Cassiobury

Today's stretch up to King's Langley was generally most pleasant. The weather was yet again kind to us with sun all day, often quite warm.

At one stage we passed a pusher tug - perhaps on its way back down to the Gravel Wharf we passed yesterday.

Both Black Jack and Copper Mill locks are quite pretty. The warning about a strong current under one bridge was well justified!

The first section ran through various former gravel quarries, now flooded and later, after Troy Cut the lakes were former chalk quarries. Most of the way points in the old distance tables are no longer, replaced by neat, housing estates.

At Batchworth, a large Tesco adjoins the canal, built on a former wharf. Moorings for customers are a not very clear reminder of the site's former use. We stopped here for shopping.

Above the next lock we pulled in for lunch. But more locks beckoned so,once refreshed, we pushed on. There are many moored boats, some permanently moored, others rather suspicious 'continuous moorers'. Some of the dwellings have been constructed from eccentric bases!

Later afternoon we passed through Cassiobury Park - at the lock there was quite a crowd of school children who took some interest - about eight on each lock gate and still the struggled to open them!

The famous Grove Park Bridge came and went - by now it was a beautiful sunny evening and around six o'clock Mike was all for mooring, but Christine suggested carrying on with the hope of getting further away from the motorways and railways. This meant a few more locks and when we looked for a mooring, the banks were surprisingly shallow. The only good places seemed to have been all previously occupied! In the end we opted for a pleasant spot but with a defensive moat between us and the bank!