North West Passage: Day 33

We had a fairly unambitious target today, as Adrian needed to make a work call at 1pm. We just needed to get up the locks and round the corner in time to be moored up by them. We were just finishing breakfast at about 8am when a boat went past, so we quickly got ourselves ready to go, hoping to catch them up and share the locks. We didn't quite get there in time to share the first lock, Itchington Bottom Lock, but they said they'd wait for us at the next one, which they did. The Blue Lias pub, before the main part of the Stockton flight, always looks pretty, even on a fairly murky morning.

It appeared someone had started up the flight before us, as every lock was full. I did quite a lot of back and forth setting ahead to help things along. Our lock companions, a couple on a Kate hire boat, were good company. We were nearly at the top before we saw a boat coming down, another Kate boat, as it happened.

Our lock companions were planning to stop for breakfast before the Calcut locks. This section has quite a few moored boats, so is fairly slow going. The Willow Wren training centre at Nelson's Wharf appears to have restored more of the old arm for moorings. Approaching Calcutt, we caught up with a boat in front, Willow, and shared the locks with them. The bottom one was empty for us, two boats were coming down the middle one (which meant quite a lot of boats in a small pound), and the top one was also empty so we could go in side by side.

At Napton Junction, there seemed to be quite a lot going on. A boat was turning right onto the South Oxford Canal, I saw a couple of boats going past the junction, and as we approached a boat winded there. I slowly made the turn left onto the section that's shared between the Oxford and Grand Union canals, and was able to warn Willow that another boat was coming along. Here's Willow having made the turn.

There were immediately a lot of boats on the move, some of them met at awkward bridge holes. We moored a bit before Bridge 102 at only a little past 11.30. We've seldom stopped after such a short day. After lunch, Adrian had his call and has been working; I've written a feature article. There have been dozens of boats going by -- compared with most of the places we've been on this trip it's extremely busy here. The hire business appears to be doing quite well. Among the boats we've seen have been the motor boat, Bascote, towing the butty, Gosport.

It's felt a bit like being back home travelling these waters again. We hired twice from Kate Boats years ago, and Debdale was moored at Stockton Top when we first had our share, so we know this area quite well. It's been a little while since we were last here though, and the familiarity has been very pleasant.

7 miles, 13 locks. (382 miles, 274 locks)