Pig Lane

On our recent trip to Bishop’s Stortford John spotted a great little mooring, bollards and all, where we stopped for a cuppa. It’s just above the lock where Pig Lane crosses the river at Twyford Lock on the outskirts of BS; free of limits, noise, on a lovely stretch of the Stort, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. The mooring is completely enclosed by railings.. and even has its own gate..

Turns out it was the old lock landing, now superseded by a smart new bigger and better one..

And the real bonus, there is a huge (mostly empty) car park within spitting distance, so a stay here for me would work having somewhere close/secure to leave the car – for those times I have, reluctantly, to leave the river and brave the roads.

Decision made. Two stays of a week coming up – one in the middle of July and the other late July/early August.

A good place to work on the boat and work I did..
Not sure how well you can see the before (to the left) and after (to the right) in this shot but in this one it’s clear..
Nothing like some compound and good old elbow grease to bring the shine back to the paintwork. I know, still horrid primer spots but no green paint as yet. (Good news is I have obtained some since).

As much as I love my permanent mooring near Sawbo, it’s a treat to get off it. Having shot myself in the foot, cruising-wise, by getting a job locally, it means I can’t go cc’ing which is what I’d really like to do. One day, when I get that book written….

Don’t get me wrong, I like my little job and for now and am reasonably content to do some little cruises and weeks away around here. As I’ve no doubt said before, you don’t have to go far to feel miles away. So, until we find another way to keep BB moving and working and overcome the logistics of moving the car along (not to mention the cost of travelling), we shall continue to work on it.

The getting there and back was as enjoyable as ever with John, typically, employing some child labour..and some first class foraging..They love him really..We liked this..And this..And I was puzzled by these chaps..I was thinking radio-active but John assured me it was a routine thing – stunning the fish and counting them…?

Hobo likes Pig Lane.