A Small Bear at Foxton Locks

The day after we went up the Watford Staircase, Polar, Grizzly and I cruised through some of the loveliest scenery we had seen so far.  With no sign of any big birds of prey, I could sit on the roof in the sunshine and enjoy the journey.  

We took a little canal arm down to a little village called Welford, where there are huge reservoirs to feed the canal.

I would soon see why so much water was needed, as the following day we were going down the famous Foxton Locks.  From our map, I could see that this was like a double version of the Watford Locks - one five lock staircase immediately after another!

'I hope Polar and Grizzly can remember whether they open the red paddles or the white paddles first!' I thought.  'Or do we open them the other way going down?'

We had more very pretty countryside to travel through to get to the ten locks.  As we cruised along, I tried to think of what I could do to help when we got there.

We had to wait for several boats to come up before we could start down the first staircase.  Luckily, there were lots of helpers.  Polar and I stayed on the boat and Grizzly went to help with the locks.  Soon we were in the first chamber and dropping down with the falling water level.

'Can I help with anything?' I asked Polar.

'You could hold the tiller while I take some photographs of us moving into the next lock,' she said.  'Don't worry - I'll be controlling the engine.' 

I felt very important, holding the tiller and steering Uppie from the first lock into the next one.

'Can I do that again?' I asked, feeling quite proud of myself.

'Of course you can!' said Polar.

Polar let me steer us into each of the linked locks but, when we got to the big middle pound, she stopped Uppie by the towpath and swapped places with Grizzly.  Grizzly wasn't taking photographs so he put me back in my favourite place on the roof.

'Did you see me steering the boat, Grizzly?' I asked him.

'You did very well, Sonning,' he said.

We went down through the next five locks with the volunteer helpers and Polar working the locks.  At the bottom, we took the turn towards Market Harborough, which meant Polar had to work a swing bridge for us.

Polar and Grizzly went to look around the site and to talk to a nice family from Leicester who had come down through the locks behind us.  At first, I stayed on Uppie, deciding that I could take my life-jacket off now I had finished my boating duties for the day.

Then I decided to go and explore for myself.  I ran up to the top of the big hill the locks came down, and sneaked up onto one of the little bridges over the locks to see the view.  It was only then that I realised that I hadn't really had to steer the boat at all when we moved from lock to lock, because the locks were so narrow, there was nowhere else to go but backwards or forwards!

'You are a silly little bear, Sonning!' I said to myself.  But I still think I look quite professional in the photos Polar took of me.