Basingstoke Assault 5

Most of the remaining boats left Potter's Pool this morning, still going in the direction of Odiham, although we had heard earlier about the landslip the other side of Blacksmiths Bridge, which had since slid further into the cut with large oak trees at a precarious angle. The unanimous decision was not to try and pass this obstruction, in case it eventually blocked the cut and there would be no way back.

Cruising the long summit pound was a pleasant experience in mostly deep water, although the wind was icy, especially when we passed the many flashes (wide areas of water) along this stretch.

The Morse control with bungee firmly it place, was now back to normal and no longer slipped back towards neutral gear, so I was pleased with the result. My mother was always telling me to carry a spare piece of elastic.....or was it my sister she told?

This section is notorious for it's very low bridges, so everything possible was removed from the cabin top and I had to rearrange the wood to fit underneath the first one, Farnborough Road Bridge. Even the short tube to support the TV aerial had to be taken down and that is only 8" high!

                                                  Headroom - What Headroom?

There was only one lock at Ash, where I met the new canal manager, Phil Allan, who assisted Stronghold and Penkenna through.

At some point before I reached the pub, I had to saw up some of the wood I had collected along the way. Kathryn had told me about a mooring stage near to Farnborough Airfield that would be far away from civilisation, but when I got there, Penkenna was already moored up for the night. However, there was room to moor the stern end and I was able to saw up a sackful of logs. At that point it was possible to view the length of the airfield runway and see the occasional private jet taking off and landing.

Bollards At Moorings Close To Farnborough Airfield.

Further down the cut, a ghoul was hanging from the underside of a high road bridge. Someone's idea of a joke probably, but it would appear scary at dusk. Whoever put it there would have had to straddle the concrete beams at one side and then walk out over the water to put it in place - not an easy thing to attempt by the look of it, but you have to give credit for ingenuity.

I Bet This Would Scare You At Dusk!

Soon I got to The Fox and Hounds where some of the other boats were moored up. I had to upload some photos to this blog, so hopefully there was wi-fi in the pub. My lucky day, with a pint to go with it. Kathryn, Brian and I repaired there later for more beer and conversation.