Roasting in the South East of England

We reckon that we are now in the South East and the last few days have been very hot indeed.  Though we have a solar panel and usually look for open moorings to maximise the solar gain, we have been stopping early and mooring under the trees to stay cooler.  We are moored tonight above Leighton Lock on the edge of Leighton Buzzard.  After coming down from Stoke Bruerne to cross the River Great Ouse, we have now begun our climb up to the Chilterns.

On Friday we did the audio tour from the museum at Stoke Bruerne.  This took us from the top of the locks to the tunnel and then back below the top lock to the site of an old brick works.  The tour taught us some new things particularly the tussle with the parson and his fishponds when the canal was built and the site of the tramway over Blisworth Hill until the tunnel was complete.  In the afternoon we went down the 7 Stoke Locks and moored at Grafton Regis.

Sister Mary Ward, whose gravestone can be found behind the museum, was famous for looking after the boat people who had no other access to medical care.  She delivered many babies in narrowboat cabins.

This is the view looking towards the top lock from below.  There used to be two locks side by side to cut down on traffic jams, but today only the right hand one functions.

This curious structure made of wrought iron is on the grass next to the museum.  It was a pro forma for building the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct near Llangollen.  Structures like these were bolted to the brick piers and supported the wrought iron trough that carries the boats.

The 'regis' after its name tells you that there is a royal connection for this tiny village and the answer is to be found on a board at the church.  Apparently Henry VIII also used to spend some time here every year of his reign.

The village is on a hill above the canal and here is the view looking down.  You can just see Leo on the canal in the middle of the photo.

Someone in the village enjoys a joke and has cut his hedge into the shape of a whale!  We particularly liked the water spout of drooping twigs.











On Saturday we enjoyed a very peaceful rural stretch of canal to reach Cosgrove where a lock dropped us down 3 feet to cross the aqueduct over the River Great Ouse.

No-one seems to know why this canal bridge at Cosgrove is so ornate.  It serves to introduce the pretty scenes around the lock.

These canalside cottages are new.  Just shows what you can do with modern architecture and construction when you try.  The cottages have a human scale and really add to the scene.

Here is the view looking down from the boat to the young River Great Ouse below.  A new canal is planned to run from near here to Bedford to join the River which is navigable from there to the sea at Wisbech.

Here is Leo crossing the aqueduct.  Before this was built boats had to lock down to the river, cross it and then climb locks the other side back to the canal.

After crossing the aqueduct the canal goes through Wolverton and passes this stainless steel chap.  He is holding on his arm and hand a line of bicycles, including a penny farthing.  Not sure why.

Soon we crossed a much more modern aqueduct over a dual carriageway which is one of the roads round Milton Keynes.  We cycled a bit round here (despite the heat) and were amazed when a car stopped to allow us to cross the road on one of the many cycleways round the town.

As the canal circles Milton Keynes it is green and pleasant with lots of green open land round it.  We found some good shade at Great Linford and decided to stop there to stay cool.









On Sunday we didn't move and enjoyed a visit (on Father's Day too) from our daughter Lucy, her partner Becca and our son David.

I can't say we did very much with them beyond visiting the Nag's Head in Great Linslade for lunch (well worth a visit) and going for a short walk.  However it was lovely to see them all and to catch up with their news.








On Monday we set off early to avoid the heat and, after visiting the services at Gifford Park, we finally escaped the clutches of Milton Keynes, went up the miniscule lock at Fenny Stratford (only one foot) and found another welcome patch of shade opposite Stoke Hall.

Though the rise at Fenny Stratford Lock is tiny it has the added complication of a swing bridge across the middle of the lock.  Helen is swinging this clear before Ian brings Leo into the lock.

Here is a nice peaceful scene looking across the canal to Stoke Hall which may now be an old people's home but we're not sure about that.  It was a lovely spot to moor and, when it got cooler, we walked down to the  River Ouzel whose valley the canal follows towards the hills.







Today again we set off early to avoid the heat and have managed five locks and a few miles before the temperature sent us scurrying for shade once more, this time above Leighton Lock on the edge of Leighton Buzzard.

This is Soulbury Three Locks where a couple of CRT volunteers helped us up the 20 feet or so.  No other boats were moving through until we got to the top to find one waiting to come down.  There have been surprisingly few boats moving the last few days.

How's this for an unusual boat design.  Goodness knows how you manage this when mooring or locking.

The Globe Inn at Linslade is a pretty pub and needed to be sampled, so we moored above the lock and walked back for a reasonably priced lunch with well kept beer.

And here we are now in the shade enjoying a light breeze to cool heads and stay sane.  The weather forecast says we can expect the same 29 to 30 degrees tomorrow but then fortunately it is supposed to get cooler.









From here we shall be climbing into the Chilterns and on the way we plan to go down the narrow canal to Aylesbury.  Though we have cruised the Grand Union before, the Aylesbury Arm had a broken lock then so we have never taken Leo that way.  After that it will be down to London and beyond.