Long, sunny and hot days then back to winter!

 Day 13

Well, since my last post we have travelled from Stoke Bruene to Brentford.  We have enjoyed some amazing weather for late April with shorts and t shirts for many days.  However over the past couple of days we have been back in layers, coats and woolly hats.  We have come down 102 locks with most of them set against us and except for one or two occasions have been on our own.  The canal has been devoid of travelling folk. We could count the number of boats seen or passed on two hands. It has been eerily quiet at times, with very few cyclists, runners or walkers.  We keep telling ourselves it is still early in the season.

Although we have had few encounters with boaters we did have one very eventful day when on approaching Lock 57 Jenny was vexed that the bottom gates were left open. She was about to walk to the end of the lock to close the gates when she looked down and to her amazement saw a boat drifting untethered in the lock with no sign of life. Jenny wondered if the owner perhaps had gone to assist another boater coming into the lock further down the canal, hence the gate being left open, but after several minutes of nothing coming into sight she started calling to see if there was anyone on board. It was a bit like the Marie Celeste.  Several circuits round the lock later and calling all the time she eventually noticed, through one of the windows, a hand just hanging. this rather shook her, fearing the worst for the owner. She reported back to Sid on Hunters Moon and decided to prepare the lock in order to raise the 'nameless' boat and ascertain the situation. She called again and with a sigh of relief a rather dazed head appeared at the stern of the boat. The poor old chap was completely disorientated and mumbled that he didn't feel very well and was just having a rest. Jenny explained that she was going to gently let water into the lock get his boat up and then if he was able, to get it out of the lock and alongside the bank. He said he was able to mange to control and thanked Jenny very much.  However she was concerned for him because he still looked a bit unsteady. He sat on the rail at the back of his boat rubbing his head but was managing to control his boat until Jenny was able to reach a rope to tie to a bollard to steady things whilst the water rose.

When the levels were even and the lock gates open Jenny threw the rope back on board and he chugged out of the lock. Sid and Jenny were expecting him to pull into the bank but he just carried on up the cut with a thank you and a wave!  We were concerned for him but wondered if he did this often to save working the lock himself! Perhaps that's a bit unkind!!

Later that same day we were approaching a lock which just for once was full and in our favour but before Jenny could get off Hunters Moon a boater coming towards us came into view and started to let the water out of the lock!  Sid blasted on the Klaxon, the chap turned round and acknowledged us but still comtinued to wind the paddle up. By the time Jenny had got off the boat she was very cross, quite an unusual thing for her! She marched across to the boater and told him how selfish he was to which he replied that he half emptied the lock before he saw us. This was totally untrue! A few hot words were exchanged and Jenny thought it best to retire in a dignified manner since by this time the lock was standing empty and his boat was coming into the lock.  How very, very rude of him!!!!  Fortunately, these events are a rarity and usually boaty folk are well mannered and friendly.

As we have made our way down to Brentford we have been very distressed at the state of the canal, the huge number of junk boats, abandoned boats, the sunken boats and the mess on towpaths. Formerly lovely moorings are now more like shanty towns.  One boater we were talking to said that one of the hire company's, on the Grand Union is giving up because people just don't want to hire on the GU any longer because of the state of the canal and moorings.  So sad!

Another observation that we made was the huge number of widebeams on this canal. Obviously this is due to the housing crisis and it appears that this alternate way of living is spreading further and further out of London.  We noticed it from about Berkhamsted onwards!

Well, here we are 85 miles from Braunston waiting to make our way through Thames Lock tomorrow morning for our transit on the Thames up to Teddington. Our next post will be from the beautiful River Thames, well we hope it is still beautiful.

Sculptures in Wolverton

Gone Fishing

Another sculpture

Blossom like snow in the hedgerow

Whipsnade Lion

Marsworth Reservoir

Majestic Horse Chestnuts In Hemel Hemstead

Stencils on the lock gates all along the canal

Another swan

Floating tender greenhouse

We've never seen anything like it!

HS2 bridge

Three Bridges

Hanwell Flight with the old Asylum Wall in the background

Cormorant and a duck!