Tuesday, 21 April 2015

Onto the Aylesbury Arm

After posting the previous fishy blog entry I got sorted and went on deck, I am growing a couple of herbs which I forgot to get in last night and would you believe there was a slight frost, Parsley seems to have survived, but Basil is no more :-(

For some reason I was quite keen to get moving this morning so at 9:30, that’s early for me, I set off the quarter mile or so to the Aylesbury Arm, as I approached the entrance two boats were coming towards me on the mainline so I held station and let them pass before turning in, at this point the wind caught me and pushed me parallel with and to within 150cms of a moored boat, a bit of breath holding saw me past without actual contact.
In lock 1 of the staircase looking down on lock 2
A double first for me today, single narrow locks and the first two forming a staircase(where locks are together with no gaps between to give a big rise or fall in a shorter distance and avoid one very deep lock)
All went as planned, although with single locks there is no chance of sharing and a bit more walking is involved, the levels of a couple of pounds were very low and so the C&RT men were letting water down from the mainline, I had to hold at one lock until enough had come through to give me a chance to get though the next pound which was about 300cms lower than needed.

Passing a modern little development of housing the locks come at you thick and fast, 8 in all (including the staircase) over the next ¾ mile or so, not much time for pictures or admiring the views but it was very pleasant.

Having done my stint for the day I moored up at Wilstone, and went for a walk, down to the next lock Gudgeon Stream , they have wonderful names some of them.


 and then along a footpath to the village, following what I assume was Gudgeon stream, it must have strong flows at some time to warrant this guillotine gate unless the farmer uses it to irrigate his fields.



Wilstone, so the information board told me, is famous for its association with Hertfordshire’s last recorded witch hunt in 1751 which resulted in the death of Ruth Osborn the so called ‘witch’. The coroner’s inquest on her death was held at the Half Moon pub, in front of “25 good men and true” and Thomas Colley, the instigator, (of the witch hunt) was hanged at nearby Gubblecote, Colley’s ghost and that of his black dog are reputed to have haunted the scene long after.

Apart from that Wilstone is a small pleasant village, the Half Moon pub, A Village Community Shop (7am til 1pm) and a Church were all available to its residents and visitor’s, what more do you need.

Views from the side hatch.







Totals today :  1.5 miles : 8 Locks








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