Through Britain

My ticket (an off-peak day return with a senior railcard and a freedom pass) was too complicated for the ticket machine. I joined a long queue which was quite static for a while. There were eleven positions for selling tickets but only between two and four were operational. The multi-national queue had to be stoical.

The person ahead of me looked back with an expression that suggested he wouldn't mind a talk. He was queuing to get a refund on his ticket. The train to Penrith for a job interview at 12 noon had been cancelled so he couldn't make the appointment. This mattered as he hadn't worked for 18 months. He was a chemical engineer. In the 1960s there'd been 22 refineries where he might have found employment but now there were just four.

I caught a fast train bound for Birmingham which dropped me off at Leighton Buzzard and I was soon on the canal. After a spell I passed the Braunston 46 mile sign. For almost the whole way to Bletchley the River Ouzel kept company with the canal. It's a tributary of the Great Ouse, which it joins at Newport Pagnell, just north of Milton Keynes, and rises in the Chiltern Hills. The river has a flood plain which is normally inundated in winter but dry for the summer.

The Greensand Ridge Walk starts its 40 mile journey in Leighton Buzzard. For a while it shared the towpath before heading north east. The route follows the Greensand Ridge through gentle hills and small valleys – densely wooded with rich wildlife.

I passed two attractive pubs on the canal. The Globe Inn is just north of Leighton Buzzard and 3 Locks is near Stoke Hammond.

I reached Bletchley and left the canal with the idea of finding Bletchley Station. Misled by a bent directional sign, I headed off towards Water Eaton. It was quite some time before I acknowledged my error and retraced. Heavy showers reflected and reinforced my mood. By way of compensation the Euston train came in barely five minutes after I reached the station.

Distance today 8.44 miles; total 141.