North again: Day 21

Really sunny and warm from first thing.  We got the washing machine going at 8.30 and set off as soon as the wash part of the cycle had finished.  It really was a glorious morning, and just through the first bridge there was a bush of very bright pink wild roses.

We went through Acton Trussel, and the church is slightly out on its own across the fields.

All the locks today needed turning.  At the second one, Park Gate Lock, Adrian opened half a paddle and then popped to the chandlery next door to get some oil filters; he’d already phoned to check they had some, as the website suggested they were out of stock.  Once the boat was high enough, I went and opened the other paddle, and then a boat arrived to go down.  Before the next lock, we went under the M6.

We now had a boat in front of us, and by Penkridge Lock we had two.  Longford Lock has a bridge with a big arch covering the lock and the towpath; Penkridge Lock has individual bridges.

We wanted to stop at the water point above Penkridge Lock and we also knew that some of the people ahead did too.  But there was a completely different boat there, who then wanted to go into the lock — so we came out, they went in, and we moved over to fill the tank.  The next boat to come up also wanted water, so just sat in the lock until we were ready to leave.  We did one more lock and moored on the five day moorings, in pretty much the same spot we were in last month.

This afternoon, Adrian has given me a haircut, and we’ve walked up to the Co-op mostly to get veg for the stock that’s now simmering away.  It makes use of the roast chicken carcass from yesterday, to make stock for tonight’s risotto.  We’ll be here for a couple of days now, as we have a few errands to run.

Here’s this part of our journey from Crick to Penkridge in animated graphic form.  They (bizarrely) don’t have a narrowboat option!

5 miles, 5 locks.  (133 miles, 85 locks)

Since moving on board: 78 days, 429 miles, 313 locks.