Finally we bid farewell to the Grand Union main line and turn back on the Leicester Line.
How far we shall get with water shortages remains to be seen, but we are about 14th in the queue for Watford Locks. They are due to reopen at 10am on Monday for just a week, all being well.
We have been on the Grand Union since we turned off the River Thames on 20 August. Just 5 days later some of the major lock flights were chained shut because of falling water supplies. To get to this point, even with the risk we may not get much further, seems an achievement. Much has changed in the world since we turned off the Leicester Line on 11 April this year.
This summer has made us reconsider how we live afloat and how we might alter our cruising because of the results of climate change. Should we only cruise in the winter and sit out the summer? We don’t know yet, but we are aware that once we move through these next two flights of locks, it seems there wont be a way back until Spring next year unless we have floods that can be harnessed in reservoirs.
So for us, next week we will be travelling into winter, and we are ready!
Pickingupducks 