Billing to Buckby (via Watford)

After 5 weeks at Billing Aquadrome, it was time to move on. Despite it being a rather nice place to moor, with great facilities, I'd had my fill of 70 miles each way up and down the M1 to work each day. There had been very little rain all winter, and none in the past 5 weeks, and there was a 2 week window when the Northamption and Leicester arms of the Grand Union Canal would remain open, and then they would be shut indefinitely.  It was also the last day of March, and my EA licence ran out on the 1st April.. It was time to move!!

We left Billing at 8am on the Saturday, hoping to get onto the Grand Union at Gayton Junction by the end of the day. Local boaters Sue and Joe on Cape Clear had suggested this should be easy, but we were rank amateurs by comparison to these seasoned boaters, and were quite worried about the reported low water and the fact that a lock had broken on another boater, "Tree", just a day or two before. Would we get up onto the GU???

Setting off, the Nene provided a beautiful setting for the mornings boating. Really stunning stretch from Billing into Northampton.

Billing

Coming into Northampton

Finally though all the guillotine locks, and standard wide locks with only a few ft rise.

Moored in Northampton - 2 minute walk to Morrisons and several other shops. 

We stopped in Northampton and went to Morrisons to stock up and have some lunch. Then it was goodbye Environment Agency waters, and "Hello" British Waterways. Our EA licence ran out at the end of that day, so we were quite glad that we had made it to BW waters. However, after the rather splendid approach on the Nene, the great time we had had on the Great Ouse and Well Creek, it was with trepidation (and some disappointment) that we saw our introduction to the canal system! The sign looked very neglected. It stood in what looked like a waste ground come homeless camp. The very first lock looked broken. All in all, this looked like a very neglected afterthought of a canal.

Entrance to the BW canal system.. Not exactly confidence-inspiring!

Yes, the very first BW lock looked like it had had better days!!

We met some other boaters coming the other way at this lock, who warned us that a very grumpy working boat was following them, and that the section up to the Rothersthorpe flight was full of weed and shallow. They weren't wrong! This section of the canal is not well maintained. It goes through rather run down areas of Northampton, and is very uninviting indeed, with lots of rubbish in the canal, a large amount of reeds and weed (especially considering its only March!), and graffiti everywhere. Not a place you would want to moor at overnight! Luckily, we passed the working boat before the reeds took over. Some of the sections were almost completely overgrown.

Northampton Arm between locks 14 and 17 is overgrown, shallow and needs some maintenance. Lots of shopping trolleys and other junk in there too. This was one of the better bits.. I was too busy steering to take pics of the worst bits.

We often found ourselves pushing weed along this section.

Eventually, having gone very slow indeed, we arrived at the bottom of the Rothersthorpe flight. Northampton M1 services are just visible at the top of the hill. We settled down for a cup of tea, then set off, just as another boat was coming up behind us. They helped us out for a few locks, but it was clear that they were going to be far quicker than us at working up the flight, so after the fourth lock, we suggested they passed us and went on ahead. They were quite thankful, and were out of sight within a couple more locks.. We did it slow and steady, starting to get into a routine as best we could, still on a learning curve. Sam (7 yr old son) made a mistake by letting a paddle down without putting a windlass on the spline. This was the last time we allowed him to do the paddles... Could have been very nasty. Maybe in a year or two. 7 Year olds don't necessarily take enough notice of what you are trying to tell them...

Bottom of the Rothersthorpe flight.

About two thirds of the way up, Nicky was accosted by a very angry and out of control bloke for "leaving the lock gates open". Now, nearly every boater we had met thus far had been helpful and decent, but this guy was just ranting and very intimidating. On these locks, when you are leaving the lock full of water, and close the single gate, it often drifts back open again. Nothing you can do about that really. Certainly no need to intimidate and shout at people. When he clocked me, a 6ft 1 fat bloke, he went off on his way, but Nicky was quite shaken up, and we decided not to moor at the top of the flight, but to carry on up the Grand Union for a bit, despite the fading light.

First evenings mooring. Quiet spot. Early night after 23 locks in a day!

Nice sunny day the next morning.

Since starting out travels in January, we had only passed about 6 or 7 boats, and so the amount of traffic on the Grand Union was a bit of an eye opener! So was the amount of moored boats. For large stretches, we were crawling along passing these boats, and wondered if we would have to do the whole journey at a snails pace. We hadn't planned for going the whole way at tick over! 

Narrow bridges with moored boats - a novelty after the wide Nene and Great Ouse.

Much more traffic than we were used to.

The wildlife is the same though! 

Moored boats everywhere... crawling along - will we ever get there?

As we came to Whilton Marina and the start of the Buckby flight, it seemed like traffic chaos (to us, used to no more than one other boat waiting for a lock).. We shared the lock with a lovely couple from Ely on their lovely shiny boat.. I went in first, not sure if I could easily come in second and not scrape their boat.. I still very much felt like I needed L plates on the boat! Liz showed us some very good routines for doing locks, like hand signals to confirm each stage, and smooth opening of the paddles. The afternoon went quickly, and we were last out of the flight before it was shut for the day. We had heard the pub at the top was good, so decided to moor up just around the corner.. 

On the Leicester Arm... 

And go to the pub :)

Good pub.. Good beer, good food... 

Good night!

 We were up early the next morning, and headed up to the Watford flight. Some interesting boats on the way... Cruel use of a ted as a  fender though!!

We got to the bottom of the Watford flight at 9am, and already there were 2 boats in the queue. The flight was due to open at 10am. After a coffee and walking the dog, we were ready.. The two boats went through, and we entered the bottom lock. There were two BW chaps there, and when they heard we planned to go through Leicester and onto Shardlow, they both said "no way!! turn round, go via Braunston - that boat won't get through, there is too little water"..... Damn.. We knew the shortage around Lock 38 was bad, but hadn't realised it was that bad. Having beached twice up the Rothersthorpe flight the day before, we decided we should heed this advice, and go the long way round. Queue a 500 yard reverse out of the lock to the winding hole and turning around... In front of many witnesses, and past several boats... It went really very well. I reversed in a neat arc past the boats, and then turned it in 3 or 4 forward/backward thrusts only. I thought I was looking quite proficient, but just at that moment, I managed to knock the barge pole off the roof into the canal! Ah well.. My rank amateur status was quickly returned!.. Off to Braunston we go... The flight closes at 1.30... Will we make it?? This journey was turning into a race against time far too often. Who said boating is relaxing?

Off we go again....