie and Mandy to prepare a scrummy fry up which we ate in our
well deck. After lunch we wandered down to the Marina, where we spotted the
boat who’s mooring Matilda would be taking. It was a smashing spot on the edge
of the basin looking out over the canal. The couple on the boat were lovely
and, as well as telling Bob & Mandy all about Hemel and where to eat and
shop, informed them that they’d be vacating the slot at about 10 the next day.
Perfect.
Later in the day we did a big car shuffle whereby we picked
their car up from Cowroast and left ours at Cassiobury park, then we were all
treated to one of Ann-Marie’s delicious steak & ale pies.
An early start the next day saw us down the locks and waving
goodbye to our lovely friends as they pulled up at the marina entrance by half past
nine.
There's some odd boats in Hemel Hempstead.
We weren’t on our own for long though; at King’s Langley lock we were
joined by brothers Pete and Malcom on Nb N-Guage.
We shared the locks with them as we continued south, under the M25...
down towards Cassiobury where we stopped just before the bridge to The Grove spa
hotel.
As well as lots of posh cars going up and down, we were entertained by
the antics of a tree surgeon chopping lumps off one of the big trees on the
golf course.
Mum and Dad dropped in for a visit in the evening; they were
on the way back from a kit car event at Stoneleigh. The perfect excuse for some
more steak pie.
Some nice ropework in Cassiobury Park.
Just down the canal from where we were moored the towpath
changed from left to right, then remained on the right for quite a long way, so
Dave got on with giving the tumblehomes * their annual rub down with the
orbital sander to remove all the battle scars from the last year, followed by a
new coat of black gloss the next morning. After going for a walk and with the paint only
just touch dry, we had a VERY careful move down two locks to Iron Bridge...
*The word “Tumblehome” is actually a verb. A boat can be
described as Tumblehomed when the upper decks are narrower than the widest
part, generally just above the waterline. Historically the purpose of this
narrowing was to aid stability and to allow small projections from the upper
decks to clear the wharves. On
narrowboats however, it is used as a noun and refers to the part of the hull
between the top rubbing strake and the gunnels. The brunt of most contact, when
mooring or locking, is taken by the rubbing strakes, but occasionally the
tumblehomes find a sticky-out bit of bank first. Most boats have a few battle
scars and we like to start each summer with a clean slate.
Over the next couple of days we stayed put while the new
paint hardened off a bit. We used the time to move the car forward and go for
walks in the nearby woods, all of which were carpeted with beautiful bluebells.
On the opposite bank was a moorhen nest; the eggs must have hatched just as we
arrived and we were able to see mummy moorhen feeding her brand new chicks.
We normally boat with our fenders down on both sides, but in
order to give the paint as much time as possible to harden, we made the move to
Rickmansworth without them. The reason for having them down is so that when the
boat is in a lock and bumps against the side they take some of the impact. The
argument against is that as the boat moves into or out of a lock, they can get
caught on ladders and gates or, in narrow locks, become jammed between the boat
and the wall. We didn’t want them to get smeared all over the new paint so we
left them off. After locking down to Rickmansworth naked, we are now firmly in
the ‘No Fenders’ camp; yes, bumping into the lockside clonks a bit more, but without those lumpy bits the boat’s passage in and out of locks is a lot smoother and, if
they don’t come into contact with slimy lock walls, when you moor up and hook them on, your fenders are nice and clean. On top of that you know you’re always
going to finish a journey with as many as you started with.
In Ricky there is a short term shopping mooring right
outside Tesco, so after filling up with water...
...we pulled in for a quick shop before moving on through the
next bridge to a very nice stretch of unrestricted moorings backing onto the
Aquadrome carpark. In the afternoon we had a walk down to Springwell lock. We
didn’t take the binoculars with us, which was a mistake, as there were lots of
waterfowl about, but it was a lovely walk round the lakes and back up the
towpath.
The next day was Friday and the beginning of a Grand
Weekend. Sound of the Sirens, the band made up of Dave’s cousin’s daughter and
daughter in law – Hannah and Abbie - were playing in Farnham that night and
we’d got tickets for us and Anne. We’d told Karen we were going, so she’d got a
ticket too. It was all very exciting! We locked Legend up, jumped in the car
and drove for all of forty minutes to Karen’s house. While Ann-Marie used and
abused Karen’s washing machine Dave did some sewing. (More about that later.) Then,
after Karen came home from work, we drove to the station where we met Anne,
then drove to Farnham where we pulled into the Shepherd & Flock for a meal.
We were just about to order, when Fran and Sean - two of Ann-Marie’s oldest
friends – walked through the door. Unbeknown to us Karen had arranged for them to come along too! That fabulous surprise was the
icing on a brilliant evening. Hannah and
Abbie were tremendous – so professional with such tight vocals and stirring lyrics
– it’s no wonder they’re breaking into the big time. (Glastonbury this year for
the second time, as well as Carfest and Beautiful Days. Those girls are going
places.) We all thoroughly enjoyed it and we got back to the boat with Anne at
about midnight, tired and happy.
On Saturday morning, we took the car to the carpark at
Springwell lock and re-did the walk round the lakes, this time with Anne and a
pair of binoculars – much better, although quite a lot slower.
On Sunday the Grand Weekend continued. Breakfast was
followed by a short walk to Uxbridge tube station, where Anne presented us with
a pair of lovely shiny Oyster cards before we whizzed off into the city. First stop
was for coffee and scones in Borough market (which was mostly shut, but never
mind)...
...then an amazing couple of hours looking out over the city from the top of
the Shard.
Anne had treated us to a trip up the tallest thing in Britain and it
was the perfect day to do it.
We had clear views to the horizon in every
direction. After that we had lunch on the South Bank, a wander through Festival
Gardens, a walk along Whitehall, through Horseguards,
tea in St James’ Park,
a quick
look at Buck Ho.,
and then a gentle stroll up the Mall back to the tube. A very touristy day and the taste of things to
come over the next couple of weeks.
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