Trip Report - Wendover Arm to Stoke Bruerne, 1st - 4th June 2007.
Crew: Roger Morgan, Steve Morgan, Steve Morgan. Mike Chivas, Andy de Hutiray.

Friday 1st June: Set off from Bridge 3 on the Wendover Arm at 2pm, having brought Nuneaton round from her mooring at the end of the arm to pair up with Brighton. The arm was fairly shallow and the exit into the main line difficult, not only due to the acute angle, but also a working boat moored opposite the entrance!
We made steady progress down the Marsworth locks under blue skies until mooring for the night above Ivinghoe top lock shortly after 6pm.

Saturday 2nd June: Set off shortly after 8am without a cloud in the sky. Steady progress to Leighton Buzzard, albeit small problems with a stiff rudder on Nuneaton, caused by knocking the rudder pin out of its cup on an obstruction in a bridgehole. Several attempts to replace it (without success) whilst the rest of the crew were stocking up on provisions at the handy Tescos. Moved on to lunch at the Globe. Further steady progress under a strong sun until we moored up below Stony Stratford lock at about 6pm. We were pleased to be complemented on our handling of the pair by the IWA volunteers who were operating the Stoke Hammond 3 for the weekend!

Sunday 3rd June: another glorious day! Set off at 7:30am for the leg through Milton Keynes. Slow progress due to the many moored boats in the area. We eventually moored up for lunch at the Barley Mow in Cosgrove at 1pm. The afternoon was very humid and soporific as we made are way up the pound to Stoke Bruerne. We passed through the first 5 locks before mooring up in the Long Pound at 5:30pm. Through the early evening the clouds thickened to give a downpour about 9pm (by which time we were celebrating the end of the trip in The Boat!)

Monday 4th June: departed the boats about 8:30am, pausing only to remove a dead rabbit from the garden of the lady living by the lock at the end of the Long Pound – she didn’t want to look at it! The demands on an NBT crew are many and varied.
Roger Morgan, June 2007.