Grove

Marsworth to Grove, 5 miles, 9 locks

So here I am in Grove, which is so tiny that it's basically a bridge, a lock, a lock cottage and a church. I complained about how little there was at Cow Roast, but this really does take minimal to a new level. I rather like it.

After this morning's setbacks, I wasn't expecting to get much done today, but I put a potato in the oven to bake and figured that I'd see how I felt in a couple of hours when it was ready. When that time arrived I'd travelled a couple of miles, been through two locks and a swing bridge and was feeling a bit perkier, if still in a bit of pain from my back.

Once you're past Marsworth the canal leads away from the Chilterns, leaving them as a pleasant backdrop to the open, grassy fields that become the norm. Even the villages don't bother to encroach on the canal's tranquility. Only the distant Whipsnade White Lion, cut in the Dunstable Downs, gives you any clue where you are.

Other than Church Lock at Grove and the first of the Marsworth locks, I've shared every lock today, which is not only satisfying from a water-saving point of view, but also means that I've done far less running around. I even managed to convince the last captain that I was sharing with that we should creep out of the locks together then stop, so I could run back up the steps and close the gate behind me. As this also allowed his travelling companion to join him on the back deck after closing their gate, everyone was happy.