Sat/Sun/Mon 18/19/20. Swindon to Wombourn, 6 locks and a staircase.

The reason for the lack of blogging recently is the mouse gave up the ghost on Sat.

This would not normally be a problem but you cant just quickly pop to the shops and get another one. People have tried to help us though even to the extent of us being given a mouse, but unfortunately it needed a driver downloaded from the Internet.

Catch 22 again, cant get the Internet without a mouse cant use the mouse without the Internet.

The pop to the shops took us two days.

But here we are again.




On our way to Wombourn where the computer shop is supposed to be, we passed through this lock delightfully named "Bumble Hole" . It is once again a lock in the middle of a huge housing estate, but seems to go unnoticed by the residents.

Now this was something special, we are at the "Bratch" locks. These are a set of three locks in a row but they are not a staircase. In this picture you can see the single top gate of the lock we are in and the double bottom gates of the next lock up towering above. You do begin to think how are we getting through here?. Thankfully there is a lock keeper on site who guides you through the whole process. That's him just behind D.
Right! now we are in the middle lock and it just gets better, the towering gates of the next one are partially hidden under a very low bridge, this one nearly had the chimney off.

Only D could be the one to get in that alcove without getting squashed.
This is the lock keepers eyrie, a lovely octagonal building leaning out at the top of the set.

The secret of these locks is that there are pounds in between each one allowing you to fill the next one down, although they are only about six feet long they are deep.

Well I should be able to catch up with the Blog now there is a new squeaky thing attatched,

So until tomorrow............