Batchworth Lock – Ricksmansworth Aquadrome – Grand Union Canal – 07.02.2010

I was a bit concerned at first that I was not going to be able to get to my walk this week because the car park was full…

What a strange saying you may think!  A walking blog referring to a car!   But we thought that we would travel out to a new place to walk for a change – and unfortunately I had a short timetable to walk this week so we made a short cut!  Fear not however, we found a spot of our original intended spot in the Rickmansworth Aquadrome Car Park!  To be honest this gave more time to explore of the Grand Union Canal.

We first walked up to Batchworth lock – very well looked after and only a couple of locks down from common moor lock where I had walked before.  It hosts the history of Ricksmansworth plus more in the little Batchworth Canal Centre!  We  didnt stop at this time and went under the road bridge – which I mention becuase it has a great painting of a horse pulling a barge on it!

From 2010 – 07.02.2010 – Batchworth Lock – Ricksmansworth Aquadrome – Canal

As we walked further up the canal we came across the small entrance to the  Ricksmansworth Aquadrome Local Nature Reserve.   The aquadrome has a series of lakes – and as far as we can tell only 2 on the horizon – Batchworth and Bury lake.  I would have thought walking by a lake would have been quite quiet and serene but it was not so.    At one point, we saw someone using a model boat – great!  but it is was to pull their fishing line out into the middle of the lake!  The next noise was really loud – It was a couple of Swans landing on the lake and their wings flapping against the water it was loud!

From 2010 – 07.02.2010 – Batchworth Lock – Ricksmansworth Aquadrome – Canal

We then moved into the quieter woodland walk.  Much quieter, but a lot darker, probably becuase it was a cloudy day and the trees were quite dense.  It did shake me a little to read the kind of wildlife to expect in the woods were snakes though! Well Grass Snakes anyway!    The woods weren’t really that large to walk and before long we had come out of them again.    We had walked back onto the Bury Lake.

But hold on a minute, there seemed to be a third lake???  My eyes weren’t decieving me?  No It was definitely a third lake.  We walked a bit further round and found another information board.  Stockers Lake – created by removal of gravel in 1920’s – 1940’s.  Now just for wildlife.    It was then I spotted a footie fans dream interest!  This lake gravel was used to help build the original Wembley Stadium in 1924!

From 2010 – 07.02.2010 – Batchworth Lock – Ricksmansworth Aquadrome – Canal

Moving on from Football History we left the Aquadrome behind and  found ourselves back on the Grand Union Canal at Stockers Lock (Lock 82!)  I was surprised to see that the Lockkeepers Cottage – although it had lots of Canal memoriabla also had an Oval Underground Sign in his back garden (please see my picasa photos for this one!)

The area outside of the aquadrome is much quieter despite having visitor moorings, so much so you feel miles away from civilisation even if it is for just a few minutes!  We left the lock behind and made our way back to Batchworth lock.  We walked quite quickly as the tow path despite the mud was in quite good condition.  So we decided to investigate past Batchworth the other way.  But we didn’t get far –   Cold and time were against us today.

We did learn however, that if we had managed it Lot mead lock is were we could have got too – for another time methinks.

My photos and route are –

2010 – 07.02.2010 – Batchworth Lock – Ricksmansworth Aquadrome – Canal

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