Wending to Wales: Day 3

We had a lovely evening last night with the Norton branch of the family.  They arrived at around 7pm with fish and chips and we had plenty to catch up on.

After a pretty full on boating day yesterday, today we took things much easier.  We set off at 8.30 heading for the tunnel.  It was fairly breezy and chilly, but such was the warmth and humidity in the tunnel that as we went in my glasses steamed up.

We passed two boats in the tunnel, and then I could see another in front going our way.  It was a boat which had passed us quite a while before we set off, and when we got to the top lock they waited for us, so we had a locking partner to down with.  Matthew had been keen to come and do the locks with us this morning, so he and Nigel arrived just after we’d come down the top lock and were waiting for someone to come up the one below.  In fact we met boats at every lock.  Matthew took over the steering, and while I stayed on board just in case, there was really no need; Matthew is more than capable and I was surplus to requirements.  Some of the transitions were pretty tricky too, with boats coming the other way with not much room.

Apart from anything else, it was nice for me to have a proper chat with Matthew about the new school he’s  starting next month, and the holiday they’ve just had on the Llangollen.

We got to the bottom I’m an hour, and as there was space outside the marina we moored up for tea and more chat.  Once Nigel and Matthew had headed off home, we walked up to the village where the butcher is open on a Sunday morning, to get some things I’d forgotten to get for a cooked breakfast tomorrow.  Then we wandered down to the marina for a mooch around, and ordered toasted sandwiches for lunch from the Gonzoozler’s Rest.  These took ages to come, and the whole time the sky was darkening.  Eventually a few drops of rain fell, so when our food was ready we took it (plates and all) back to the boat so we could sit inside.  In fact, the rain came to nothing.  After lunch, we moved down to the water point at the Stop House, which turns out to be a very slow tap, and we returned our plates to the Gongoozler’s (Adrian had even washed them up!). After quite a lengthy wait for the tank to fill we headed out of town, past the junction bridges onto the North Oxford.

We were aiming for Bridge 87.  There were a few boats there, but there was still space for us, and we spotted a familiar boat a bit further along.  Once we were secure, we walked along and spent a very pleasant hour on Momentous catching up with Jenny and Pete, and their dogs who seemed really pleased to see us, for some reason!  Late this afternoon the sun has come out again, and I’ve just put a chicken in the oven to roast.

6 miles, 6 locks.  (28 miles, 20 locks)

Post Crick: Day 2

Today was one of those days where things appear to be going slightly wrong, but end up being just right.  We were due to do a boat test today back at Crick, with Andy the photographer picking me up on the way in Braunston.  It quickly became clear he was running late, so I used the time to wash and polish one side of the boat.  It was a beautiful day for that and for the boat test, in fact it was quite hot at times.  It was almost 3pm when I got back to the boat and immediately got ready to set off.  Hadar was moored just down the canal, and Jo and Keith were sat on a bench so we had a brief chat as I passed.

I needed water, but a hire boat had just stopped on the water point at the stop house, so I carried on to the one a bit further down by the Elsan.  I got a wash load under way, but then when I came to attach the hose pipe to the tap, I found it had the wrong size fitting.  So I had no option but to pause the washing machine and head off to the water point down by the junction.  As I approached, I was amazed and pleased to see Herbie on the Midland Chandler’s mooring — and once I’d got the tank filling and the washing machine going again, I popped into the shop to find Neil and Kath deep in conversation with a member of staff.  They said they’d come and see me in a few minutes.  I’d originally planned to go down the shared Oxford/GU section towards Napton Junction for the night, but now I was passed the junction and Neil and Kath were heading down the North Oxford I quickly changed my mind.  Before long, they were heading off, and I was about to follow.

We rejected the mooring beyond Bridge 88 as the towpath was a bit narrow for a barbecue, so I ended up leading the way to a spot just before Bridge 87, where there’s a wide and pleasant tow path.  We started with cups of tea, then moved on to gin and tonics, then the Cobb cooker came out and we had deliciously cooked sausages, pork chops, burgers, veg, and potatoes, all washed down with wine.

It was a really lovely evening, made all the better for not being planned, and for being the result of a series of incidents that meant we both ended up in the same place at the same time.  We stayed out on the towpath until it was dark, with bats swirling above the boats.  

2 miles, 0 locks.  (46 miles, 34 locks)

Moving weekend - Day 1

We came up to Brinklow last night, arriving at around 7pm.  It had been a really warm day, and the boat was sweltering so we didn't light the fire.  It got quite cold overnight, though.

This morning started with a car shuffle.  We're moving marinas this weekend, so I took a car down to our destination.  I was met there by our friends Brian and Mike, who are joining us for the trip, and they brought me back to Brinklow.  We got the boat ready to cruise, and set off at just before 10am, in convoy with Doug and James on Chance.

It was an uneventful journey through Rugby, and a boat was just coming out of Hillmorton bottom lock when we got there so Chance went straight up.  There were other boats coming down, so it was a case of one up one down right up to the top lock.

We stopped above the locks for lunch, eaten on Chance's back deck, in glorious sunshine.

We set off again after lunch, and continued for a couple of hours.  The popular mooring places are beginning to fill up, so where in the winter we'd have been on our own, there were already quite a few boats.  Our two boats eventually stopped just through Bridge 87, with a view of Braunston Church over the hedge.

Tonight, we're all getting together for dinner, with responsibilities for each course taken by a different couple.  In the meantime, we've got the chairs out on the towpath, James is cleaning Chance, and I might even get the Brasso out again.

12 miles, 3 locks.