Winkwell Monday 8 August 2016

We were away at twenty past nine this morning, earlier than planned as we saw the boat we shared with yesterday come down the lock behind us so we thought we would share again today, wrong, they had cycled down last night and fancied where we were moored so were planning to moor behind us so we were Billy no mates all day.
As I had been warned about this short pound dropping overnight  we were not surprised to see it low when we went to bed, but by the time we were about CRT had let water down and all was fine. Dudswell bottom lock doesn’t seem to leak much so it must be the pound its self that loses water. On that point further down it looked like they were injecting spray foam into the towpath edge so I assume they are trying to stop a leak there.

I would imagine that this lock normally leaks empty as there is a healthy growth of weeds on the cill bumper. The Totem pole is still standing as we came into Berkhamsted, its been there quite some time now. We stopped at the water point in town opposite Waitrose and while we filled with water Diana got a couple of essentials from the shop. I don’t know if CRT waterpoints are metered, if they are this one is costing a few quid the way the water leaks from the base.
We locked down through Rising Sun Lock and moored on the offside for lunch, but due to the angle we were at as we slid on to the mud as soon as we had finished we changed to the towpath side. It was here that we were able to show Brian a breasted pair of working boats as Jules Fuels came towards us, not only that bit they stopped beside us to serve a boat coming the other way with gas.

After a short time fishing with only a couple of bites we moved on, this bear in a garden on the offside is keeping a close eye on things.

  On lots of the canals there are cast iron markers a set distance from the locks to show which boat had priority at the lock, on the Grand Union in this area they are cast concrete. We carried on to Winkwell, mooring for the night just above Bourne End Bottom Lock at about 5pm.

Today’s Journey  3¾ Miles 10 locks in 4½ hours