Summit and Sump

This is going to be a brief post as the internet connection is currently very poor.  No photos today!

Adam (nb Briar Rose) left a comment on yesterday’s post where he mentioned two very interesting facts.  The first was Fenny Stratford Lock isn’t a stop lock.  A stop lock can sometimes be found where two canals join and this isn’t applicable at Fenny Stratford. His second fact was we will be going up through the lock on our way south whereas I’d written we would be going down.

This got me thinking and doing some research.  Last year we crossed the Rochdale Canal where there is a summit pound.  This is the highest point on the canal.  you go up locks to reach it and then down locks to leave.  So what happens when you go down and lock into a pound and then up at the other end.  We came down Cosgrove Lock on our approach to Milton Keynes and will go up through Fenny Stratford Lock to leave.  This is the lowest point on this part of the canal.  According to my research this is known as a ‘sump pound’.  That makes sense to me.

Always interesting to learn something new!