The main reason we went from Leighton Buzzard to Braunston, was that there are less locks in that direction!
Initially, I found operating the locks quite daunting, but after a few times it was pretty straightforward. However, it is easy to go wrong and the consequences are emptying the canal between locks or even sinking a boat! Captain Robert told me to look at them as big baths. At one end you turn the taps on, and at the other you pull the plug and let the water out. I found that much easier to understand than any technical jargon!
Although, the weather was fairly kind to us, there was still plenty of rain. Despite this, the Canal and River Trust had put water saving measures into place and some of the locks were closed between 16.00 - 10.00 the following day. There were volunteers manning some of the locks, who were really nice and helpful. |
