Boating to Berko

As we moved from our mooring to the bottom of the Marsworth locks this morning, the view ahead was so still and peaceful with an already beautiful blue sky at 8.30.
Narrowboat Firefly was there also waiting for the locks to open at 10am, we had breakfast while we waited. Mick was washing his boat down and I got busy brushing the dust and tree blossom off Tacet.
So began a good day working through the locks to Berkhamstead with Mick and Trice.

Firefly leads the way

Just above lock 44 this boat on its way down was stuck on the bottom. Ian and Mick went up and there was another boat on its way down, so as they came through the top lock the water coming through lifted them off again.

The workshops at Bulbourne seem to be making iron garden ornaments now instead of lock gates!

The summit level was a bit low, but we got through ok.

Cowroast lock is the end of the summit level, and so we start to go down towards London. We still had a few pounds with low water levels but nothing too bad.  The locks along this stretch keep you busy, with either long walks between or short rides, hopping on and off.

Dudswell locks

At Northchurch lock the pump house is working to pump water from the a borehole in the chalk bed underground trying to keep these higher levels of the canal from drying out.

Also spotted on our journey today....

silver birch glistening in the sun

swans nest building

looking through the willow

And so we got to Berkhamstead at 3pm, mooring along the canal fields as we needed to do a bit of shopping and wanted to look around the town. We said farewell to Mick and Trice who needed to get on with their journey to a new mooring. Good to have had their help and company on the way.

7 miles, 14 locks