Post Crick: Day 2

Today was one of those days where things appear to be going slightly wrong, but end up being just right.  We were due to do a boat test today back at Crick, with Andy the photographer picking me up on the way in Braunston.  It quickly became clear he was running late, so I used the time to wash and polish one side of the boat.  It was a beautiful day for that and for the boat test, in fact it was quite hot at times.  It was almost 3pm when I got back to the boat and immediately got ready to set off.  Hadar was moored just down the canal, and Jo and Keith were sat on a bench so we had a brief chat as I passed.

I needed water, but a hire boat had just stopped on the water point at the stop house, so I carried on to the one a bit further down by the Elsan.  I got a wash load under way, but then when I came to attach the hose pipe to the tap, I found it had the wrong size fitting.  So I had no option but to pause the washing machine and head off to the water point down by the junction.  As I approached, I was amazed and pleased to see Herbie on the Midland Chandler’s mooring — and once I’d got the tank filling and the washing machine going again, I popped into the shop to find Neil and Kath deep in conversation with a member of staff.  They said they’d come and see me in a few minutes.  I’d originally planned to go down the shared Oxford/GU section towards Napton Junction for the night, but now I was passed the junction and Neil and Kath were heading down the North Oxford I quickly changed my mind.  Before long, they were heading off, and I was about to follow.

We rejected the mooring beyond Bridge 88 as the towpath was a bit narrow for a barbecue, so I ended up leading the way to a spot just before Bridge 87, where there’s a wide and pleasant tow path.  We started with cups of tea, then moved on to gin and tonics, then the Cobb cooker came out and we had deliciously cooked sausages, pork chops, burgers, veg, and potatoes, all washed down with wine.

It was a really lovely evening, made all the better for not being planned, and for being the result of a series of incidents that meant we both ended up in the same place at the same time.  We stayed out on the towpath until it was dark, with bats swirling above the boats.  

2 miles, 0 locks.  (46 miles, 34 locks)