Day 21 - Friday January 5th - Soulbury to Bulbourne Junction 12 miles 5 furlongs, 22 locks, 8 hours 20 minutes Weather - Overcast
Cast off at 7.25am, straight into the first of the Soulbury three. With a bit of going back a lock to shut gates and going forward a lock to set and open gates I was through them in 45 minutes. Stopped at Leighton Buzzard Tescos for 40 minutes to do some shopping, then on to Grove lock, where, most inconveniently, a boat was moored on the lock landing bollards. Through that by 11.05am, and at Church lock I was met by a man on a bike saying to leave the gates open, as there was a workboat and two short barges coming down. At the next four locks I found both bottom gates open, so I could just motor straight into the lock - very convenient. At the bottom of the Seabrook three I met a boat coming down, but he had been leaving a single bottom gate open as well, so I still had an excellent road. A passing walker opened the swingbridge for me, so no slowing down there either. Same at the Marsworth two, one bottom gate open. Nett result, my planned stop for the night at bridge 130 was passed at 2.40pm. Can't stop yet, it's still light. After the first of the Marsworth flight I started to find locks against me, but since after the first two they are sufficiently close together, it was possible to set the lock ahead while the boat was coming up in the lock. Out of the top of the flight at 4.25pm, some three and a half hours under my budgeted time for that journey. Downhill all the way now. :-) Terry Streeter NB Arun - Bulbourne Junction
