Almost lock free.....

....and a rural mooring.

I cast off this morning at 8:30, my first stop was at the service point just ahead.

Service point by the Giffard Park pub, the small building by the moored boat
is the service area

I had purposely moored before I reached it to enable a splash an dash and empty of rubbish before moving on properly, unfortunately I forgot the water pressure here is very low so it took a while just to top up my tank. The chap on the moored boat poked his head out and declared he had overslept, he then appeared with a cuppa and while we chatted a young lady boater came along and wandered around looking bemused, she then explained she had left her keys there on Sunday and was trying to locate them but without success. He moved off while I was filing up and I followed on once ready.

There are a few pubs along this stretch, first was the Black Horse, with a few boats moored out front.

Then on passing New Bradwell with a large housing estate beyond the park spoiling the views.

 The New Inn is alongside bridge 72 and looks very pleasant, one day I may venture in.

Shortly after is the first of two aquaducts today, I had to slow to a stop as a boat was stationary on it, he was picking up floating plastic bottles, but once he had passed by I was crossing watching the traffic fly past below me.

Just a short run further saw me approaching Wolverton with it's much photographed railway themed mural.

A stop just ahead for a trip to Tesco and chance to snap a couple of the 'sculptures'

There is a huge housing development alongside the visitor moorings and the tow path is fine shingle on concrete, it makes getting a foot hold to slow the boat quite interesting if you haven't judged it right.
After popping to Tesco I returned to find a chap sitting on a nearby bench and as I boarded Quin he asked if I lived aboard, we chatted for quite a while as he was considering the life for himself and had lots of questions.

Once the shopping was packed I made a cuppa and set off again towards Cosgrove passing another pub, The Galleon, looks a bit posh this one, I won't be visiting.

And then on to the Iron Trunk aqueduct, holding back to allow two boats to come through before heading across myself.

Crossing over the River Great Ouse, not looking very great!
 

A colourful paint job on this one.

 Cosgrove lock (21) the only one of today and uphill now again.

It's not deep at just 3' 4" and I was assisted through by two sets of parents and their young children who took delight in closing the gates for me.
It's quite a nice view across the field as you head past the service point here, but sadly a couple of large pipe bridges can mar the photo!

It was taken on purpose, for fun only.

Cosgrove bridge is one of the most beautiful on the Grand Union, you cannot leave it out.

Shortly after leaving Cosgrove and rounding a bend a boat was getting ready to cast off in front of me and another boat was approaching us both, I thought it prudent to pause and see what happened expecting the one casting of to wave me through, he didn't he pushed off right in front of me, so a bit of hard reverse to give him time to get away without me rear ending him!

He did wave a thank you.

Another mile another pub, The Navigation by Thrupp Wharf marina.

 I was on the lookout for a nice quiet rural mooring and after bridge 63 I spotted one, a nice piled edge to chain up to, fields either side of the canal and only one boat moored, I left a reasonably long gap between us and moored up. Shortly after another boat filled the gap, but they only stopped for lunch I guess as they have gone now.

Current mooring:

Totals today: 9 miles : 1 lock : 2 aqueducts

Another chill day tomorrow.

Anyone see any anglers?

Yesterday was clear and reasonable weather wise, I loaded the washing machine and set off from my mooring around 8:30 with just a short distance to cover before reaching the first lock of the day, Stoke Hammond lock (23) which is 6’ 11” deep, there was a Wyvern hire boat moored before the lock landing and as I headed in the lady at the bow asked if I would wait for them and share the lock, so I pulled onto the landing and walked up to the lock closing the bottom gate which was open, she joined me and explained it was their first hire holiday and only the second day, we chatted while the lock filled and then her husband bought their boat in and I followed on. I let them leave first and closed up.

The distance between Stoke Hammond lock and the next one at Fenny Stratford is about 3½ miles, there are normally a few boats moored in various places and quite a few around Willow Bridge Marina where there are some permit holder moorings, things proved to be slightly different this trip, every spare space between the two locks and between the moored boats was occupied by an angler, the whole distance must have been a fishing matching, tick over all the way following the hire boat who was also sticking to the rule, time passed, slowly J

Leaving Stoke Hammond lock and the first of the anglers.

Following the hire boat, continuous anglers or boats.

Seemed it would never end!

At least there was the occasional distraction.

He's real.

He's not!

The hire boat obviously arrived at Fenny lock (22) first, this lock has a swing bridge across the middle of it which causes some consternation to hire boaters as not only is it the first they have encountered but the added fact that it is situated in the middle of the lock adds to the mystery of what to do! , the top gates were open but the bridge was not, I could see the lady on the towpath looking at it and contemplating her next action and so I was intending to head halfway into the lock (myself already knowing which direction it swings in) and then show her how to open it, when another boater on the water point stepped up to offer assistance, we are mostly a friendly bunch! I cruised straight in and was followed by hubby on his boat.

The lock is only 1’ 1” deep and is the last downhill lock for a while and it is about 12 miles before the first uphill lock at Cosgrove, so we were soon on our way again with me leading this time to head through the bridge territory which is Milton Keynes and now past the fishing match...phew!

It was all very quiet with just a few boats moving, of course the unwritten rule is that you must meet other boats at bridge holes, so we took turns in doing this, first a boat moving off his mooring just before a bridge hole on a bend did not see me coming through and had no time to do much other than accelerate out of my way, the hire boat behind me then had to yield to him, no fault, and then later on a clear stretch I yielded to a boat heading my way at a bridge, he then yielded to me, I moved, he moved, such fun.... we did decide in the end and he came through first.

Another Nineveh spotted today, those who don’t know the connection to Quinquireme can google the John Masefield poem, I have, many times. It was a good looking boat though.

I had mentioned to the hirers following that if they wanted to stop at MK there were plenty of moorings with just a few on the offside at Campbell Park which were usually full but worth a stop anyway.

Unusually they were empty, but the hirers did not take advantage.

Campbell Park visitor moorings (48 hrs)

It was getting on for midday and I wanted to get my washing out to dry (I’m so domesticated) and so I decided to pull over just before the Giffard Park service’s where I knew there was a piled edge and so here I am, washing out and dry before the rain started around 5:30, all in all a pleasant easy day.

Current mooring:

Totals this post: 9½ miles : 2 locks : 1 moveable bridge

It’s been very grey and overcast today so I’m happy to just chill inside, tomorrow, if the weather is clear will be time for another move.

Moving on at last.

Yesterday I got the all clear from the dentist, did a final provision shop and prepared myself to move on today, the forecast was for the tail end of a hurricane coming in the afternoon with ‘blustery’ conditions and showers so I decided to make an early-ish start. Just after 8am I said good bye to Karl, he is heading for London later so we are travelling in opposite directions, and cast off.

I hadn’t gone far before pulling on to the service point for the normal water fill and empty of toilet cassettes.

On the service point.

The water tank (900ltr) was just below half full, it took just under an hour to fill as the flow was a bit weak.

Once full I made a cuppa and set off for the first lock, I was soon overtaken by three young canoeists who passed me at speed two on one side of the boat and one squeezing between me and the line of moored boats, there were in complete control and I only had to keep my boat straight to prevent squashing one of them.

It was changeover day at Wyvern shipping hire centre with lots of holiday boats returning, not as full as I’ve seen it before and probably will be empty again later today.

Arriving at Leighton lock (27) which is 6’ 8” deep and with heavy gates I was glad to see two more hire boats coming up to return to base and behind me a boat approaching I could share with.

There was also another boat waiting to come up so it all meant nothing for me to do but stay on the tiller and chat to the other helmsman, they were from Belgium and were heading for Milton Keynes  marina, not a holiday but a summer cruising boat, they were going back to Belgium for the winter later in the year.

I headed out of the lock first and set off along the 2½ mile pound between lock 27 and the Soulbury three locks 26-24 soon passing The Globe Inn public house with a few hire row boats and canoes out front.

There are lots of moored boats along this pound and as I mentioned in my last post, I always slow to tickover, my Belgium buddies decided I was too slow and as soon as the opportunity arose they overtook me.

What do they think that will achieve ?

It was of no benefit at all as I caught them up again at the next lock J

We shared the 3 lock flight which was made easier as a boat was coming up so the second and third were in our favour.

The Three Locks pub between locks 25 and 24.

I told my impatient locking pals to head off first as I intended to moor up and off they went waving goodbye as I shut the bottom gate.

I wanted to moor just after the lock but the moorings were full so I headed on until I spied a gap on the piled edge just after the next bridge (106) around Stoke Hammond, lovely, the wind was getting up a bit and the solar panel was clear to the sun so I was happy, just about midday.

Current  mooring:

Totals today : 5 miles : 4 locks

Just as I started to write this (about 1:30pm) the boat went dark as the sky turned black and a very heavy brief shower of rain ensued with a few claps of thunder, I’m glad I stopped J

A good time to be below deck.

It’s now beautiful and sunny again although still breezy.

Stove project......

.......completed.

I managed to get the grouting and silicone work done along with painting the area beneath the stove collar painted by Friday evening so on Saturday I was able to re-position and fix the stove dropping the flue into position and sealing the joints, the one on the roof with silicone and the flue to stove joint with fireproof cement.

Tiled and grouted.

Stove back in position.

Flue and collar back with painted black panel.

It was then just a few coats of paint to touch up the surrounding damaged areas.

That will do nicely.

So I should be all ready to light the stove when the weather turns cold and hopefully no more smell of burning wood when I am not burning wood !

Tomorrow a visit to the dentist where hopefully I will get the all clear to move on Friday.

I have enjoyed my little forced stay and I am pleased to get the stove work completed, the only issue has been speeding boaters, who either through lack of knowledge or care pass moored boats too quickly, it is a issue that all live-aboard's have to contend with, my pins have been pulled out once despite being cross pinned and with a spring line on the bow, and I think most boats along this stretch have had the same issue, Karl certainly has and further along a boat has come completely adrift and is floating loose on the opposite bank, not nice for the owner when he returns, so if you are ever considering hiring a narrow boat for a holiday, please pass moored boats at tickover.

A week has passed....

....since arriving at Leighton Buzzard.

I haven’t been sitting around doing nothing, well I was on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, but I have an excuse, it’s summer, time to sit outside in the sunshine with a cold beer and read my Kindle....well that’s not happened! Antibiotics have put paid to alcohol and rain has put paid to sitting outside.

So yesterday with a no rain forecast it was time to leap into action and start on the work needed to my stove, I won’t bore you with the why’s and wherefores, let’s just say that some time ago I smelt burning wood when wood should not have been burning!

So the  first job was to remove the collar on the roof. I had thought ahead and sprayed the bolts below with WD40.

The bolts came out easily and then about an hour later having freed all the silicone between the collar and the roof I was lifting out the collar with the flue still attached, that was a surprise, it was heavier and slightly longer than I thought and at full stretch I only just managed to get it clear of the roof to lay it safely inside the boat.

There was some rust beneath the collar, but not much, and some breaking through from my previous work when I repainted the roof.

Some rust along the blue edge band as well as below collar.

rust removed and treated with Owatrol Oil.

Once that was cleaned up and treated it was time to move indoors and start on the base, Karl gave me a hand to lift the stove clear.

Stove out.

And then I hacked off the floor tiles revealing the problem ( I did know, I had investigated previously)

Oops, that don't look good!

So this is what happens when you use plywood as a base board.

Over the years the heat from the base of the stove  had passed through
the tiles and scorched a hole through the plywood.

I had previously bought all the necessary bits so with some alterations and additional supports added beneath I fitted a new 25mm vermiculite base board which according to the supplier is ideal for the job, it's heat resistant to about 1200 degrees C.

Today back outside to fill the defects in the roof and prime it all, and then back inside to tile the baseboard having previously sealed it.

Now I've been able to get behind the stove I've cleaned the tiles, they are all hand painted and individual, very nice.

Over the next few days (hopefully) further painting, grouting and reinstatement progress, I’ve got to get it back and working before summer ends (I may be too late already).