Journal

14 Miles, 5 locks and a discussion about Brexit

We did indeed 14 Miles today, that is a lot in boater terms. It was a good day for Natascha, there were only 5 locks to work. She had time to take the camera out and document a bit the scenery. The landscape is stunning, the lush country side during summer time is a real feast for the eye and the mind.

Some fishing below the motor way?

Some fishing from a branch?

Is this paradise?

We arrived at Stanton Low Park rather relaxed and joyous, considering we had such a good cruising day. We moored Quintessence and not long one of our boat neighbors came around for a chat. As mentioned before, the second question usually asked was where we are from. Switzerland. A short silent moment and his answer was “ohh, Switzerland is not in the EU either”. A smile appeared on his face at the same time. It was clear which topic this conversation will entail, the one question remaining, “Pro or Contra”? Pro Brexit of course. Natascha was in a provocative mood and answered “it’s a shame Switzerland isn’t in the EU. A silly, landlocked island in midst of the EU sea”.

Not sure how well that was received but we were told that people from Somalia all want to have flat screens, that is why they want to come to the UK. Not sure either what that has to do with Brexit, but as suspected after the Brexit vote the ‘closet’ racists got the carte blanche to come out and express their views. The conversation continued and we were told that all foreigners should leave the isle immediately. That includes us too. Natascha asked, whether he will be the one who will go and pick cabbages on the vast fields, for Sainsbury’s or Tesco or which ever supermarket, for a few quid per hour? Most certainly not, was the answer. And it was dinner time for our conversation partner, sausage and mash was on the menu. We were hungry too and went back inside to get on with dinner.

It dawned on us, we were not in liberal London any more. But in “leave” land.

Fed up with negative press – including a Guardian story – calling their city the ‘Brexit capital of Britain’, the residents of Stoke-on-Trent challenged the media to dig deeper. We accepted, and so began an astonishing journey into a remarkable place.

Directed, produced and filmed by: John Domokos
Co-producer and second camera: Bruno Rinvolucri
Editor: Jessica Kelly
Additional camera: Irene Baque
Colourist: Ken MacFarlane
Graphics: Joseph Pierce
Sound mixing: Ben Kape and Rowan Bishop
Stills photography: David Silitoe
Additional footage courtesy of Stoke-on-Trent City Council
Associate producer: Chris Michael
Executive producers: Christian Bennett and Laurence Topham

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Log

Journey to Stanton Low Country Park

Summary

This is a trip of 14 miles, 3¾ furlongs and 5 locks from Leighton Lock No 27 to Stantonbury Bridge No 75 travelling northwest on the Grand Union Canal (Grand Junction Canal – Main Line – Gayton to Brentford).

This will take 5 hours and 32 minutes.

Route

Grand Union Canal (Grand Junction Canal – Main Line – Gayton to Brentford)
From Leighton Lock No 27 to:
Old Linslade Winding Hole 1 mile, 4¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Soulbury Three Locks Moorings (Above Locks)

48 hour moorings above the lock
1 mile, 3¾ furlongs, 0 locks
Soulbury Top Lock No 26

Also known as Three Locks Bridge No 107
¾ furlongs, 0 locks
Soulbury Bottom Lock No 24 Having passed through Soulbury Three Locks. 1 furlong, 2 locks
Soulbury Three Locks Moorings (Below Locks)

48 hour moorings
¾ furlongs, 1 lock
Willowbridge Bridge No 99 2 miles, 2½ furlongs, 1 lock
Hammonds Bridge No 97 1 mile, 1½ furlongs, 0 locks
Skew Bridge No 94 6¼ furlongs, 1 lock
Bridge No 93 3¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Simpson Bridge No 92

With Pipe Bridge alongside
1¾ furlongs, 0 locks
The Plough PH (Milton Keynes) 3 furlongs, 0 locks
Milton Keynes Marina

Also known as Peartree Marina
7 furlongs, 0 locks
Peartree Bridge No 88 ¾ furlongs, 0 locks
Little Woolstone Bridge No 83

Little Woolstone a quarter of a mile east. Also known as Little Woolstone, Redway Bridge No 83
7¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Blue Bridge Winding Hole 3 furlongs, 0 locks
Campbell Park Visitor Moorings 2 furlongs, 0 locks
Bridge No 78B 1 mile, 5¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Giffard Park Moorings

7 day moorings
3¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Linford Manor Park Visitor Mooring

48 hour mooring
3¾ furlongs, 0 locks
Great Linford Railway Bridge No 76A (disused) 2½ furlongs, 0 locks
The Black Horse PH (Great Linford) ¾ furlongs, 0 locks
Stantonbury Bridge No 75 4¼ furlongs, 0 locks

Totals

Total distance is 14 miles, 3¾ furlongs and 5 locks (not counting Leighton Lock No 27). There are at least 3 small aqueducts or underbridges.

This is made up of 14 miles, 3¾ furlongs of broad canals; 5 broad locks.

This will take 5 hours and 32 minutes.

 

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Journal

Pit stop at Tesco’s in Leighton Buzzard

Tesco’s in Leighton Buzzard is massive and a favourite stop for boaters to stock up. Our fridge was empty, so we were really glad to hop over to shop until we dropped. Food and beverages, that is. And cat food. We got rid of our recycling and rubbish too, that piles up quickly on a barge. The food packaging of goods from the supermarket is astonishing. Back in the days when we had the veggie box scheme from Riverford we produced much less rubbish. On a barge it is much more noticeable what waste we humans make. Food for thought really.

Once we were back we had to move on just a bit further to right at the top of Leighton Lock No. 27 to spend the night. We opened the door and not long Sava hopped out and not to be seen for a few hours. The nature was stunning around there. Were we not as tired as we were, we could have gone for a walk but it was dinner time and soon after bed time. We had to move on early the next morning.

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Log

Journey to Leighton Buzzard

Summary

This is a trip of 9 miles, ¾ furlongs and 11 locks from Lower Icknield Way Bridge No 132 to Leighton Lock No 27 travelling north on the Grand Union Canal (Grand Junction Canal – Main Line – Gayton to Brentford).

This will take 5 hours and 33 minutes.

Route

Grand Union Canal (Grand Junction Canal – Main Line – Gayton to Brentford)
From Lower Icknield Way Bridge No 132 (B489) to:
Marsworth Junction

Junction of Grand Union Aylesbury Arm with Main Line
1¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Marsworth Wharf ¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Marsworth Services

Also known as Marsworth Sanitary Station
¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Waterside Café (Cheddington) 1 mile, 2 furlongs, 2 locks
Seabrook Top Lock No 36 2½ furlongs, 0 locks
Seabrook Bottom Lock No 34

Also known as Pitstone Lock

Having passed through Seabrook Locks.

3¾ furlongs, 2 locks
Grove Lock Marina 4 miles, 4½ furlongs, 6 locks
Leighton Buzzard Bridge No 114

Leighton Road (B4032)
1 mile, 3½ furlongs, 1 lock
Leighton Lock No 27 6¾ furlongs, 0 locks

Totals

Total distance is 9 miles, ¾ furlongs and 11 locks (not counting Leighton Lock No 27) Today’s travel includes at least 1 moveable bridge.

This is made up of 9 miles, ¾ furlongs of broad canals; 11 broad locks.

This will take 5 hours and 33 minutes.

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To Marsworth: another long cruising day

It was a long and hard day, not distance wise but we had to finish the ascend of the western part of the Chiltern Hills. Then came the descend, a total of 22 locks was a bit much in one day. The difference in altitude, between Hemel Hempsted where we started and Marsworth where the cruise ended was only about 32 Meters, but for Natascha working the locks it felt like hundreds of meters.

One the way we saw this barge:

An Ovaltine barge? Wander Ltd.? Ovaltine, in German called ‘Ovomaltine’ was originally from Nat’s home town Bern in Switzerland! It turns out that Ovaltine was hugely popular in the UK and a factory was opened in Kings Langley in the early 20th century. We really didn’t know about this all until we saw this barge. Click here to read more about the history of Ovaltine in the UK.

A proud boater and a traffic jam on the cut:

During the descend we encountered a problem on the cut. Fellow boaters tried to work a lock from the bottom approach, thinking it is properly closed, but it just wouldn’t fill up. Instead the canal would loose water from the top and the whole exercise had to come to an halt. The CRT had to be called. Then our cat escaped from the boat – brilliant. Perfect timing. Anyway, we all moored up, talked with fellow boaters, we got loads of compliments for Quintessence – but look at her! A stunning beauty. People always asked us from where we were and they were amazed that we are actually living on a narrow boat.

The cat came back sooner than anticipated, and the CRT technician managed to get a rather large log out from the bottom of the lock. This log prevented the lock from closing properly. He said this happens often during the busy summer time when water is moving much more and pieces of wood get moving. Off we go, we were second in line to pass through the lock.

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Log

Journey to Marsworth… yes, Marsworth

Summary

This is a trip of 9 miles, 2¼ furlongs and 22 locks from Winkwell Swing Bridge No 147 to Lower Icknield Way Bridge No 132 travelling northwest on the Grand Union Canal (Grand Junction Canal – Main Line – Gayton to Brentford).

This will take 7 hours and 51 minutes which is 1 day, 51 minutes at 7 hours per day.

Route

Grand Union Canal (Grand Junction Canal – Main Line – Gayton to Brentford)
From Winkwell Swing Bridge No 147 to:
Berkhamsted Top Lock No 53

Also known as Broadwater Lock
2 miles, 4¼ furlongs, 7 locks
Broadwater Pedestrian Bridge 1¼ furlongs, 1 lock
Tring Road Garage

@Tring Road, Berkhamsted, Dacorum, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom (A4251)
2 miles, 5½ furlongs, 6 locks
Cowroast Marina 2 furlongs, 1 lock
Tring Summit Visitor Moorings (Cowroast End)

14 day moorings<BR>Braunston 58 miles
¾ furlongs, 0 locks
The Grand Junction Arms PH 2 miles, 4¾ furlongs, 0 locks
Bulbourne Yard

Former BW yard and lock gate workshop
¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Bulbourne Junction

Junction of Grand Union Wendover Arm with Main Line, Braunston 55¼ miles / Wendover 6¾ miles
2 furlongs, 0 locks
Bulbourne Drydock

Also known as Bates Drydock
a few yards, 0 locks
Marsworth Lock No 40 3½ furlongs, 5 locks
Lower Icknield Way Bridge No 132

B489

Having passed through Marsworth Locks.

2¼ furlongs, 2 locks

Totals

Total distance is 9 miles, 2¼ furlongs and 22 locks.

This is made up of 9 miles, 2¼ furlongs of broad canals; 22 broad locks.

This will take 7 hours, 51 minutes which is 1 day, 51 minutes at 7 hours per day.

 

 

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What a cruise, Hemel Hempstead here we are!

We were cruising more than 8 hours, it was a beautiful day and the sun came out, finally. This also meant, that inside the boat it was way above 30 degree, we have a boiler in the middle of the boat and while the engine runs the water is heated up. We kept all the windows open but had to keep the side hatch and door closed, we never knew what our cat was capable off, considering how much she dislikes the cruising.

Sometimes we team up with fellow boaters to work the locks, it’s easier obviously and the Grand Union has wide locks and some of the gates were so heavy Natascha simply couldn’t open or close them. She has to work the locks, we have a clear separation of tasks due to the fact that she claims not to be talented enough to be on the tiller.

On the way we met a couple holidaying on their boat, they figured out straight away that we are not from this isle. They were really sad about the outcome of the Brexit vote and when we parted way they said, they hope we won’t be kicked out of the UK. How crazy is that? There were cracks opening up in crust of the British society and it was hard to imagine what will await us in the Midlands.

Approaching the swing bridge.

Adnan the proud owner of the beautiful Quintessence passing through the swing bridge.

Our mooring for the night

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Journey to Hemel Hempstead

Summary

This is a trip of 10 miles, 2¾ furlongs and 21 locks from Grand Junction Canal – Colne Junction to Winkwell Swing Bridge No 147 travelling north on the Grand Union Canal (Grand Junction Canal – Main Line – Gayton to Brentford).

This will take 8 hours and 25 minutes which is 1 day, 1 hour and 25 minutes at 7 hours per day.

Route

Grand Union Canal (Grand Junction Canal – Main Line – Gayton to Brentford)
From Grand Junction Canal – Colne Junction (Junction of the Grand Junction Canal with the River Colne) to:
Batchworth (North) Visitor Moorings

14 days mooring in one year
¾ furlongs, 0 locks
Lot Mead Railway Bridge No 171 [see navigational note 1 below] 1½ furlongs, 1 lock
Cassiobridge Bridge No 169

@Rickmansworth Road, Watford, Three Rivers, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom (A412)
1 mile, 2¼ furlongs, 1 lock
Grove Ornamental Bridge No 164 2 miles, ¼ furlongs, 4 locks
Ye Olde Red Lion PH 3 miles, 5 furlongs, 7 locks
Dickenson Quay Marina [see navigational note 2 below]

Also known as Apsley Marina
3¾ furlongs, 1 lock
Two Waters Road Bridge No 151

Hemel Hempstead Town Centre a quarter of a mile north. K2 Curry House by bridge. Two Waters Road (A414)
7 furlongs, 3 locks
The Fishery Inn 6 furlongs, 1 lock
Middlesex & Herts Boat Services Moorings 7 furlongs, 2 locks
Middlesex & Herts Boat Services Wharf

Includes Winkwell Dry Dock
1 furlong, 1 lock
Winkwell Swing Bridge No 147 ¼ furlongs, 0 locks

Totals

Total distance is 10 miles, 2¾ furlongs and 21 locks.

This is made up of 10 miles, 2¾ furlongs of broad canals; 21 broad locks.

This will take 8 hours, 25 minutes which is 1 day, 1 hour and 25 minutes at 7 hours per day

 

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Log

Journey up to Ricki

Summary

This is a trip of 5 miles, ¾ furlongs and 6 locks from Harefield Marina to Grand Junction Canal – Colne Junction travelling north on the Grand Union Canal (Grand Junction Canal – Main Line – Gayton to Brentford).

This will take 3 hours and 4 minutes.

Route

Grand Union Canal (Grand Junction Canal – Main Line – Gayton to Brentford)
From Harefield Marina (Musk Marine Sales. Braunston 79 miles) to:
The Bear On The Barge PH 1¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Troy Junction Towpath Bridge No 177A

Junction with the private Troy Branch
1 mile, 3½ furlongs, 2 locks
The Coy Carp PH 1¾ furlongs, 0 locks
Copper Mill Lock Weir Exit [see navigational note 1 below]

No Access!
¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Hillingdon Narrowboats Association 1 furlong, 1 lock
Springwell Farm Basin

Bridge No 176DD roves over the entrance.. Also known as Woodhall & Heward Basin
4½ furlongs, 0 locks
Frogmoor Wharf

Tesco supermarket with “Customer Moorings” and “Strictly No Overnight Mooring”!<BR>14 day moorings on the towpath side
1 mile, 6¼ furlongs, 2 locks
Batchworth Visitor Moorings

14 day moorings
½ furlongs, 0 locks
Batchworth Junction

Junction with Grand Union (Rickmansworth Branch). Rickmansworth Town Centre, half a mile north.. Also known as Rickmansworth, Batchworth Lock Canal Centre
¾ furlongs, 0 locks
Grand Junction Canal – Colne Junction

Junction of the Grand Junction Canal with the River Colne
4¾ furlongs, 1 lock

Totals

Total distance is 5 miles, ¾ furlongs and 6 locks.

This is made up of 5 miles, ¾ furlongs of broad canals; 6 broad locks.

This will take 3 hours and 4 minutes.

 

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She is all new, our Quintessence

Out of the wet dock, Quintessence in her new glory! Ian did a fantastic paint job – battle ship grey, with a white roof and some black with a white bow flash. We love it! It was worth all the work and worry, “Quinnie” looks like a new barge. There wasn’t much time to ponder, we had a cruise planned up to Ricki, aka Rickmansworth. Good Bye London – we’re heading to the Midlands…

 

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