There was more heavy rain last night, but this morning was very still. We set off at 8.15 with Adrian walking up to the lock and me bringing the boat. The water was like glass.
As we got to the lock I could see a boat approaching from behind, so they joined us as locking partners. Halfway up the flight we met some boats coming down, and there were more coming down the top lock. We did all six in about an hour and a half.
We passed one boat in Braunston Tunnel, fortunately not at the bits where any of the kinks are.
As we approached Norton Junction, a boat was about to set off and asked if we’d like locking partners down Buckby. Of course we said yes. We carried on at the junction, while our Braunston partners turned towards Watford.
At the locks, a boat was just about to go in so we joined him — leaving our prospective partners on their own; but that’s just the way it happens sometimes. The boat we were with was a single hander, but the whole flight was easy because we met boats coming up at every lock. We must have passed eight in total.
There was a bit of a delay at the penultimate lock, because a hire boat was waiting for another boat to come up the bottom lock. It seemed to take them ages, even when they were out of the lock it seemed to take forever to get across the pound to the next one. But it was sunny and warm so no real hardship, and even so, we got to the bottom in around an hour and a half again.
Having seen so many boats in the flight, we then didn’t see another one for miles, in fact not until most of the way through Weedon. We had lunch on the move, and stopped for diesel at Rugby Boats, where the price has gone up again, to £1.28. We carried on just a few minutes further, to opposite the motorhome field. Catherine and Nigel are coming to see us this evening, so it’s easily accessible. The towpath hedge has been cut quite low, so we have views of Flore and the M1 in the distance.
10 miles, 13 locks. (369 miles, 307 locks)
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