17th July

17th July

Lock Stats

Today: 7 locks
Grand total: 15 locks

To go: 264 locks

I hadn't actually ever operated a lock on my own before so I was keen to get one under my belt, a friend was cycling up later in the day to help me but I didn't want to wait.  As often is the case with many things the prospect is worse than the reality, taking things slowly and relying on ropes it's pretty straight forward to work a wide lock on your own.

Lock procedure going up hill:

1. Moor up before the lock
2. Empty lock (if required)
3. Open lock gate (just the one is required one a broad lock with a narrow boat)
4. Return to boat and drive it in trying to stick close to the side of the lock with ladder
5. With rope and windlass attempt an athletic climb up the lock ladder
6. Loosely tie up boat so it doesn't bash about to much when filling lock
7. Start opening up the paddle on same side as boat to fill the lock and keep boat in against wall
8. Open other paddle
9. When water levels equalise close off towpath paddle
10. Open gate on towpath side
11. Close paddle on townpath side
12. drive boat out
13. moor boat
14. close gate
15. Ready to face the next gate!?

Well what a faff! this takes ~17-19 minutes and I was going to have to do this hundreds of times!

After four locks I decided to have a break, I needed to want to overdo it! :)  Empty the loo, chuck out the rubbish, this is the glamour of boating.  I stopped at the pub at Seend which I can thoroughly recommend for location although I didn't get to sample the food.  Leon arrived to help with the boat and having had refreshments from pub (one pint, one soft drink to avoid dehydration in the baking sun) we were on the move again.  We made it as far a sells green before stopping, we needed to grab a bit of food and there was a pub.

Heather at Seend Wharf

Mooring hint: Sells green is a good spot but moor to the west of bridge 149 as the banks to the east are a bit of a nightmare to negotiate.

Annoyingly Leon had a puncture so as well as having a meal at the pub we used the garden to repair his tyre.

So I was now in an OK position to do the Cain Hill flight, my Dad was arriving the next day to help out which was welcome.  Ideally I wanted to be at the bottom of the Foxhangers flight of locks but I was moored up and I couldn't get myself enthused to move again!