Look East: Day 14

We have done a long day today — but with fantastic sunshine and very pleasant temperatures, why not?  It was a little after 8.15 when we set off from Irthlingborough this morning.  A 14th Century bridge is the first landmark, and it’s a tricky one.  The navigation arch is off to the left and it’s on a sharp bend.  You certainly can’t see if anything is coming the other way.

The railway viaducts at Irchester looked great in the sunshine.  I was disappointed no trains went over as we approached.

We stopped at Wellingborough at the water point, to fill the tank, get a wash load started, and make a quick trip to the nearby Tesco.  Upper Wellingborough Lock is next.  It’s a manual lock with mitre gates at both ends; it was full, and the landing stage is so short Adrian had to get off at the bow.  In addition, the wooden edge is higher than the gunwales and too thick — so we’ve gained a collection of scuffs on the cabin side.  Once out of Wellingborough the scenery improves no end, with the river meandering under big skies.

Doddington Lock and Hardwater Mill looked even prettier today than they did in the early morning gloom last Monday.

At Doddington Lock itself, a boat was coming down as we approached.  There’s not much room below the lock and the landing stage is tiny, so once the boat started to leave the lock, I slotted in right beside him.  Apparently this was the wrong thing to do, as our cheery hellos were met with silence and a stare straight ahead.  Had I been in his position, I’d have signalled to an ascending boat to come in the lock — otherwise everyone is in everyone else’s way.  At Barton lock there are lots of ponies, and a foal (it may even have been the one we saw right on the lock landing last week) was taking it easy.

We’ve continued through Cogenhoe and Billing to Weston Favell, our last guillotine lock.  Just beyond are the Washlands moorings, which are a pontoon.  For the first time this trip, a mooring looked full — but the two boats already there shuffled back a bit so we could tie a stern and a centre line.  The bow is hanging off the end, but that’s not a problem.

The pontoon is only available for mooring between May and September.  The rest of the year it’s for emergencies only.  There are barrage gates at each end of the Washlands, as the area is used to store flood waters.  It’s clear the pontoon can rise an awful long way.  The view from the side hatch is pretty spectacular.  But although it looks remote, it’s actually fairly noisy here, as the A45 is just over the bank.

It was almost 5pm when we got here, so it’s just as well Adrian started making a chilli this morning, when the gaps between the locks were bigger.  It just needs heating up and some rice cooking.

15 miles, 13 locks.  (132 miles, 95 locks)