Moving weekend - Day 3

Last night's dinner was cooked on Briar Rose and eaten on Chance.  Had anyone been walking along the towpath at 7pm or so, they'd have seen me running backwards and forwards between the two boats with, first, a roast chicken, then roast potatoes, then other veg, and finally gravy.  It was another convivial evening, ended with Doug and James' sloe gin.

This morning was very overcast and cold.  It's my birthday, so there were cards and presents at breakfast.

We set off at 8.30, through Bugbrook and on to Gayton Junction, where we stayed on the Grand Union main line.

At Blisworth we always like the converted mill, and then it was on through the tunnel.

As it was really quite cold, I wasn't expecting there to be any gongoozlers at Stoke Bruerne.  But there were a few people about, both at the tunnel entrance where there's a little blacksmith's, and at the locks.

For the locks, we teamed up with a boat we'd been following since Heyford Fields.  It turned out they were moving to the boat to a different marina -- which turned out to be the same one we're going to; then it transpired they'll be our neighbours in the next berth!  There were quite a few boats coming up, and we were able to do some synchronised boating, going side by side from one lock to the next.

Chance had turned above the locks and moored up, as they'll be heading back tomorrow.  Doug and James walked down the locks with us, and we all had lunch on board moored at below the bottom lock.  The concrete edge is very high here, so we've had to juggle fenders a bit to ensure we're not scraping the side of the boat.

Tonight, we're meeting in The Boat for dinner.

11 miles, 7 locks.  (35 miles, 23 locks)