After the mini heatwave.......

.......time for a change of scenery.

Obviously it has been too hot too cruise (to me anyway)  and I had stayed at Kings Langley waiting for a ‘cooler’ day, a few boats have been passing my mooring, some setting off early to avoid the heat some with the canopies raised or big parasols to shield them and a few moving later in the early evening, not for me though just too hot.

But as the forecast for today was for much lower temperatures I had already decided to move, as long as it wasn't pouring with rain, I woke at 5:30 to a pleasantly cool start to the day, a leisurely cup of tea and two Weetabix with milk and honey before getting myself ready, I had a decision to make though, shorts or trousers?, I settled on shorts.

I didn’t want to leave too early as I only intended it to be a short trip but by 9am I was itching to move so I put a small load of washing in the machine and got everything else ready, as soon I put a foot on deck it began raining, damn weather, so I nipped below and changed into trousers, it was only a very short shower and I was casting off almost immediately having changed, about 100yards along the canal and there was a huge clap of thunder, the sky was dark and I wondered if I had made a poor decision.

The first lock imaginatively named Kings Langley lock (69a) was empty and against me, so I sat on the beam while it filled and looked up at the sky, it looked like rain was definitely on the cards for sometime during this trip.

Kings Langley Lock landing

After entering the lock I was again watching it empty, it was almost there so my boat was hidden in the depths when the mooring warden rode along, I was surprised that he still recorded it but he did, I have chatted to this chap many times and our exchange this morning was all about the weather, typical English folk.

I had passed a moving boat on the next section so when I arrived at Home Park Mill Lock (70) it was in my favour, on the south side of this lock below the bottom gates there are two bridges, the first is a big concrete job and the canal must have been widened during the bridges construction to allow meeting boats a bit of room because the next bridge is quite narrow and skewed so that the approach is blind, it can be tricky when you’re heading north and suddenly find a boat just leaving the lock going south!

Quite wide as you pass beneath the first bridge

But narrow beneath the second bridge and it's on a bend so the approach is
blind until it's too late! 

They are doing something to the underside of the huge M25 bridge and have a large scaffold erected, it does not improve the look.

The next lock, North Grove (71) was against me having emptied due to leakage, so I had to turn that one before scanning for a mooring.

I arrived at Hunton Bridge, a small village surrounded by busy roads, mooring can be problematical as “the bottom is too near the top” (it’s shallow) along the edge, I have struggled here before but fortunately found a reasonable spot today with the stern just about 18inches off the bank.

Current mooring:

Totals today: 1.5 miles : 3 locks

I know I haven’t moved far but I am still killing time a bit and although I don’t think there is much here I have never wandered along to the village, according to Maps.me there is a couple of pubs and a convenience store, I will take a look tomorrow if it’s dry.

The rain today must have passed me by and it's been very pleasant despite the early stormy skies.

This little bunch were nipping along the canal across from me, they were going full tilt and with camera on zoom it’s a bit fuzzy but I liked the tight little group and just managed to get them all in shot.

I will probably stay here the weekend and watch the Formula 1.