Tring the summit of the Grand Union

Saturday morning started off with light rain which was forecast to clear by mid morning which it did. I headed up the canal towards Berkhamstead, only 5 miles away but with 12 locks to climb the trip would take 4 or 5 hours. After the first lock I met up with another boat heading the same way and we shared the locks thus sharing the workload.  Shortly after departing the sky clouded over and a heavy shower ensured I was soaked although at least the rain was warm. Contrary to the forecast the showers continued through the day making the journey damp but not unpleasantly so. The trip was fairly uneventful apart from passing this moored boat which I initially thought had been involved in an unusual accident until I realised that somebody has actually attached a car body to their boat as a cabin extension.  There are some unusual DIY alterations to boats but this is the most extreme I've seen so far.

We arrived in Berkhamstead mid afternoon, just in time for the rain to stop and the sun to reappear.  A quick visit to Waitrose ensured the larder and fridge were restocked ready for the next few days and I passed the early evening fishing - or at least dangling a fishing line in the canal but the fish weren't playing.  I realised that the mooring was close to the main west coat rail track with high speed trains passing frequently and nosily. Thankfully the rail traffic eased by midnight.  After an early start courtesy of the 5:10 to Paddington I decided that it was time to relocate to a quieter mooring. After an excellent, if not entirely healthy, breakfast in a local cafe I set off on the final stretch of 7 miles and 7 locks to reach the Tring summit and a quiet mooring at the end of the short Wendover Arm.

After reaching the summit at Cowroast I was treated to a 3 miles of tranquil treelined lock free canal before making the turn onto the Wendover Arm.

This arm was originally 5 miles long and led, not surprisingly, to Wendover.  Like many canals it fell into disrepair and is currently being restored by volunteers as and when funding is raised. Only the first 1.5 miles is currently open to navigation but it worth the detour. I found a spot at the very end of the canal with a stunning view over the Chiltern hills.

Reaching the Tring summit marks the end of the uphill locks although there are plenty on the down hill journey to Milton Keynes starting with a group of 7 in the first mile - that challenge will wait for a day or two while enjoy the peace and quiet. Who knows I might even get on with some much needed retouching of the paintwork.