7 locks, and 3 miles, 1 swing bridge. Now moored at Bourne End
Frost not Snow
Its still as white as snow around here after another heavy overnight frost but to beat the winter stoppages we have to start moving again. We cannot travel too far in a day due to the short days and we prefer to travel between 10 and 2 when the daytime temperature is at its highest, not that it gets very warm. It only reached about 4deg C today after an overnight temperature of -5.4 deg.
The first 2 pounds were well and truly frozen again so it was a case of imitating an ice breaker. Even though another boat had been through about 1½ hours ahead of us the water had started to freeze over again. At times we were pushing sheets of ice as big as the boat ahead of us and other times we were unable to steer as the ice just pushed us sideways unless we hit it head on and smashed it.
Ice not glass, not good for the blacking on the hull though
Once past Boxmoor lock it was a clear run until we got to Winkwell where there was a queue of boats waiting to go through the Winkwell swing bridge. This has been playing up lately, something wrong with the electric's and BW have been opening it up at 9, 12, and 3. We were in the process of getting some late lunch organised when the call went out that BW were on the job and it was time to go.
We only went up through 1 more lock and tried to find a mooring as it was getting cold and late. Fat chance, we couldn't even get close enough to get off the boat. In the end we moved up to the next lock and moored at the back of the lock moorings which are barely deep enough. Two of the other boats did likewise complaining that they didn't have this problem last time they were here. Its about time BW made more use of their dredgers instead of worrying about the towpaths.
We have just checked the latest on the winter stoppages programme to find many stoppages have been cancelled probably due to DEFRA cuts and the collapse of the Mons & Brec.
837 locks, 1143.75 miles, 33 Tunnels, 40 swing bridges and 19 lift bridges since Nov 2006
1 comment:
I didn't think that there was anyone out there that tackled ice. We did from Floods Ferry to Salters Lode on the Middle Level. Don't want to do it again in a hurry. Wer'e still stuck at Salters waiting for the tide so we can get through Denver sluice and then home to Ely.
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