Grand Union Canal

Last week we spent time on our narrowboat on the Grand Union Canal. As both cars are now daily drivers and having the daughter and her boyfriend along we had to take the 2 TR7s to the Marina, so we just had to pose with the cars and the boat outside the Marina.

We cruised up the Grand Union Canal from Gayton, Northants, up to Marsworth in Hertfordshire, passing through the 2 mile long Blisworth Tunnel, it takes around half an hour to get through the tunnel through to Stoke Bruerne, when first entering you cannot see the far end due to the length and the haze from the boat exhasuts. We then cruised through Northants, passed through Milton Keynes and Leighton Buzzard, before climbing the series of locks into the Chilterns in Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire, an area we visited on the HCR this year.

Typical Northants Scenery .

Mooring at Cosgrove.

Locking up the Chilterns in the rain.

View from the canal of the Chalk Lion at Whipsnade.

Working boats carrying coal and diesel, we filled with diesel from these at a mere 65p per litre.

Approaching Marsworth.

Another pair of old working boats.

Approaching a large dutch barge.

End of the long tunnel.

The tunnel entrance, so long you cannot see the light at the far end.

Approaching a heacy thunderstorm at the end of the voyage.

Back on the Marina Berth.

Was an enjoyable week, shared most of the locks with other nice boats and crews, which takes the hard work out of locking, we went through 50 locks, and twice through the 2 mile tunnel. Total milage was around 80 miles. Most of the rain was thankfully at night, and we had some good sunny spells, and had a couple of canalside barbeques. When we hit the thunderstorm on the last day we moored in a hurry, and James, the daughters boyfriend got wetter than he intended, he slipped and went in head first into the canal.

Only down point was some b-----t nicked my stainless steel, Triumph badged tyre caps, this in a CCTV secure car park at the Marina.