Last afternoon, whilst moored, the boat tended to surge back and forth with the lock activity, so I tightened up the mooring ropes to make sure all would be well overnight. However, overnight the pound level dropped about 4 6 inches, which produced a degree of disorientation when getting up in the morning because of the pronounced list to port. So I went and slackened everything off and pushed the boat away from the bank about 2 feet, which sorted the problem. However, what I didnt want was for a boat to pass us, cause more surging and then get us well and truly aground, so we decided to leave right away at 6:45. The lock was full, bar a few inches, so the plan was for a stealth departure to avoid disturbing the other boats including a Wyvern Shipping hire boat on the lock landing. Unbeknown to me, as I walked back to the boat, Wyvern appeared and asked Pat if they could join us down.
No problem until I saw to my amazement a breasted up pair rounding the corner and by the time I had taken in the mooring ropes they were abeam and without another word took the lock without a word or by your leave. I followed them in short order, but they got jammed up by the Wyvern because of is position already in the lock entrance. We could only laugh about it. Talk about all the best-laid plans! 
To cap it all, this pair then got themselves jammed in an abandoned bridge hole about half a mile further on.
With all this excitement behind us we did our top up shopping at TESCO canal side in Leighton Buzzard and carried on entirely uneventfully through the Soulbury Three, Stoke Hammond and Fenny Stratford lock and on to what many describe as the most boring bit of canal through Milton Keynes. Sure it has all been nicely manicured but every corner looks
just like the one before with its neat paths, bushes and alternating original and new road bridges. We were glad to reach Great Linford, but sadly all the tidy moorings on the park were occupied and we have to be satisfied with towpath moorings. No access to the pub then.
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