Date - 25/04/08 Day - Friday Start - 0920 Wilstone End - 1930 Marsworth
We set off quite early for us and we didn't see any boats on the move until we were back on the main line. The first 4 locks below Wilstone have to be left empty with a paddle up as the chambers leak. BW are fitting extra bollards both prior to the locks, minimum 3 and at the locks, 3 down one side and 2 the other and these are narrow locks. The second and third locks from the bottom are fitted with anti vandal locks, these require a BW key to open them and as the bottom gates are padlocks which hold the key captive until relocked makes bit of mucking about. Just above the third lock there were two gents fishing right on the lock moorings. I nosed the boat against the top gate for Diana to get off and they made it plain they intended to continue fishing no matter what. I pulled back so Diana could open the gate and then forward to straighten up and enter the lock, at this point his float disappeared beneath the boat and he started to try to play me in. I think I will probably find a hook on the stern gear somewhere. We went right to the end of the Aylesbury arm and moored on the visitor moorings for a couple of hours while we went into town. Just as we returned to the boat it started to rain so we pushed off clobbered up with coats. By the Tesco moorings there is the remains of a cruiser that has been burnt out. A little further up the canal the water has started to flow into a field on the off side as the level of the bank is the same as the water level and even small depressions let the water flow out. A long section of the canal has reeds encroaching from both sides with just a boats width down the centre of open water. The canal gave a good harvest of fishing floats probably 12-18 with 6 on one bush alone. As we approached the top pair of locks we met a lady with a windless, her husband and boat were waiting at the top to come down. The only boat we had seen on the move all day. We moored for the night just below the locks at 7-30 pm and walked over to The White Lion to eat and I must say it was much better than last time we visited. -- Brian <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Join SOW and help save our waterways http://www.saveourwaterways.org
