We really liked the mooring at Cowroast, in spite of the road and the trains. This morning we set off at about 9, with Adrian walking down to the lock and initially helping another boater who was on his way down. Cowroast Lock is a pretty one, with cottages both sides.
The next pound was very full, so when we were going down Dudswell Top Lock the water was pouring over the gates. It also has a cottage alongside.
At Dudswell Bottom Lock the houses by the lock are a bit more separated from the lock. I think the various bits of this one must have been built at different times.
When we got to Northchurch Lock, the fuel boat was moored on the lock landing and a CRT guy was doing something. We pulled alongside the fuel boat, and found that the CRT chap was turning on the pump which brings water from the underground aquifer, as the pound below was rather low. We went into the lock and the fuel boat joined us.
When the lock was empty and it was time to leave we planned to let the fuel boat go first — but the level was so low he was sitting on the bottom of the lock and couldn’t go anywhere. We were still afloat so he said we should go while he ran some water through. The pound was very low, but we slowly made it to the next lock without no sign of the other boat behind us yet. We carried on down Bushes Lock, then met two boats coming up the top Gas Lock. After the second Gas Lock we were looking for a mooring in Berkhamsted; the only obvious spaces were on the four hour shopping mooring, but then Adrian thought we could fit right on the end just before the landing for the next lock. We could, as long as we moved a tender for the boat behind us, and in fact we’ve used the final landing bollard to moor to. Again the level here is a bit low but not too bad, and according to people already here, much better than it was in the early hours of this morning.
After lunch, Adrian went to Waitrose which is right by the canal while I took Macc for a walk. The main park was much too busy and he was getting very over excited. Along with everything else there’s a Crepe Boat on the shopping moorings. So we headed instead for the park below the lock which is much quieter. The floating food offering here was the Goat Boat, with a range of goat dishes being cooked.
This afternoon, one of my former colleagues, Paul, came to visit. He lives not that far away, and we had a lovely couple of hours catching up with news and gossip.
3 miles, 7 locks. (72 miles, 81 locks)