Spring 2012 London trip – Day #13

We started the morning by assisting Linda through Kings Langley lock as I suspect this lock in almost impossible to work as a single handed boater due to excessive leakage through the bottom gates that make the top gates very difficult to open unless you can apply force to both gates at the same time. We waved farewell to her and then set off northbound ourselves. The locks were all with us, due to no other movement this early in the day and having had all night to empty themselves, until we reached Apsley. The first lock was full to weiring level and whilst checking to ensure no southbound boats were round the corner I spotted a pair of boats ascending the next lock ahead of us. We are not sure where they went because by Apsley top lock there was no evidence of any boats travelling in front of us. Above the top lock here Graham found a message in a bottle floating about in the detritus that gathers above the top gates. We opened it up and it contained a treasure map that sadly has no Pirate identification upon it. Shame! We are unable to find out whether they want to split the booty or even need rescuing from brigands. I think I may try and use Facebook to find the Pirate who created this map. After Fishery lock we found the rest in our favour and had a smooth run home to Bourne End.

We have had a really lovely ‘summer holiday’. We’ve not been more than two hours car travel from our house, but since we decided to become tourists we have enjoyed it all as if we’d been abroad. We’ve eaten exotic foods, met interesting people and heard so many different languages; but the good old British weather has kept us guessing. Vive la staycation. And finally, for the first time in over 30 years, no cats to welcome us home ;^(

Graham

www.jannock.org.uk