I'm back home again now following the trip to move BW Heritage Boat Python from Adelaide Dock to Stoke Breurne. This is a trip to which I was looking forward as I hadn't 'done' the GU between Gayton Junction and London before; my trips to the Thames have both been via the South Oxford in both directions. Day One, Friday 29th May 2009. After an 05:15 start from home on Friday morning I reached Southall by rail at a more respectable 08:30, and eventually arrived at Adelaide Dock by bus and foot at 09:00 despite the best (and relatively successful) attempts of a London bus driver to take me in the opposite direction. I arrived at the boat weighed down with luggage (sleeping bag, camp bed, clothes for four days, minimal eating equipment, toiletries, spare shoes and waterproofs (which successfully kept the sun shining for four days). After a drink and loading our equipment aboard with Tony's help (Tony Mann from Coventry Canal Soc., my fellow crew member, who had negotiated the loan of the boat), we finally set sail at about 11:15. Mechanically our boat 'Python' a mere 80 years young this year, was fine fettle and once we had mastered the technique for changing gear (it was stuck in forward gear when we started the engine and wouldn't go into neutral until we eventually learned the knack and the enormous amount of muscle required to shift the gears). Adelaide Dock is not one of the most attractive or photogenic spots on the system - if it wasn't featured on Uncle Mort's Dreary Calendar a couple of years ago, it certainly should have been! However the BW workers at Adelaide Dock were very friendly and helpful and bid us a pleasant journey as we slipped away under a dock entrance bridge decorated (or rather despoiled) with some very unattractive graffiti. Pausing only once near Cowley Peachy to remove a long discarded cratch cover, a large thick white plastic bag, a similar black one and a Rab C Nesbitt style vest that had all collected around the prop, using only a boathook (no sophistications like weed hatches on Python) we cruised otherwise uneventfully past Denham, Harefield, Batchworth and Ricksmansworth to Cassio Bridge at Watford, arriving at about 6:15pm. Here we halted for the night. I think we had passed only one boat on the move all day, although we had been following another boat at some distance for a while until we made a brief stop at Uxbridge.
After mooring up, fish and chips was agreed to be the order of the day, since we had just discovered that in the absence of any padlocks we couldn't secure the boat or our belongings in this busy spot, so only one of us could safely leave the boat. It only took me an hour and a half to find an F&C shop and return with food. The locals either could understand no english, or had no sense of direction when telling me how to find a suitable shop or were enjoying a game of sending me round in circles. I was however able to find an open Budgens on my tour of Watford, where I was able to stock up with canned beer to accompany the F&Cs. So, Day One sailing statistics were: 16 miles, 11 locks, 7 hours sailing. Left home at 5:15, caught London train at 05:50 (I must mention here in verification of Sod's Law, that in coach F there was only one person and that person was of course sitting in my reserved seat! I decided to sit elsewhere. The weather had been glorious with a pleasant early morning mist. Day Two, Saturday 30th May 2009. Another glorious sunny morning. Set off at 07:15. Cassiobury Park looked very beautiful in the early morning, there were a few dog walkers about with whom we exchanged pleasantries. We each enjoyed an excellent fried egg sandwich and mug of tea made by Tony at about 08:30. Sailing through Cassiobury park is to me what is best about boating on canals, I also quite like to enjoy the atmosphere of the old run down Victorian and Georgian factories in the towns that once depended upon the canals, but I really cannot warm to the likes of the development of Apsley around what I suspect was once a real working BW yard. After leaving Hemel Hempstead behind and heading for Winkwell and Bourne End we came upon Parglena, but Julian and Caro appeared not to be home. I knew that Jannock roamed the waters hereabouts, but saw no sight of the Graham and Brenda, not knowing until I arrived home that they were aboard Jannock heading in the same direction as us but a day or so ahead. At a busy Berkhamstead I spotted Tiamai at its mooring and also sighted Pengalanty. A beer festival was in full swing at the pub adjacent to one of the locks (I don't recall its name), it took great presence of mind to resist joining in. We made a brief stop at Tesco to take on further supplies and assisted a gent in his search for his four small white ducks (pets not Sunday's lunch hopefully), that had gone walkabout. Having seen them standing carefully watching us operating a nearby lock, we were easily able to identify the fugitives. Although there were many people around we saw surprisingly few boats on the move all day, and after leaving Berkhamstead we didn't see another boat on the move that afternoon. At around 8:00pm we arrived at Bulbourne. There being no moorings free we were kindly offered a place close to Upper Icknield Way Bridge to double moor alongside a boat that hailed from Red Bull Basin at Kidsgrove. Music was coming from the Grand Junction Arms close by, so we quickly went across to get some food. Unfortunately, as it was 'late' food was no longer being served (still not yet 8:30pm on a Saturday evening?). Hearing of our plight, a delightful young lady offered us a lift in her enormous chocolate brown coloured van to 'The Anglers' at Marsworth, where we received excellent service and a good meal. After the meal and refreshing drink, the walk up the locks to Bulbourne presented no problems and we arrived back at the boat in the gathering darkness. Day Two sailing statistics were: 17 miles, 34 locks, 13 hours sailing. Day Three, Sunday 31st May 2009. Yet another lovely sunny morning. We set off as quietly as a Lister HA2 could be at 07:15 hoping not to wake many from the dead. However the accommodating gent from the adjacent boat was already up and about with his dog. We went quickly down the Marsworth Flight with a little help from a chatty lock keeper, surprisingly seeing Pengalanty again (I can only assume that it passed us while we were victualling at Tesco in Berko the previous afternoon. From lock 38 to lock 30 (Slapton) we shared locks with a Wyvern hire boat crewed by five very friendly lads (two of whom we never actually saw as they were still in bed recovering from the previous evenings elbow bending exercise. At swing bridge 125 (Pitstone) we became entangled with a private boat whose helmsman tried to thread his way between me (stopped waiting for crewman to return from closing the bridge) and a hire boat already 75% through the bridge. However no contact was made and no prides were damaged although considerable use of bow thruster and emission of clouds of black smoke from reversing engines were required. A lunchtime drink at the inviting looking Grove Lock pub was just resisted as we knew that we still had a long way to go before we could relax. After a stop at Leighton Buzzard (LB) for milk and to top up our meagre water supply we headed off again. LB was very busy with numerous boats (mainly Wyvern Hire boats) on the move. We shared Leighton lock with a grey-painted boat carrying the livery of a steel company in Netherton. I am sure that I have come across this boat before at either Barton Turns or Kings Bromley, or maybe both. However it stopped for the day soon after Leighton. Here the canal was very shallow, Python has a deep draught well in excess of three feet so we slowly bounced along the canal bottom cutting a groove in the mud for some distance. Eventually the water deepened and we were able to continue at a more suitable speed. Soulbury Three Locks were manned by IWA members in traditional boatman's costumes, observed by the many gongooslers and drinkers in the adjacent pub. At Willowbridge Marina we bought some diesel, some plastic pipe fittings and ice creams. The proprietor was very friendly and helpful. On we continued towards the sprawl of MIlton Keynes, Although quite pleasant, the tree-lined banks backed up by endless modern houses became quite boring after a while. Of course we had still to deal with the mind challenging, complex lock/swing bridge combination with the confusing 1 foot water level differential at Fenny Stratford before reaching Great Linford Wharf, our target for the night. Day Three sailing statistics were: 23.5 miles, 24 locks, 12 hours sailing. Day Four (Last Day), Monday 1st June 2009. Yes, lovely weather again. A 7:15am start, passing through thickly wooded countryside until reaching Wolverton. There, a large new development of smart flats alongside the canal has sprung up opposite the old railway workshops that are now undergoing extensive restoration. The mural along the wall depicting the former railway related industry is bright and cheerful and added something to what must have been an otherwise drab area. The first canal activity we saw was a boat ahead as we approached Cosgrove Lock. This turned out not to be a lock sharing opportunity because the said boat moored up on the lock landing and proceeded to fill up with water from the adjacent tap. I don't think that this was an ideal placement for a tap as I had to moor in a very restricted place at the end of a long line of long term moorings. The friendly Mooring Warden showed great interest in Python and was amazed that there was insufficient depth of water for the old workboat to get alongside the bank. After Cosgrove we meandered through open countryside, with splendid views of the villages of Yardley Gobion and Gafton Regis until at last we reached the Stoke Breurne locks. We shared the ascent with another boat, the occupants declared that they were heading north, but hadn't yet decided where. We crossed with a single and then a pair of boats at the top two locks, by which time the towpath was busy with sightseers and other boaters. We moored up at the reserved place next to Sculptor outside the Museum Tea-room. After a photograph or two to record our arrival and a welcome drink in the Museum we packed our belongings into Tony's car, borrowed a couple of security padlocks for Python from David Blairgrove and headed home. Day Four sailing statistics were: 11.5 miles, 6 locks, 5 hours sailing. Arthur Naylor (Temporarily) nb Python [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
