Vlog 140: Southbound
In the second of my Autumn cruising videos for 2018, I leave Norton Junction on a blustery morning and turn 90 degrees right, to head south down the Grand Union canal on my narrowboat. The first thing to deal with is the Buckby lock flight of seven locks, then it’s just a couple of miles to a mooring at Weedon Bec.
The excellent “Buying a Narrowboat” channel is at www.youtube.com/channel/UCQisqYp3rBzCSzpMzghDGqg
Start point: https://goo.gl/maps/se2tEKmiwns
End Point: https://goo.gl/maps/UV8DaaJ3PbE2
http://gerald-massey.org.uk/Canal/c_chapter_09.htm
– there is an interesting photo showing that it was just possible, but difficult, to take barges up to Berkhampstead.
Another wonderful video David. I’m curious, could you explain what is the green pole which seems to have a strainer type of cup mounted to it used for , which appears at 11:30 in the video. Thanks ;)
It’s a bird feeder pole which I forgot to remove before setting off and is now there for all my travels :-)
I think you will find that the ‘ridiculously narrow’ bit (around 9.30 in vlog) is the location of the former Bridge 20 which no longer exists, only the footings. The one before is 19 and the other side is 21. You should see that its width is the same a the other accommodation bridges. NB, north of Berkhampstead, the GU wass not really meant to be wide as in the sense of wide beam – it was meant for two narrow boats. (Contentious issue!)
Cheers for that – interesting. I thought the GU was supposed to be wide ie for widebeams all the way up to Birmingham?
I always understood that the locks and bridge holes were wide not the canal itself.
But if you’re going to have widebeam traffic on the canal, then the main route itself should surely be wide enough to allow two widebeam craft to pass each other comfortably?
see http://tringhistory.tringlocalhistorymuseum.org.uk/Canal/c_chapter_14.htm
for a detailed study of the attempts to upgrade the GU (GJ) – most of which never got much beyond the hope stage.
Thanks for this and your other links; all very interesting and much appreciated. Cheers
also see http://tringhistory.tringlocalhistorymuseum.org.uk/Canal/b_system_map_south.htm
for a dated 1965 which only shows wide beam up to Berkhampstead.