Milton Keynes

When we first came by this way nearly twenty years ago, there was an information board here titled “Welcome to Wolverton”.  In a precursor to the spirit of social media, someone had spray painted “Don’t bother” over the information below.  It’s pleasant enough now, but somehow a little eerie, and few people seem to stop here except for a quick trip to Sainsbury.  I don’t remember this housing estate marching over the horizon toward the canal even on much more recent visits.

On the way to Stoke Bruerne

Braunston to Weedon

Two weeks on the Grand Union

We’d had all sorts of ideas of where to go on this holiday, but after the spring rains with the floods and closure of rivers to navigation we decided to just see how far down the GU we would get.  The first day saw us through Calcutt locks to a mooring in the Admiral Nelson pound at Braunston.

Bascote and back

An unusually dry weekend for this summer, we went past Long Itchington to turn below the staircase at Bascote.  This bewildered a group on a Viking hire boat who asked whether we just went down and up locks for fun - I thought that was why most people do it - but accepted the explanation that the options were either here or at Radford several miles away!  Sunday dawned warm, calm and sunny.

Happy Anniversary

Dublin

A significant birthday