Waking to a surprisingly beautiful morning, considering what the weather forecast had predicted, we set off for Croxley a journey of a couple of hours and incorporating 4 locks. With a spring in my step and windlass in hand I trotted happily along the towpath opening and closing lock gates and paddles. Until lock number three. R manoeuvred the boat into the full lock. We let the water out and I pushed open the gate. Or at least I tried to push open the gate. Eventually R left the boat via the muddy ladder and I took his place whilst he tried to open first one lock gate then the other. Neither budged. We secured the boat via the rope and I climbed up the muddy ladder and we both heaved to absolutely no effect. A man watching nearby offered his assistance and the three of us heaved and grunted but the gate wouldn’t budge. Then we decided to open the gate paddle (might have been sensible to have thought of that earlier!) and that was enough to release some pressure and the gate at last opened.
The next lock we met three lads bringing up three short boats together. It took a while as one of the boats had engine failure so was being punted along the canal and we had to wait a while for him to catch up! After that it was plain sailing for us towards the Croxley lock where we moored for the night. A friend living five minutes walk from the canal joined us for a delightfully muddy walk in the nearby marshes and the rain held off long enough for us also to enjoy a cup of coffee in a local cafe. There we met a delightful elderly gentleman who was native to Croxley and regaled us with anecdotes of local matters.
All that remains is for me to cook some supper and enjoy the warmth of our multifuel stove! R has been busy foraging for wood along the wooded banks.
NarrowboatTLC 
2 replies on “Monday 14th December”
Hmm, looks like you’re going to be in Tier 3 country on Wednesday. Do take care.
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Keep safe and thanks for the card!
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