Post Crick -- Day 1

I listened to the weather forecast on the Today programme this morning, and couldn't determine whether we were in the part of the country where the rain would clear in favour of a much brighter day, or the bit where there would be heavy rain all day, leaving dangerous amounts of standing water on the roads.  It seems we were in the latter part.

We set off at 8.10 in the rain.  It was a little under half an hour to Norton Junction, and just as we approached a Napton hire boat went across, heading to the locks.  It meant we had a locking partner for the Buckby flight.  The couple on board are long time hirers, and we made good progress.  A few of the locks had to be turned, but we also met a couple of boats coming up.  It seems I took just one photo today.

At the bottom of the locks, Adrian pulled onto the offside mooring so he could get some firelighters and logs, while I walked back to the next lock to go to the farm shop for pork chops and some veg.

Setting off again, I steered the long lock-free pound while Adrian worked.  We had a stop for water just through Weedon, as we haven't filled up since before the show.  The tap had decent pressure, so it didn't take too long.  In the afternoon it stopped raining at times, but it was still pretty cold and damp.  We came through Blisworth Tunnel without meeting anyone, and then had a decision to make.  We prefer the moorings two locks down as most of the ones at the top are in a rather gloomy cutting; but we decided that if there was a nice open mooring in the village we'd stop there.  As it turned out, there's almost no-one here at all, so we tied up at about quarter to four, just as it came on to rain again.  I was so wet and cold I had a hot shower to warm up. Our locking partners from this morning have just arrived, and slotted into a space in front of us.

17 miles, 7 locks.  (22 miles, 14 locks)