A new village......

.....and a familiar mooring.

Yesterday I took a stroll into Northchurch.

Black skies again.

It isn’t a particularly rural village but the High street showed some signs of the original bits, nowadays a busy road runs through it.

Of course it has the usual large church St Marys, and as is often the case a public house almost opposite for the worshipper’s convenience.

The George and Dragon

The other end of the high street has a Tesco Express, a fish and chip shop and a coffee/cake shop, I did venture into Tesco to get a newspaper but the weather looked grim and I headed back to the boat just in time to avoid a heavy rain shower.

In the evening I watched the F1 on the box.

This morning I put a load of washing in the machine before setting off just after 8:30, intending to reach my destination before lunch and hang the washing out for the afternoon.

It was pleasant weather for a change.

and the second of the Northchurch locks (49) was empty in my favour, as per instructions to leave it like that, so I was soon into that and through passing the pump house which was not pumping at the moment.

At the first of the two Dudswell locks a boat was coming down so I assisted the lady crew member before going up the lock myself.

The boat coming down had left a gate open at the second Dudswell lock so I was straight in that one and then with a boat approaching I was able to leave the top gate open as I left.

Arriving at Cowroast a boat was ahead of me and they kindly waited at the lock to allow me to share, they wanted water as did I but knowing there was another point ahead I just emptied my cassette at the service point and headed off again.

The entrance to Cowroast Marina looks tight, but then again most of them are.

Next came the slow crawl past all the permit holder moorings on the offside.

And then into one of my least favourite sections of this canal, Tring summit, long dark and tree lined it doesn’t make for pleasant cruising, some boats are moored half way along presumably because of the easy access to Tring Railway station.

I wanted to moor before the water point at Bulbourne and get the washing out but it was full so I stopped and topped up the tank, annoying a fisherman who was close but not in my way, and then moved through bridge 133 to moor outside the Grand Junction Arms, a familiar spot for me, I have yet to venture inside though, maybe tomorrow.

Current mooring:

Totals today: 4.5 miles : 4 locks

I did get the washing out for the afternoon and it is dry, as I was typing this the rain came, so I just got it inside in time, all is ok, my timing today was good!