Stoke Bruerne (Grand Union Canal) - Friday 8th August
A day off! After the horrid guillotine locks on the River Nene and the 17 locks of the Northampton Arm, I think we deserved it!
I had a lazy morning and not quite such a lazy afternoon!
We took a walk down to the lock where it was all happening. Lots of people around but no boats going through the lock as they are only open between 8am and 4pm with the last boats going through at 2pm. I bet there were a lot of people who had thought they would go to the lock on a sunny Saturday afternoon and watch the boats only to be disappointed. I have been through the locks on numerous occasions but didn’t know that in 1988 the top lock, No 14, was declared Grade II listed.
We went into the Canal & River Trust museum, shop and cafe, but sadly the dogs weren’t allowed in the museum so we didn’t get to see it. There is a lovely old vintage vehicle selling ice-cream. The photo is from their Facebook page, Ice of Breurne.
In the 1830s the London and Birmingham Railway Company was competing for business in bulk haulage. The canal needed to carry more goods for less money. Bigger boats weren't an option as they wouldn't fit in the locks, so additional locks were built alongside the originals. This allowed boats to pass each other instead of having to wait their turn.
Despite this investment, cargoes requiring speedy delivery, such as livestock and parcels, were lost to the railway. The dual locks were only used between 1835 and the 1850s. This empty lock is the original, built in 1804. The old chamber has been re-excavated and modified into an outdoor exhibit.
Beside the old locks is an apple tree that is just covered in apples.
We had a lovely barbecue in the evening.
Between Bridges 63 and 64 (Grand Union Canal) - Saturday 9th August
We had the seven Stoke Bruerne locks to do today, which would drop us 55 feet.
We set off down to the locks and queued up as two boats were already going down.
As we were following two boats each lock was empty and everything took so much longer.
Rio wasn’t happy and shook for most of the way down. It was too hot for him to sit on the roof
and he just wasn’t his usual self at all. I wondered if the 17 locks we did on Wednesday had
bad memories for him as it really was a very tedious day, especially for a 16 month old puppy.
We pulled over after the bottom lock to use the services and I took Rio for a little walk, and he
was back to his normal self.
At the bottom lock is a pump house which uses modern electric pumps to back-pump water to
higher levels, especially for the Blisworth Tunnel level, ensuring a steady supply. The area at
the bottom was historically a busy transhipment wharf where goods were transferred between
boats and horse-drawn tramroad wagons, especially during the construction of Blisworth
Tunnel.
After seeing the wonderful apple tree at the top lock, here there is an equally wonderful pear
tree!
It was getting hot and, as I was steering, I pulled over and what looked to be a nice mooring
spot. OtM draws 2ft 3ins (we draw 18”) and she couldn’t get into the side so came alongside.
It was a nice spot where the tow path was wide and we could sit out.
Rio had a lovely time 🙂 He mooched, played with Ted, had a wonderful game of chase with
a Jack Russell x Lhasa Apso and spent a lot of time running backwards and forwards barking
at nothing!
5.5 miles
7 locks
Great Linford Manor Park (Grand Union Canal) - Sunday 10th August
One lock to do today and that was only a small one. Cosgrove Lock is only 3ft 9ins and
seemed very small after yesterday.
Beside the canal at Cosgrove there are some train tracks. The 2 foot gauge rails form a
roughly triangular shape, with a line along the canal edge and tracks curving away towards a
few yards before stopping abruptly. The tracks initially served a short tramway to a clay pit.
Later, they were extended to serve quarries operated by the Cosgrove Sand & Gravel
Company, including providing materials for the M1 motorway. The quarries closed around
1960, and the pits are now lakes used for recreation.
Wolverton was our next destination to stock the store cupboards up. Tesco isn’t far to walk to
but it’s a long way back carrying a bag and pulling my trolley! Richard took his sack truck so
he could stock up on lager and coke! Tracey stayed behind with the dogs so poor Steve had
to carry everything!
We hoped to get in at Great Linford Manor Park but pulled over before it and I walked up, just
in case the mooring was taken. It was empty 🙂 The mooring has to be one of my favourite
places on the whole canal system. This was our view.
It was a hot afternoon and we had to chase the shade a bit but it is a lovely spot.
Great Linford Manor Park was once the private garden of the Manor House in the 17th and
18th centuries. Archaeological evidence shows settlement in the area dates back to the 7th
century. By the Medieval period, it had become a rural village centered around the original
Manor. In 1678, Sir William Pritchard and Lady Sarah Pritchard built the current Manor,
replacing the older house. Over time, the Manor evolved into the Georgian house seen today,
with its gardens designed in the English Landscape Pleasure Garden style. The estate
declined after being bisected by the Grand Union Canal in 1800 but was revived in the 20th
century as a public park by the Milton Keynes Development Corporation.
6 miles
1 lock
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