heading south, 89 mile to go.

We were off by 0930 but just down to the water point. We filled up and waited for somebody to share the flight of locks with. Nobody arrived so when another boat came up we penned down and in the pound came across another boat who was just getting under way. We said we were just going to stop and the Anchor Cottages shop but would love to share with them.

Lock 8 (I think) on the Buckby flight.

After another lock I went ahead to set the lock and came across a hire boat that had the Dad handling the windlass and the gates then walking round and driving the boat into the lock. I sort of suggested that the the females needed to give him a hand. Just as they got in the lock our lock partner arrived so went in with them. I'm sure that they would have speeded them on their way. We had seen another boat behind us that was a single so we waited in the lock for them, despite some chuntering from a pair waiting to come up. There seemed to be more trying to come up than down and when we got to the bottom lock there were six waiting.

All this flight is more or less accompanied by the railway, the M1 motorway and the A5 (Watling Street) so is not the quietest spot on earth.

 The railway gets very close at times!

After the last lock we weren't too long until we found a mooring on the off side near Weedon Bec. We were right next to St Peter and Paul church that was accessed down some steps from the canal. Just the other side of the Church was the railway so services must be interesting if the vicar doesn't shout.

St Peters and St Pauls Church Weedon Bec with a weather vane of a goose after the legend of St Werburghs bring a goose back to life.

The other place of interest is the Weedon Bec Royal Ordnance Depot that was built before the Napoleonic Wars started. The Act of Parliament was passed in 1803 and it was built between 1805/06. It was the main small arms depot in the UK.

There are eight large storehouse set either side of the canal that linked it to the Grand Union Canal that was newly dug. There was a brick wall all the way round the site. The canal made access doubly useful for speed of distribution and movement of troops and material.

At each end of the site is a gatehouse where the canal enters. There is a portcullis to block off access when required. This is the east gate house.  Beyond the other gatehouse where more buildings that were gunpowder magazines that had a soil fill blast house between them. Other buildings were added and all survive and are Grad II Listed. High class pavilions were also built on the site to provide accommodation for the Royal Family in case of invasion by the French. There were lots of barracks built around the site, enough to house a battalion, a troop of Horse Cavalry and troop of Horse Artillery.  These were knocked down in the 60's. The Army School of 

Equitation was built just outside the Depot. This also went in the 1960's. The site became fully redundant in 1964 and was sold off in 1984.

These are similar to a set of barracks that were found in Beverley, East Yorkshire, and in Brighton still survive here in Weedon Bec. I think they were built during the Crimea War.

After our walk it was nice to get back and relax in the shade and with a glass of something in the hand.