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August 07, 2007

Locks and Then Some

I awoke yesterday long after everyone else. It took some stiff coffee to set me right.

Though I did not know it then, the day would come to be defined by locks. I had heard of locks and knew in some vague way that we would come in contact with them, but I had never really pondered locks, nor had I tried to understand them. Yesterday would change all that. Locks are a way of life on the canals, pervasive as the change in elevation, which happens, it turns out, quite frequently in England. All the time, in fact.

The fact of locks was introduced to me not long after waking. We came upon Big Lock.

As shown, a lock is best described as a chute into which the canal boat fits, usually more snugly than in the case of Big Lock, as will be seen in later pictures. The lock is bordered in front and back by gates, which open and close by means of large levers. We floated into Big Lock, the gates closest to us open and the gates furthest from us closed.

Because Big Lock is so...big...it was possible for another boat to slide in beside us.

Once we both were in, we closed the rear gates behind us by pushing on this large lever.

Then this helpful, clever British man turned this crank, using a removable handle called a "windlass."

The crank, when turned, causes unseen sluices to open, through which torrents of water are allowed to rush from the water at the higher elevation (the upper canal) down to the water at the lower elevation (the lower canal). The boat (in the case of Big Canal, boats) rose with amazing speed. With no other power than that of gravity, tons of bulky material and all of us rose into the air.

Once the water in the lock and the water in the upper canal were at the same level (and the pressure on either side of the upper gate was equalized), we were able to open the upper gate and move forward into the upper canal.

No sooner had we cleared Big Lock, that we arrived on the first of many much Smaller Locks.

The smaller locks are just barely wide enough to accommodate the six-feet width of our boats (which is why all of the boats on the canal are uncannily similar in width) and just barely long enough to accommodate our 70 foot length. In fact, there are only a few extra feet behind our boat when we drive into the lock, suggesting that we have just about the longest possible boat for these canals, a fact which makes us feel fairly special, but which has not yet entirely gone to our heads.

Another lock. Note the narrow, slimy walls.

At this point, we had to turn right.

For the most part, we are traveling in a long, unambiguous circle, but there is the occasional intersection. Being 70 feet long, we made the following 90-degree right turn with some difficulty. But triumph was ours in the end.

Throughout the day, we encountered many locks. 10 or 11, I think. Over the next two weeks, we will go through 94.

Each one fills Robbi with astonishing glee.

Here's another view of the lifting process from another angle, with Robbi's Aunt Mimi providing scale and proportion.

At the level of the lower canal.

Rear gate closed, sluices open, the boat rises.

Before long, it is at the level of the upper canal. Redundant, yes, but still amazing.

The day brought still more wonders, such as Robbi's run-in with an eyeless Ronald McDonald (or his British surrogate) in the attic of a canal-side antique shop.

The late afternoon sunshine treated us to beautiful landscapes illuminated in low-angled light.

I've always had a thing for haybales.

But look how neatly wrapped. Britain is damp, to be sure, but this seems excessive.

Last night we moored in Nantwich and supped at the Nantwich Arms. I ordered the "mixed grill", a medley of meats that included steak, gammon, liver, lamb, sausage, blood pudding, peas, tomatoes, and an egg. I took a photo, of course, but it is still lodged in the belly of my camera and will have to be shared at a later date. In the middle of our meal, there was a hail storm.

The mystery of this ancient land persists. I shall, as access allows, continue to report.

Posted by bogenamp at August 7, 2007 06:51 AM