Cassiobury Park to Northolt (part 1)

Wednesday 18th March 2009

Here is the much delayed last instalment of the account of the moving of NB Willow from Buckby to Northolt. I ran out of time to write this up before my next chunk of boating, for which I had the new (to me) technology of mobile broadband, and thus was more concerned with daily updates of that cruise than finishing off the telling of the previous one. I've just looked through the photos to remind me of that last day of the trip - and there was lots of interest. I'm going to have to split this day into two or more posts to make it more palatable.


We got up at 05:30, the earliest of the cruise, as I wanted to be absolutely sure of getting to Northolt in good time. We set off at 06:00. The Grand Union Canal was covered in mist, but that was soon blasted away by the sun. The Nicholson's Guide drew our attention to the "underground" line passing overhead, so I had my camera ready. A train came by heading for Watford at just the right time.


At Batchworth there are at least three locks. One on the main line, one locking up to the River Chess, and one on the Little Union Canal. You haven't heard of the Little Union Canal? Neither had I, until I came across it while waiting for Willow to descend the (big boys') lock next door.


The miniature canal is run by the Rickmansworth Waterways Trust, whose website says that it's open on selected weekends in the summer.


We stopped for a newspaper at the convenient Rickmansworth Tesco. No fighting for a parking place here! (I think the hidden words on the sign must be "...overnight mooring".)


Have you ever wondered how the indications of the depth of retaining walls along the Grand Union were made? Neither had I; but Stocker's Lock cottage supplied the answer. Among the collection of canalia in the garden was a mould for concrete towpath edging, indicating "Foot of wall 9 ft 0 ins below water level".


As we approached Copper Mill Lock we came upon a house with an unusual glass extension.


That's all for now, in the next instalment we meet two real working boats.