Castle Mills to Bedford

21 August 

So we did our shopping this morning and then had coffee with Pat and Tony. 

We were ready to move off at 10.45. The plan was to just go through one lock (Cardington) and then go into Priory Marina to pick up a gas cylinder and have a pump out. This we managed to do but it all took rather a long time as first of all the person with the key for the gas cylinder cage was out in the marina doing something so we had a bit of a wait, then the gas cylinder had a different top from the empty one and Steve was not sure it would fit. We trundled it back to the boat and found that it would fit, so that was OK. 

After the pump out, we set off again and then I noticed that the key for the pump out (and the water) filler wasn’t hanging in its usual place. A quick search of his pockets convinced Steve he must have left it behind. So we winded (easy enough on this wide river) and headed back. There it was on top of the pump out cupboard! Safely retrieved and off we went again. It was just as well we were not in any hurry as by now it was 1.15, so we had lunch on the move before doing the last lock before Bedford. 

We have moored on the embankment with a grassed area alongside us, busy cafés and coffee shops opposite us and an attractive footbridge just downstream from us. 

Stephen went to Bedford School and so we wandered through the town to the school for a look round. Obviously after 55-60 years there have been many changes both in the town and in the school, but there was plenty to recognise as well. After that we visited to the John Bunyan Museum which is quite impressive.

Bedford School

Steve used to row from here.

We had a short visit from Fran and David Eyre who live near Bedford – they needed a couple of BCF stickers for their boat and we had arranged for them to come and collect them.  It was good to meet members we'd not met before even if it was only briefly.