Narrow Boat Albert: Stoke Bruerne Lock Repairs

Stoke Bruerne Lock Repairs

Yesterday we took out Albert for a very short trip to Stoke Bruerne Bottom Lock; all of one hour and a half's cruising there and back. With all the snow an ice we haven't managed many local trips recently so we were itching to get on the move again. The Stoke flight was closed for repairs, but the stoppage should be lifted today. We winded in the Rivet Tove junction and moored up on the vacant water point because all the "new" 48 hour moorings were in use by anglers.

We walked up the flight to see what BW had been up to during the stoppage. Their contractors had been spending some time repairing the lock landing below the fifth lock. Last season when the bank subsided they taped it off which made it "safe" for walkers, but it made jumping off boats to operate the lock more than a little difficult. The contractors have rebuilt the stone edging, removed the sheet piling, and dug the bank away so they can re-pile it. It was interesting to see some of the clay puddle in the section they had cut back. From a discussion with Mike Partridge, who was at the bottom lock with his trip boat Charlie, they will now pile the bank from a maintenance barge, since they can only do this while the canal is in water, and then backfill.

Stock Flight lock landing repairs

Maggie was intrigued by by the colour of the water in Locks 3 and 4, and the pound between. It was very green and also quite cloudy. It appears that BW were trying to trace some water that was allegedly leaking from the canal. I presume they had used some flourescein dye.