Retirement with No Problem

Bridge 15 (Crickish) to Balls Bridge (3), GU Leicester Section, 5 miles 7 locks

I did it! And all before breakfast too…. The short, sharp walk up Crack Hill had me panting at the top, but the view was smashing. Here are a couple of pics, the village in one of them is Crick.

Another tunnel today, this time Crick, and with two boats to pass as well. I came out the other side not only soaking wet, but a bit shakey, I really do hate tunnels. Still there is just Braunston to do now, which will probably be the last one this year depending on where we decide to base for winter. At least Braunston is fairly dry, and that is for tomorrow, maybe I should send Vic over the top and stop all the boats from entering……. Oh I wish.

I was happy that nobody was waiting at Watford Locks when we arrived, we have always been lucky at this spot. I would hate to have to wait in the queue under the motorway bridge, you can taste the fumes from the road, a horrible place. I had to walk right down to the bottom to find the lock keeper while Vic did the services.

Lucy was off her lead as usual, walking beside me but the lock keeper was not too pleased. Lucy was not on a lead you see, and that is not allowed at Watford Lock, all dogs have to stay on the boat or be on a lead. He tells me that there is a ‘pack’, which he will give me when he gets to the top, produced by British Waterways about dogs, and were they can and cannot be on or off leads…….. wow! He tells me that he has to inforce the rules, so I smiled best I could, and trapsed back up the flight with Lucy even closer to heal to give Vic the news that there were about 6 or 7 boats that the keeper wanted up before we could go down.

I never did get that pack from the keeper, I shall have to investigate the BW website. I wonder if I will find it in their search engine ‘dogs watford’ should do it!

Clearing the flight in half hour we moored up close to Weltonfield Narrowboats and spent the afternoon sunning ourselves on the towpath with a bit of fishing thrown in. Can still here the M1 over the hill in the distance, I really don’t know how the people in this area can live with that constant drone day and night seven days a week, for sure I couldn’t do it. It’s bad today because the wind is in the wrong direction, but I fancy here rather than close to Norton Junction, it can get quite busy there with moored boats this time of year.

I’ll let you know about the dog and her future on the waterways when I find out, no doubt I shall be going to bed tonight wondering whether I am going to have to purchase a thing called a lead!