Today we tackled the Foxton locks, something of a Mecca for canal enthusiasts as well as everyone within 100 miles looking for “somewhere to go on Sunday”.
It was freezing cold this morning but there were hundreds of sightseers to watch six boats go through, we ought to be paid as performers.
The plan was for me to steer us into the first lock as it required a bit of nifty steering, Gill is just as good at steering as I am but has thinner skin when it comes to making mistakes so I get the job when people might be watching. That was the plan but when two Canal Trust volunteers armed with handles started to help I was left on the boat whilst Gill chatted them up. She can’t resist a man in a uniform even though it is only a blue tee shirt and a life jacket!
So I drove the boat through all 10 locks which, whilst narrow, are very deep and she opened and closed the gates.
At the top we moored up and explored the area with all the other tourists.
Between 1900 and 1911 they used a mechanical boat lift rather than the locks but this was not reliable so they went back to the old fashioned method. Those of you who read our French Canal blog will have probably forgotten but in Bezziers the canal company tried a similar system in the 1980’s, that did not work either and is now a rusting hulk. If only the designers had looked at Foxton they could have saved themselves making a multi million pound mistake.
After that excitement we drove through another tunnel, this one half a mile long. I bullied Gill into driving this time and as you can see from the picture she seems happy to have reached the end. This is probably because in theory two boats can pass in the tunnel but as it was quiet we did not meet anyone else coming in the opposite direction, steering could be very challenging when that happens.
We are now moored up in no man's land and as expected there are no places to eat. This is probably a blessing as IT IS FREEZING so not great for eating in pub gardens. I was quite keen to do the washing up today as it meant I could put my hands in nice warm water.
Tomorrow we head further south and hopefully can find a boatyard who can sell us a bottle of Calor Gas, our supplies are getting low, without it there is no central heating or a cooker which is not only essential for cooking but also for the kettle. No tea or coffee would be a disaster.