Further up the Lee and Stort and Sandra returns to the boat

We reached Stoke Bruene yesterday, today we're heading through Blisworth Tunnel and collecting a hire car to begin taking our belongings off the boat - it's very sad ...

Sunday 19 September 

Barry & Tom ...

Feeling somewhat better today, it was a case of moving up the canal to somewhere Sandra could get to on the train this evening. 

Pete leads the way through Waltham Common Lock

 

 

... and again manages to persuade some passers-by to help with the work

 

 

 

 

 

There were lots of families out and about - a very popular walking area

 

 

 

Through Chestnut Lock

Carthagena Lock with the footbridge covered in potted plants - though they were a little past their prime

 

 

We even tied together and did a couple of locks

 

 

 

 

Dobbs Weir Lock and Pete who'd picked up a couple of helpers and their bikes for a short ride up the canal

Sunday afternoon and a big crowd at 'The Fish and Eels' pub at Dobb's Weir

The last lock before turning up the 'Stort Navigation' arm towards Bishop Stortford

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now for some strange reason, locks on the Stort are only 13' wide therefore you can't get two narrowboats in side by side - luckily we had enough room one behind the other to fit!

 

This quaint little lock cottage is on the market - a fairly hefty price tag, but comes with a bit of land and several boat moorings

We moored at Roydon as it was close to the railway station for Sandra to get to. On coming into the mooring there was a small jetty which I nudged up to for Tom to jump off.  However as he stepped onto one end, the whole thing collapsed almost putting him into the canal! He got a shoe wet, so we're not sure if that counts as our first (and hopefully only) 'man overboard' on Northern Pride?

Tom and I then went for a walk into Roydon for a look around and a quick pint at 'The White Hart'.

The local church/grave yard

Quaint little house in the village

The old railway station has been converted into 'Franco's, an Italian Restaurant

 Must have been a lovely old wooden station

Sandra arrived back in Roydon at 2124hrs (and thankfully Barry made it in time to meet her!).  She'd booked to be back in Euston for 2225hrs, but Barry had called to say there were no trains to Roydon from Tottenham Hale Station at that time on a Sunday evening, which was the only place she could get to from Euston, so had to re-book a ticket and paid again about £36 - so it wasn't such a cheap weekend after all!  It had only cost £13 return when booked in advance!

Ah well, such is life.  Tomorrow we'll leave Pete behind and head to the end of the Stort - Bishop's Stortford ...