Life Afloat

The Nicholson guides are absolutely invaluable to boaters. The one for the Grand Union Canal is always open on the dashboard while I’m driving.

• They show the route of the canal, which side the towpath is on, the location of locks and winding holes and boatyards and marinas.
• They also list canalside pubs, drinking being something of a hobby for many boaters, especially if the pubs have their own moorings and real ale. Car drivers would, you hope, refrain from going to the pub during a journey but it’s part and parcel of boating.
• The writers of the guides are also a bit church-obsessed and never fail to mention if there’s a nice set of 15th century brasses nearby.

So, great guides. However, if you try to arrange to meet someone they are next to useless. Try telling a car owner with an AA road map that you’ll meet them by bridge number 129, you know, it’s next to lock 38.

It’s great to have crossed the hills and left all those locks behind. Marsworth had several locks every mile but from Fenny Stratford there’s mile after mile of uninterrupted cruising.

It’s tempting to drive fast. Nearly came a cropper earlier when, while driving at speed, something caught in the propellor and the boat swung suddenly towards the towpath. It’s tricky to know what to do in that situation because boats don’t maneuvre well in reverse: do I rev up and try to swing the boat so she hits the towpath side on; or put her hard in reverse to minimise the crunch? I did both and got away with a slight bump. Not that a crash would damage a steel narrowboat boat, but the crockery might go flying.

The landscape is a bit repetitive around Milton Keynes. It’s nice enough, with trees lining the towpath and plenty of parkland, but it all gets a bit Groundhog Day after a while. Didn’t I already go under this bridge? Didn’t I pass those houses earlier? Still, Milton Keynes is great for shopping and I picked up a new leisure battery and an offcut of carpet that fits the lounge perfectly.

Spent last night in Marsworth. Was tired after working so many locks since Berkhamsted. So I had a pint in the White Lion then an early night.

Set off early this morning in the company of a lovely traditional narrowboat called Sabrina which was headed for Braunston. With the sun shining we worked lock after lock, about 11 in all, leaving the Chiltern hills behind. The good views and the attractiveness of the locks made up for the exertion involved.

Bristol Fashion’s at Linslade now, where I’ve moored next to a building with a strong unsecured wifi signal. After six hours’ cruising, it’s time to get a few hours’ work done.

Interested in boat-building? Take a look at the Craft a Craft website which has a custom Google search engine for finding boat-building information.

After several weeks stuck in first Watford then Hemel Hempstead, neither places I would ever choose to stay, it felt good to arrive in Berkhamsted, a lovely small town that I’ve visited many times on walks with my family.

The work on Boxmoor lock that was scheduled to be completed Friday was actually completed on Sunday and the lock reopened Monday morning. I rang British Waterways and told them I was really pleased, especially since the workmen had been busy in all weathers; the person who answered the phone sounded surprised and said they don’t often get thank yous.

The rain has gone, the sun’s shining and I’m sat on the roof of the boat with my laptop. There’s a good wireless signal so I can get some work done. I know a cosy cafe where later I can sit and read the papers. Might stay a few days.

This gentleman kindly helped open and close the swing bridge at Hemel for me. Seeing as this prevents traffic from using the road, it would have been hard to operate single-handed without testing the patience of local drivers.

I’m in Hemel, waiting for work on Boxmoor lock to be completed so I can continue on my journey up north. In the last month I’ve only travelled about 15 miles but at this time of year that’s to be expected. Most scheduled work takes place from January to March. This Thursday the lock should be re-opened and hopefully I’ll be on my way. Good thing I’ve nowhere to be in a hurry.

Stuck here and moored in sight of a B&Q it’s a good opportunity to do some maintenance and DIY. I’ve been laying new vinyl floor tiles in the cabin, having a spring-clean, washing the roof and gunwhales, and if it’s good weather next week I’d like to put a couple of coats of green paint on the roof and … well, we’ll see. So far it’s just been rainy.

If you agree with the following statement then you might like to sign the e-petition submitted by Save Our Waterways:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to introduce legislation to solve the short term funding problems that have been caused by the cuts that Defra has made, and threatens to continue, to the budgets of British Waterways and the navigations the Environment Agency, and to ensure that long-term funding is made available to enable the inland navigation authorities to maintain, improve and restore these important parts of our national heritage.

Visit http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/SaveOurWaterways to add your signature.