Mike Stevens' UK Inland Waterways Pages

TRIP REPORTS : OUR EARLY YEARS

AUTUMN 1980 ON THE GRAND JUNCTION

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AUTUMN WEEK-ENDING BACK ON FELIS CATUS

We had a lazy day at Berka recovering from the Nene trip.

We planned a couple of days' lazy pottering and set off northwards at 08:45. We arrived at the Lock & Quay, Bulbourne at 12:58 and decided to call it a day. Pictured left, the Tring Summit

We moored next to another boat, Titania, a converted ex-working boat, whose people were John & Hilda Bowles, who we were to meet again a number of times in our travels over the nezt 10+ years. John had been one of the founders of the Narrow Boat Owners Club (as it was in those days, before it added the word "Historic" to its title). They had two Siamese cats, Sasha and Sebby.

We set off at 12:13 and made a gentle run to Castle Wharf, Berkhamsted, where we arrived at 15:31, cleared up and went home.

ANOTHER WEEKEND

We came up from home to pick up the boat, and left Berka at 14:14. Another gentle run brought us to above Fishery lock at 17:20.

YET ANOTHER WEEKEND FROM BERKA

They started from Castle wharf, Berka at 14:38, went down Sweeps Two to wind, and then headed north. They stopped at the Grand Junction Arms ,Bulbourne at 19:20.

They set off at 10:55, stopping to take on water before Startopsend lock and later winding at Marsworth junction. They got back to Castle wharf, Berka at 18:53.

BOXMOOR RALLY

We left Castle wharf, Berka at 19:12 after some bits of shopping and loading Lindy's display material for the rally. We wanted to get as far as we could in daylight, and ended up below Sewerage lock at 20:14.

	We set off at 08:09 and arrived at our Rally mooring below Fishery lock at 09:36. We spent some time helping on the gate etc. DAY'S RUN 2.1 miles, 5 locks in 1 hr 27 min

We left the Rally at 15:18 and winded below bridge before heading back through the Rally site, joining with Marcus & Val Boudier in Drusilla II (Pictured right). We took on water at Berka, between the two Sweeps locks, then went on to moor at Castle Wharf at 18:43

THE WENDOVER ARM RALLY

We left Castle wharf, Berka at 11:56 after coffee with Ray Dunford on Albion. We used the Cowroast sani station, then continued to Bulbourne junction and passed on to the Wendover Arm, where we joined in the end of a small rally. . We winded past the Tring feeder and retraced our steps, getting back to Berkhamsted at 19:54.

A WEEKEND WITH WENDY'S MUM

We came up from home in the evening.

We set off back at 11:00 and lunched again at the Grand Junction Arms..Again we used the Cowroast sani station and arrived back at Berka at 17:36.

A DAY'S RUN TOWARDS HOME

They left Berka at 09:42 and ran through to Cassio Bridge, mooring there at 17:4.

A WEEKEND BACK TO HOME

They set off at 1014 and stopped before Common Moor lock because of a broken lock gate. The gate was too loose in its collar, which BW sorted out. That sorted, they continued to below Black Jack's lock, where they discovered that the water tanks were empty. The went on to Cowley lock, moored below the lock at and filled the tanks.

They set off at 10:27 on a wet, cold day. Roger repaired a fault on the water 'otter. Also the water pump was leaking. At Cowley junction they turned onto the Slough Arm and went to High Line Yachting, Iver, to buy diesel. Then they went back to the main line, and at Bull's Bridge junction on to the Paddington Branch, where they stopped almost immediately for drinks with Roger & Caroline Fox. The last leg was down the Paddington Arm and through Browning's Pool to our winter mooring at Maida Hill, mooring at 18:30.

OCTOBER HALF-TERM

Ian got up early to do coffee & breakfast, after which they set off at 08:29, stopping for a while before Osterley lock and then again before Brentford lock where they had a pub lunch, then winded and set off back.. AT 17:30 they moored by Hayes, bridge 199, and tried the Blue Anchor, then an up-market pub with a restaurant in the evening.

They started at 08:38 for Cowley junction and the Slough Arm. They went all the way to Slough basin, winded and came back to High Line Yachting, Iver, for gas &water. Then they headed back via Cowley and Bull's Bridge junctions to the Paddington Branch and eventually Paddington Stop and the winter mooring at Maida Hill by 17:30.

A DAY TRIP

AN EXHIBITION RUN

At this time I used to lecture an Adult Education evening course on waterways history, and this trip was for some of the class. We left Maida Hill at 10:45 went past past Paddington Stop, winded and wet down to Paddington basin, then returned and set of down the Regent's to Camden Lock. There we chatted with Ray Dunford on Albion, who showed off his back cabin. Then we ran back to base, mooring at Maida Hill at 15:25.

TO DRY DOCK

The boat sank at its moorings. With the help of Charlie Green (BW foreman) and the Fire Brigade it was got back up, then Ray Dunford's head appeared, above the towpath fence and said "You look as if you could do with a tow. I'll go & get my boat." We set off at 15:30 Under tow from Albion, breasted up with our bilge-pump working continuously off Albion's elex. It was a long slow run to Bull's Bridge and the main line, varied slightly when the breasted boats had problems getting past a lighter moored in a bridge 'ole. I steered most of the way, while Wendy cooked some jacket spuds in Albion's range, and Ray sat in his cabin painting.

Preparing for the tow

We moored outside the General Elliot, Uxbridge, at 22:30. We went home and Ray stayed the night on Albion. We had a dry dock booking for a few weeks' time, and Alan Boswell arranged to swap it so that John Wooley could deal with our problems pretty soon. The boat was to spend all the time until the following July at Uxbridge being worked on by John, including having a new stem-post fitted.