Hemel Hempstead

I left Berkhamsted this morning around 9am, misty and damp in the air but not cold and considering the time of year a bit of a bonus time.

First stop was Berkhamsted lock (53) 5’ 10” deep and well behaved, leaving the lock you pass beneath a prettily painted iron bridge, things like this are why I like the area, no graffiti that I could see.

Approaching Berkhamstead lock

And looking back at it

Then the pleasant cruise past the totem pole and the pubs of which there are many and three along this section of canal, two more locks in this stretch, Ravens lock and Rising Sun lock, here’s a few picture of the scene.

After leaving Berkhamstread behind it’s fairly dull open country, quite a number of locks and after another couple I suddenly remembered I intended to put a washload on while cruising, so at the next lock I nipped below and set the machine running.

Again the locks came and went, this boat took my fancy.

I was just emerging from lock 60 when a boater walked up and told me he was waiting at the swing bridge ahead, if he opened it I could go through and he would follow while I closed it, so that was good, he’d obviously been waiting for a boat to appear to save work and share the locks ahead.

Looking back at Winkwell swing bridge

We soon got into a little routine, his name was Jack but his boat didn’t have a name displayed, He went ahead and opened up, and I closed up afterwards, we just used the one gate on leaving the lock, which works well.