North again: Day 1

Boats started going past early this morning, trying to beat the rush away from the Crick Show.  Some were very keen to get in the queue for Watford Locks!  And in fact quite a lot of boats had gone yesterday.  We started to extricate ourselves from our mooring at around 8.15; we had a boat breasted up on the outside of us, a pair in front and one behind, so we weren’t quite sure how we’d get out.  The guy in front was about though, and helped us.  We moved his boat and the one alongside forward into an empty gap, then I knocked on the roof of our neighbour and he came out to help, moving forward and in, so we could go out backwards.  It meant Adrian had to walk round to the water point, which was our first destination.  There we got the washing machine going and started to fill the tank, which we knew would take a while after several days at the show.  We were also waiting for a Tesco delivery, for which we’d used the address of the little marina alongside.  We chatted to various people during the hour or so we were there.  The Tesco delivery was a good 20 minutes late, which was annoying, and a boat was just arriving outside of us when it finally turned up.  All in all, it was about 10.30 when we could properly set off, and it had begun to rain.  The first stretch was slow, because we were passing the remaining boats who’d been visiting the show.

The next stretch was slow because we caught up with one of a pair of boats travelling together.  Even out of gear I seemed to be going faster than she was, and then at a bridge hole she stopped so she could lift a big tyre fender from one side of the boat.  Fortunately she then let us pass; the other boat also stopped a bit further ahead.

We passed the Tidys getting water at Yelvertoft, and then out the other side of the village the canal was blocked by a boat which had come free at the bow.  I pulled alongside another boat on the moorings so Adrian could get off and deal with it.

He had to unzip their pram cover in order to get to their centre line, then pull the boat in, and then get the bow line.  If the stern was anything to go by, they had just dropped pins behind the piling bar and expected them to stay there.  There was no longer a pin at the bow, so Adrian had to put the rope round the bar instead.

Before long we were on our way again, with the rain being persistent but not always that heavy.  We carried on to just after Bridge 27, where we have stopped before.  The first bit of piling was occupied so we’re on the second.  I was wet enough that I had to change a few layers of clothing.  It has rained on and off, but as the after has gone on, it’s been more dry than wet.

5 miles, 0 locks.

Spring Cruise: Day 7

This morning was overcast and decidedly chilly.  A coat was needed when we set off at a few minutes past 8 o’clock.  Just on the edge of Harborough is a big site that’s been cleared for building.  There will be lots of houses, and a small marina.

At the swing bridge which was broken the other day, Adrian got off to (he thought) press the buttons. It turned out the only electrified bit was releasing the barriers which pull out across the road; the bridge itself still needs to be pushed.  We held up a van as we went through.

When we got to the bottom of the locks, Adrian jumped off with a bag a rubbish to put in the bin, and went to see the lock keeper while I got the boat on the lock mooring.  There were a couple of boats going up, and then the lockie wanted to bring down a boat which had been waiting in the centre pound for quite a long time.  It meant we waited about an hour, in which time we put the kettle on, bought some postcards and stamps from the little shop we were moored next to, wrote them, and posted them in the post box by the pub.  I also went to the car park to see the new sign with the new CRT logo.  The logo itself I think is just OK, but the whole design with the two different blues is rather smart.

Once we set off up the locks, it took us only 45 minutes to get to the top.  We were the only boat moving, so we had the lock keeper to help.

By the time we reached the top of the locks the sun had come out and the temperature had risen.  We had lunch on the move, and went through Husbands Bosworth Tunnel.  There’s lots of lovely countryside around, with some far reaching views, lots of rolling hills, and some fields of barley shimmering in the breeze.

We moored up at 4pm at the same spot we used on Sunday night, just before Bridge 27.  This time, though, we were completely on our own.

19 miles, 10 locks.  (69 miles, 41 locks)

Spring Cruise: Day 3

Another fantastically sunny day.  We set off at around 8am, with Adrian walking up to Buckby top lock to get it ready.  As we got to the top, a boat arrived to go down so we could leave the gate open for them.  Then it was along to Norton Junction, where we turned right onto the Leicester Line.

When we got to Watford Locks I went to find the lock keeper.  He had one boat going up the staircase and another to come down, so he said we should come up the two individual locks then wait at the bottom of the staircase.  It wasn’t long before the downhill boat emerged and we could set off up.

Crick Tunnel was as usual dry at the south end and decidedly drippy for the final few hundred yards at the north end.  We moored up and walked into the village to go to the Co-op for a few things.  One thing to note is that they no longer have a cash machine.  Setting off again, Adrian walked up the towpath to see where our Crick Show mooring will be.  All the name markers are already up, and he found our spot fairly soon, just opposite the middle marina entrance.  There were some mooring managers there, who seemed surprised we weren’t stopping — a few people are already in their spots.  Coming back on Friday will be soon enough for us.

The journey along the Leicester Line summit is very pretty.  Lots of it is remote, and all of it is pretty shallow and rather narrow.  The hawthorn blossom is particularly vibrant white at the moment.

We had lunch on the move, then moored up about 2pm just through Bridge 27, where we stopped a couple of times at the same time last year.  As the boat headed towards the towpath a green woodpecker flew off — I’ve been hoping to see him again, but haven’t so far.  We got the chairs our and sat in the shade on the very little-used towpath, with a slightly weaker G&T than yesterday.

10 miles, 8 locks.  (31 miles, 21 locks)

Crick Show: Day 2

Last night and this morning we've been having trouble with the Eberspacher, the hot water boiler. It was producing clouds of white smoke from the exhaust, and refusing the run for very long. This morning I went up to the Boating Leisure Services stand to see Dave who knows about these things, and he reckons it needs a service. We'll call in to BLS on the way back home.

Progress on writing a couple of hundred words on each of 20+ boats has been good, so mid morning we went over to the show with a shopping list. We managed to get about half the things we wanted, but some had to wait as the stalls only took cash. We then walked up to the village for provisions and money from the cash machine. The one at the show charges.

Back at the boat there was more writing followed by lunch. Then we decided that with nothing particularly to keep us at the show site, we'd head out to the countryside for the night. The musical offering at the show is nothing special, and we needed to run the engine for hot water anyhow, so we concluded we might as well move while doing so. In addition it was a lovely day -- much better than forecast.

We set off around the corner, and immediately found two of the trip boats coming the other way, followed by the boat giving handling taster courses, followed by the third trip boat. At the winding hole, a Black Prince boat was trying to turn around, but had put its stern into the hole rather than its bow, which made things very difficult. We were there quite a while while they got themselves round and unstuck.

We continued in increasingly hot sunshine along the summit pound. It really is very pretty.

We were aiming for the place we stopped on Thursday night. Someone was in the actual spot, so we had to come a little further along. It's still nice and quiet and with a view. Since then, Adrian has been making a chili for later, and we've both been working.

5 miles, 0 locks. (42 miles, 21 locks)

Pre-Crick: Journey Day 2

Another lovely sunny morning, and we were again ready to go by 7.30. At Buckby Top Lock a couple of boats were just coming down; above, Ryan on the fuel boat, Southern Cross, was getting a delivery.

We made the turn onto the Leicester Section, and then comes the stretch to Watford Locks, which always seems further than I expect. At one point I saw a squirrel jump from a tree one side of the canal to a tree the other. The distance wasn't far, but the receiving branch was pretty flimsy.

At Watford Locks, a boat had arrived just before us and was starting up. I went and found the lock keeper who said we could follow them. Adrian did the very tight turn from the seond lock into the staircase with great aplomb.

We were at the top of the locks by 9.30, and set off along the summit pound. The scenery is very typically English along here.

Crick Tunnel was, as usual, dry at the southern end and fairly drippy at the northern end. The Crick Show harbour masters were out in force, but thanks to a message from Bruce the other day we already had a good idea where our mooring was. What's more, we planned to go on further and have a night in the sticks, so we had to tell a few people that we'd be back tomorrow.

The canal is full of twists, turns, and blind bridges, and there were quite a few boats going the other way including some we recognise from previous Cricks. Some seemed determined not to give up the centre of the canal, or thought moored boats had to be passed with six feet of space, so a couple of times we were in the offside shallows and heeling over a bit. Before long we caught up with a rather slow Canal Boat Club boat, which seemed to go into tickover for every bridge hole. So when it was lunchtime and a nice bit of piling came into view just through Bridge 27, I pulled over and we tied up. There's a nice view here, the solar panel is in sunshine, and it's very quiet, so we decided we'd stay put. There's a winding hole after the next bridge we can use in the morning. Adrian is working anyway, so it makes very little difference where we are. We've seen more boats go by heading for Crick, including MGM's show boat, with Mark and Rachel at the helm.

10 miles, 8 locks. (31 miles, 21 locks)