After our engine service yesterday (details on maintenance sectiion) we took the boat up above Widewater Lock and moored for the night. We can get better TV reception there and the doglet (West Highland Terrier, hence the diminutive form) can roam free without worry of traffic and marina rules. Our need was to give the engine a good run. So we planned to take the boat down to Cowley today, have lunch and return. The recent snow which covered the solar panels, and continued overcast skies, have denied the solar panels much of their energy and the batteries are not in good shape. Although reading 12.2 volts when we got to the boat yesterday, running the Eberspacher pulled them down to 11.9. Not good.
So we set off this morning, again with overcast skies and a stiff cold breeze, soon after 9 am. We discovered the narrowboat Elizabeth moored offside on the way to Denham Deep Lock which was open 
for us. The curious (unique ?) clerestory design of this boat was the subject of recent discussions on the CUTWEB discussion forum. Below Denham, the gravel traffic wharf has now found itself a mooring for a narrowboat, the conveyor discharge machinery looking rusty and forgotten. Reaching Cowley, one of the dedicated barges is still moored there. However, no moorings to be found for us at Cowley. They all appear occuped by "winter moorers". So we had to give the Toll House tea rooms with an inviting Sunday Roast at £5.95, or the Malt Shovel pub a miss and carry on to Packet Boat to turn at the Slough Arm junction. The Waters Edge restaurant does a Sunday Lunch, which was excellent, but a bit more up market and pricey with smaller quantities to match. Returning, we had no surprises although there were a lot of walkers about inspite of the chill wind. Getting into conversation it is always a surprise to us how little they know of the canal and where it goes. All the usual questions, of course, "do you have a television", "how do you fill with fuel; do you need jerry cans?" etc. We got back to the marina just in time for the rain.
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