The last "down" locks of the Grand Union Canal

Sunday, 01 January 2012 09:00

The next few locks on the Grand Union Canal are more spaced, but our intrepid lock wheelers paced it out to Welsh Road Lock and stayed with us by narrowboat Epiphany and car until Fosse bottom lock. 

Splash Bridge and our lock wheelers

There is a large lock cottage by this lock .....

Welsh Road Bridge (31) is immediately below Welsh Road Lock

In Welsh Road Lock and bridge

Welsh Road Lock cottage

The paddle mechanism in its arch was just visible when were down in the lock - I tried to get a snap

The up/down rod and some of the structure in the arch

Peter left us to go back to his car and meet us at Fosse Locks. Alex stayed aboard to help at Wood Lock. John handed over the tiller at Wood Lock - it seems ages since I was at the helm. Alex and he worked the lock and once we were through we met up with Peter again for the Fosse three locks.

John at Wood Lock

There are lots of reeds along the towpath side and even at Fosse top lock they were in evidence - memories of the Kennet and Avon Canal. A little bird told me that the boats that are stuck because of the lock closures on the K and A may be able to move this week, courtesy of BW. Someone else also wrote to a certain on-line "newspaper" saying that BW hide behind "water shortage" instead of admitting bad maintenance and leaky lock gates. Just a couple of items of towpath gossip for you!

Fosse Top Lock

We went under the Fosse Way - we may have been over this bridge a number of times, we think, as we followed the Fosse way up to Leicestershire.

Fosse Road Bridge 32 and house

The Fosse Way, A journey through Roman Britain describes the route from Exeter to Lincoln. In 100 - 200AD travelling the Fosse Way you would travel over 230 miles and pass over 20 settlements. Walking eight hours a day, covering an average of about 32 miles per day, you would probably take about 9 days. By narrowboat Bath to Lincoln, is 308 miles, 229 locks, 162 hours which is 46 days at 3.5 hours per day (at 8 hours/day it is 20 days). You work out the route!

I loved this clock on one of the moored narrowboats

Another puzzle for you, can anyone tell me what the metal discs on the lock side are for - I noticed them in Fosse Bottom Lock 22, I think I have seen them in other locks. They are too wide apart to be old ladder marks, too near the edge to be old bollard marks, so what on earth are they?

Bollards and metal plates in Fosse Bottom Lock

We said goodbye to Peter and Alex and they handed back our windlasses. They had been wonderful and we got through the locks in a very quick time.

Windlass hand-over

We were on our own now with one more lock to go - onwards to Radford Semele.