Plenty to nibble at the Buckingham Canal Society's AGM; CRT wants to manage EA waterways "soon"

At lunchtime we took the boat for a short cruise to the services block at Cosgrove to empty the Elsan. The wind was fairly strong and behind us. While there we topped up the water and had lunch while the tank filled. Even with my newly kink-free hose it took a long time - well, time enough for us to have lunch. The wind assisted us round above the lock, and we returned to the marina. To get back on our berth stern first I usually reverse in from the canal as our mooring is, conveniently, directly in line with the marina entrance. On this occasion, however, I went in nose first, overshooting the pontoon, then allowed the wind to catch the front and bring the boat round. I then let the wind blow us sideways until we were in line with the pontoon, then reversed in. At this stage, of course, the nose carried on moving in the direction of the wind, and so we ended up nudging the next-door boat a bit, but I was pleased to get back into position without too many problems.

On the trip we saw lots of geese (Canada?) They didn't fancy being in the water at the same time as us, and scarpered off up the piling and onto the field.

This evening we went to the AGM of the Buckingham Canal Society. We joined the BCS a year or so ago after I encountered a small work party doing some test digging on the line of the canal. One of the party, sensing my interest, handed me a joining form which he happened to have in his pocket. I was impressed then that the BCS was so well geared up to attracting new people; I was even more impressed this evening when that same person - a committee member (or "trustee" as they now seem to be called) - remembered me from that chance meeting.

The business of the meeting was concluded fairly swiftly, then it was half time when we were invited to partake of the refreshments laid out on tables at the back of the room. We half regretted having already eaten tea as there was a feast of vol-au-vents (vols-au-vent?), olives, spicy sausage slices, sandwiches, cheese etc. There was wine too, but I stuck to fruit juice as I was driving.

After being called back to our seats it was time for a talk by Richard Parry, the CEO of the Canal and River Trust. He took us rapidly through a series of slides full of facts and figures. I think he was trying to show how CRT is committed to canal restoration as well as maintenance, but I'm afraid the presentation went on too long and there were too many slides with not enough time to take everything in.

Perhaps the most useful part was the question-and-answer session at the end, where Mr Parry came across as a real human being, genuinely interested in people's questions and trying to answer honestly without corporate-speak. The chairman of the meeting wound up the session all too soon, but I managed to talk to the CRT boss afterwards. I asked him how negotiations regarding the Environment Agency were going; Richard Parry replied that things had come to rather a standstill at the moment, but it was CRT's intention to "take over" the management of EA's waterways without having to be responsible for the major structures such as weirs and flood controls. Mr Parry said that when the Canal and River Trust took over from British Waterways it was the intention that CRT would be looking after EA's waterways within six months. Now that timescale has slipped, apparently - according to Mr Parry - because there didn't seem to be any will for it within the ranks of the civil service. We cannot expect any progress on that front before the General Election, Mr Parry said, but CRT is very keen that it should happen.

Meanwhile I'm going to have to get a short-term EA licence if we're to attend the Northampton boat gathering this summer.

Curious things in the bed of the Buckingham Canal

On 27th December 2014 we walked along the Buckingham Canal from Cosgrove Junction to Old Stratford. The first couple of hundred yards is used as moorings for Cosgrove Marina, then there is an infilled bridge beyond which the bed is dry.

Or, rather, almost dry. There have been experiments with allowing water to fill one or more sections between bunds with water to test for leaks (as I understand it). This curious bucket and pipe arrangement is, presumably, something to do with the experiment.

I wonder what's going on.

A little further on is an outlet with paddle gear for draining this section (photo taken from canal bed).

When we got to the dual carriageway of the A5 (referred to as the A5D when we used to live near here in the 1980s - does anyone still call it that?) the problem the road makes for restoration is immediately apparent. The road is several feet below the canal bed. An aqueduct would obviously be expensive, and it looks to me as though it wouldn't give sufficient clearance. A tunnel would also be expensive, probably more so, and would need drop locks either side, adding to the cost. I'm sorry I didn't take a photo.

At Old Stratford I was hoping to see evidence of the tunnel supposedly taking the canal under Towcester Road but we couldn't find it. After eating our sandwiches we returned along the river to the Iron Trunk Aqueduct and back along the towpath to our Galleon mooring.

Walking along the Buckingham Arm

Last month we explored part of the derelict Old Stratford and Buckingham Arm of the GU. This section is at Thornton, about two thirds of the way to Buckingham from Cosgrove Junction.

We parked up just south of the A422 and walked towards the canal bridge. The road was itself reminiscent of a canal entering a tunnel in the distance.

Our first sight of the canal was where it passes under a flimsy-looking brick (or is it stone?) bridge alongside the road.

From the bed of the canal looking back at the bridge, the road we walked along goes from left to right across the centre of the photo below. You can see that the canal is culverted under the more modern road crossing.

Looking westwards from the bridge the canal is clearly defined.

A little further to the west the canal narrows for what I guess is the site of a lift bridge. This is looking east.

Where the canal comes to the A422 again it turns to the left (south west) and crosses a tributary of the River Great Ouse, the river it parallels all the way from Cosgrove to Buckingham. Some tree clearing will be required here!

We crossed the stile and went through the trees to the road. The map marks the crossing over the tributary as Cattleford Bridge. Here the canal must have passed over a small aqueduct. Then we retraced our route back to the car.

We didn't cover much more than half a mile of canal, but it's given me a taste for walking more of it. I really ought to take a look at where restoration work has been going on; something for another time.

Mild but not bitter

We were treated to lunch today by Jan's parents. We went to the Horse and Groom in Chelmsford where I managed to get through a very tasty mixed grill. Accompanying the meal I sampled the mild ale on offer. Unfortunately I didn't make a mental note of the brewer, but it was every bit as tasty as the food.

The weather has been mild too, although the wind and rain have meant that it hasn't been too pleasant outside.

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Here's a photo from January when I came across a group of volunteers from the Buckingham Canal Society assessing the thickness of the clay lining of a dry section of the Buckingham and Old Stratford Canal.

I joined the Society, but have not yet participated in any of their events. Well, Norwich is 100+ miles away!

Just in case I don't get time to blog tomorrow (Christmas Eve) I will take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy Christmas!

Leicester to Kilby Bridge - where have all the boats gone?

Where have all the boats gone? We saw just two moving boats in seven hours of cruising today. OK, this isn't yer Grand Union main line, or yer Oxford Canal, but neither is it the outer reaches of the BCN (or the Erewash, come to that). This is the Leicester section of the GU. In fact, there were barely any moored boats until we got to Blaby, five miles from Leicester. Is this not the start of the peak season for boating? Easter holidays? Or has the persistent wintry weather put everyone off?

Things went smoothly on today's cruise until we reached St. Mary's Mill Lock. This was leaking badly from one of the top ground paddles, and only one of the bottom gate paddles worked, meaning that the lock didn't drain fully. Consequently I couldn't open a bottom gate on my own. Jan was in the shower. Fortunately I didn't have to wait too long for a walker to come along and help.

The next incident of note was when I was trying to take a photo of a dye works while negotiating a tight bend. A moment of concentration on the photo was at the expense of correct positioning of the boat - with the inevitable result of running into trees and the bank. To make it worse there was a witness on the bank who made some comment about my similarity to Fred Dibnah (I'd managed to knock the chimney down).

We stopped for lunch above Gee's Lock. A very peaceful spot. Certainly untroubled by passing boats.

Jan earnt several Maffi points today, collecting three bags full of rubbish as she walked along the towpath. After disposing of them at Kilby Bridge we had a meal at the Navigation pub. Not as cheap as the last time we were here, but good food nevertheless. The Navigation ale (£3.00/pint) was good too.

I spent some of the evening sawing and chopping. If we don't use the logs I expect Ally and Ben will.

Or will they? The weather felt warmer today than for a long time. The chilly wind had eased, and there was enough heat in the sun for us not to wear coats and gloves. The first time this holiday!

The locks will be fast and furious tomorrow: 12 of them in four miles will raise us to the Market Harborough level. I expect I'll get my bike out for some lock wheeling. After that the Foxton Locks will be the last ones we ascend. It's downhill all the way from there to Wigram's Turn by Saturday.

Digging the Buckingham Canal, and a discussion on maximum draft

I left you with a tease yesterday about something interesting I discovered on the Buckingham Canal. The Buckingham Canal? Yes, although this has lain mostly derelict for decades, there is a Buckingham Canal Society dedicated to restoring this branch of the Grand Union from Cosgrove to Buckingham.

This is a section near Cosgrove: the line and profile easy to see. Just add water?

According to Bradshaw* the Old Stratford and Buckingham Branch is 10 miles 6 furlongs in length, with two locks - Hyde Lane Lock and Buckingham Lock. The only navigable section at the moment is a couple of hundred yards' worth at the Cosgrove end. It finishes at a filled-in and mostly destroyed bridge.

I started to walk along the pleasantly rural section when I came across a bunch of people, some in hi-vis jackets, standing in the middle of the canal.

What were they doing? Digging a hole in the canal bed, that's what they were doing!

These were members of the aforementioned BCS investigating where the puddled clay lining began and ended.

The problem was that much of the geology of the area is clay-ey, so that they were having difficulty distinguishing the natural clay from the clay puddle.

Some things were obviously not clay at all!

Want to see down the hole? Oh, all right then! (The colour is a little strange as I used flash, and the bottom looks nearer the top than it really is. See above photos of arm and spade down hole to get an idea of depth!)

I joined in a discussion on maximum draft of laden working boats: consulting Bradshaw again I find I wasn't too far out when I suggested that few boats would draw more than 3' 6"; a workable maximum being 3'. Bradshaw indicates that an unladen narrow boat would draw between 8" and 11"; adding about an inch per ton of load. With maximum loads of between 25 and 30 tons this would give 41" or 3' 5" as the maximum draft. 25 tons on a boat drawing 8" unladen gives 2' 9" draft. For boats actually to be able to move along the canal, of course, a greater depth of water is essential - the deeper the better! Am I right in thinking that many canals were designed to be dredged to 5'?

When eventually restored it will be great to cruise this almost lock-free (depending on how obstacles are overcome) canal. Here's Cosgrove Hall near the start.

I was pleased that one of the team had a supply of recruiting leaflets - I think I'm going to have to join! I have no excuse not to: the chairman of the BCS is Athina Beckett, a former colleague of mine from BBC OUPC days in Milton Keynes.

*Bradshaw's Canals and Navigable Rivers of England and Wales (1904)

New year's cruise ends with sunshine and curry

We're back at home in Norfolk now, after a very enjoyable four days on the canal. Over that time we've had rain, wind and cold; but today we had wall-to-wall sunshine with little wind. A bit chilly, too, but a price worth paying for such superb cruising conditions.

We woke on still waters opposite the Taverners Boat Club at Thrupp Wharf on the Grand Union. Funnily enough, that's where we moored last night.

The sun glared down without imparting much in the way of heat. Sometimes it was difficult to see where we were going - you can shield your eyes from the direct sun, but not so easily from the reflected sun on the water.

At Cosgrove Lock the Buckingham Canal branches off to the west (that's the fork to the right in the photo), but not much is in water now.

We tied up below the lock for a short while as Jan wanted to walk round the village. I wanted to explore the Buckingham Canal, so we went in different directions. I came across something interesting going on on my walk - I'll tell you about it in a later post!

Oh yes, the curry. After loading the car and cleaning Jubilee ready for Ally and Ben's return in a couple of days, we got a curry from the Milton Keynes Massala - the takeaway which is all of twenty paces from the bow doors - and ate it on board before driving home.