At Cowroast after great night out..

Bulbourne to Cowroast, Grand Union Canal, 2.5 miles 0 locks

It was cold last night as we headed into the north wind making for the Grand Junction Arms looking for a nice quiet evening.  As we got closer so the music got louder.. Ah, a live band.. Well we had a choice, back to the bar on NP or try and hear each other speak in the pub.  Well the music was quite good actually, it had a pop/jazz type sound to it.  In we went then.  It was packed!!  I thought I had my days mixed up, surely this wasn’t Sunday.. all pubs are suppose to be quiet on Sunday!

Pushing our way through the crowds we found there was a bar furthest away from the speakers round the corner, and it seemed to me that this was were all the boaters were.  You can tell boaters you know, well I can.  Anyway I must look like a boater because people always are saying to me “Off the boats then are you?”.  Maybe the giveaway is boaters muddy boots, certainly shows you didn’t just step out of the new Jag in the car park

The music was good, but even better was the chap (boater!) who started to play on the piano just by where we were standing at the bar.. within 2 minutes I realised that this was not just any old boater thumping the keys of the joanna, hey this guy was bloomin’ brilliant!  He had everyone singing in that part of the bar such favourites as ‘Roll out the Barrel’ ‘Two Little Boys’ ‘Whiskey in the Jar’ and many more I can’t think of now.. oh yes ‘Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner’  You know all those smashing songs, and oh boy didn’t he play them well.

So who was this guy?  I just had to find out and to my surprise it was Wild Willy Barrett!   Ha now I bet there are not many who read this that know who he is.  Ah but I did!

Wild Willy Barrett was partnered by Jon Otway back in the mid 70s, and after he had finished his stint on the piano, I went over to chat.  He is still touring now with a group called Sleeping Dogz and really enjoying himself.  His narrowboat is moored at Marsworth Junction, I remember seeing it there when we came through yesterday.

A very enjoyable unexpected evening we had, for sure we will be visiting again on our way back in March

Up early this morning, and I only just got dressed in time when Peter Hawker backed up Bletchley alongside NP to offload coal on to our roof and fill her diesel tank.

Peter was telling me that Archimedes and Ara have now been bought, and are still being used for the sale of coal and diesel, but I can’t for the life of me remember what the two names were of the people that had now bought them.  Well it was early, and it was a good night last night, so that is my excuse.  No doubt somebody will know, if you do please leave a comment for me… thanks

So on to Cowroast then, that Tring cutting is some engineering feat, cut into the chalk ridge of the Chilterns to save having to build a long 1 and half mile tunnel or a serious amount of locks. Here you can see part of the cutting as we pass Bletchley’s butty Argus.

Its maximum depth it is 30 feet, and here is the highest point of the Grand Union Canal, some 120 mtrs above the Thames.  One boat crossing this summit level will draw off 200,000 gallons of water!

We stopped at lunch time today, it was cold and snowing, the wind was blowing, not a very enjoyable day for boating.  We must make Apsey Locks by Sunday in Hemel Hempstead though, as they close on the 31st for a couple of weeks of maintenance.