To blacking: Day 1

Adrian came up to the boat yesterday, with a holdup on the A34 making it a very slow journey. I came up after an early shift at work. It rained pretty much all night, and the forecast wasn’t good for today either. This morning started with a car shuffle, and on the way back we went to the Gayton car park where we picked up our friends Helen and Andy who were spending the day with us. We drove back to the marina, and set off. It was dry if gloomy, but still with some autumn colours.

At the bottom lock at Stoke Bruerne a couple of lockies emptied the lock for us. A pair of boats was coming down, so we could leave the gates open.

With crew and lock keepers we made good progress up the locks, with the cloud gradually clearing too.

The long pound was very low, which is unusual. At the top the headed straight into the tunnel. We passed two boats, the second of which hardly moved over at all, and gave us a significant whack as it went past. At the Blisworth side of the tunnel, the improvement in the weather was significant. 

We moored at Gayton for lunch — but while checking down the weedhatch, I managed to dunk one leg on the canal!  Not sure exactly what happened as I stepped onto the tow path, but I reckon it would have been worse had Andy not been there to grab hold of me. After lunch, Helen and Andy headed off to their car in the car park by the bridge. It had been a really lovely day with them. We set off again, to make the most of a lovely sunny afternoon. 

At almost 5.30 we were at Nether Heyford, with the sun beginning to disappear behind the hill. We moored up shortly after the narrows where there’s decent piling. 

15 miles, 7 locks. 

Rediscovery Cruise: Day 1

 Adrian came up to the boat yesterday, and did things like making the bed and stocking the cupboards. I worked the last of three night shifts and drove up this morning, arriving about 8.15.  Before I arrived, Adrian found that the batteries were unexpectedly very low; he plugged into the shoreline for a bit to give them a boost.  We set off at around 8.30, in conditions my Scottish friends would call ‘driech’.  The sunflowers in the field margins on the offside were doing their best to brighten up the day, but not entirely succeeding.

It took the usual 90 minutes to get to Stoke Bruerne Locks, and as we arrived a Wyvern hire boat was just coming off the water point and into the bottom lock.  The two couples on board should have been in Vienna, but were loving their first canal boat holiday.  The two ladies remained a bit confused the entire flight about which paddles did what and when they should be opened and closed, but with people on the bank Adrian was able to go and set ahead, while the boats did synchronised transfers between locks.

At the fifth lock we had to wait for a boat coming down, and at the top two locks there was a boat going up ahead.  Even so, we did the flight in an hour and 20 minutes, which is pretty good.  Our lock companions were mooring up, but we headed straight for the tunnel.  On the approach I wondered how we’d get in, but the boat moored right there was a bit further forward than it first looked.

We had lunch on the move through Gayton Junction, and then the weather worsened a bit with proper rain for a few minutes rather than just drizzle.  We moored up at Nether Heyford at about 3.15.  Once the engine had had a bit of time to cool a little, I did an oil change.  Unusually, it’s the second of the year — the first was in March before we set off on our aborted long trip.  That was three weeks, then we had ten days getting the boat back from Nantwich, and then last month cousin Catherine and family had a fortnight on board doing the Warwickshire Ring instead of going to Canada.  So BR has had quite a bit of use.

Of course after we moored, the sun came out.  Adrian made a chilli as we came along this afternoon, and I’ll be having an early night — I’ve been up 23 hours already.

15 miles, 7 locks.

July weekend - Day 3

We had a very quiet night at Becket's Park marina, a highly recommended place to stay:  very friendly staff, excellent facilities, and completely secure.  We set off at around 8.30, and headed back up the river to the canal.  The entrance to the canal looks very inconspicuous.

It was very cloudy today (particularly compared with yesterday) and at first rather chilly.  At the second lock, we avoided a huge log in the mouth of the lock, and we removed a big sheet of foam from the water.  The going on the Northampton Arm is pretty slow, as the water is pretty shallow, and there's quite a lot of weed.  However, there's masses of wildlife:  the water is clear and you can see fish; crayfish; there are several different varieties of dragonfly; and we saw water boatmen.  It's also quite pretty.  At times, the channel is very reedy and narrow.

At the Rothersthorpe flight, we started up the locks.  A couple of locks up, some walkers told me there were empty pounds up ahead.  I walked up to see what was going on and found several pounds which were short of water, three of which were completely empty.

At the second lock, a boat was coming down, so I suggested they stay where we were while we run some water down from the top.  With their help, we opened paddles all the way down to lock 7, and Adrian phone CRT to alert them to the problem.

Filling the pounds took the best part of an hour.  When we were on the move again, we spotted a Kia four wheel drive heading up the tow path.  We and the boat coming down were about to cross, so we were all standing together.  the man in the car wound his window down and immediately accused us of leaving gates and paddles open.  We explained that there had been several empty pounds, and that there was another boat heading down from the top.  It was only after several more derogatory comments from the car driver that the woman from the other boat asked who this man was:  "I'm waterways", he said.

We were rather of the opinion that if you've reported a problem, the response of staff should be "I gather there's a problem, what can I do to help?", rather than criticising boats in an arrogant and  rude way.  In no way was he a good ambassador for the Canal and River Trust.  He didn't introduce himself, he berated us, and he didn't make any attempt to find out what was going on.  He told us his shopping had been disrupted.  Clearly, he doesn't appreciate what being on call means.  One of our number asked his name, so we know who to complain about.

At the top, we continued to Gayton Junction, we turned right, and moored up for lunch.  Afterwards, we carried on for a couple on hours, then turned at High House Wharf, and moored at Nether Heyford.  Just in front of us was the boat I tested last week, so I texted the owners and later they popped round for wine and crisps.  We had a very pleasant hour or so chatting to them.

11 miles, 17 locks.  (25 miles, 41 locks)

Return Trip - Day 2

The forecast was right and we needed our wet weather gear today.  We set off in the rain and murk at about 8am, heading first for Norton Junction.  We spotted No Problem just beyond the junction towards Braunston.

We turned towards Buckby Top Lock, aiming for the water point.  We haven't filled up since before the Crick Show, we wanted to do some washing, and we know the tap at the top lock is a fast one.  When we got there we found a boat moored on the water point; it appeared his permanent mooring was just opposite, so I guess he'd filled up with water last night and then couldn't be bothered to move back.  We knew the hose pipe wouldn't reach, so I knocked on the roof of the boat to ask him to move.  He stuck his head out and said we'd have to breast up, as he wasn't dressed yet.  We did so, even though it was tricky, and then treated him to the Travel Power and high engine revs as we got the washing machine under way.

Filling the tank didn't take as long as we'd expected.  It's a big tank and a fast tap, and we have been careful.  I went to set the lock, and as I did so another boat came off its moorings and joined us.  It was an ex-Challenger share boat with a family on board.  Mum and the two sons were on lock duty, which meant I could go ahead each time and set the next lock.  From the middle of the flight, we started meeting boats coming up, which also helped.

I made a quick visit to the farm shop by the penultimate lock, and bought stir fry pork, lamb chops, and some veg, so we can eat for the next couple of days.

Once down the locks I had a phone call from Waterways World, who organise the Crick Show, about my photo used without my permission in the show guide.  They apologised profusely and offered a fee, which I asked them to increase, given that we were discussing this after the event.  When I'd complained, I'd given them one of my cards, so the guy on the phone asked how I was involved in waterways journalism; I asked whether he ever read Canal Boat magazine, and apparently he doesn't.

We were cold and wet so we stopped at Nether Heyford and had lunch.  This afternoon, I've written the last of my mini boat reviews, and tinkered with a nearly complete full review, to take account of the fact that the boat won the Favourite Boat vote at the show.  All afternoon it's been raining to a greater or lesser degree, so we're glad we decided to stop when we did.

7 miles, 7 locks.  (13 miles, 14 locks)

April weekend - Day 2

We were up in good time this morning, and set off from the marina at 8.30.  Fortunately, it wasn't too windy, as that can make the turn towards Stoke Bruerne a bit tricky.  It was overcast and chilly, though.  Adrian stayed inside, making some oat biscuits.

There were lots of fields of lambs, including a couple for whom the field wasn't enough:  they were through the fence and right next to the canal.

We got to the bottom of the locks at 10am, exactly on schedule, and we could see our visitors walking down the path.  My second cousin, Catherine, her husband, Nigel, and their children Grace and Matthew, had come to give us a hand.  Matthew, who's 4, was particularly keen to help.

There were quite a few boats coming down, so all the locks were in our favour;  at several we could swap with the other boats.  At one, we passed the steam boat, Hasty, who blew their whistle for us.

Near the top of the locks, just a few moments after the sun tried to come out, the hail stones started.  Then there was a shower of sleety rain.  In the long pound, we heard then saw a cat up a tree.  A woman was coming down the towpath with a boat pole, saying she was going to try to rescue the cat, which was hers, and stuck.  She was successful, apparently having given the cat a bit of a poke with the pole.  The woman, her dog, the cat, and the pole, all crossed the lock gates while we were coming up.

At the top of the locks, we moored for teas and coffees before going through the tunnel.  The tunnel itself was the source of great excitement.  Grace and Matthew sat on stools in the cratch, and had a torch so they could look at the walls.  Before entering, we had to wait for the trip boat to reverse out, and we also passed two boats inside.  From the helm, I could hear lots of excited child noises echoing along.

At the Blisworth end of the tunnel it was sunny.

We moored and dropped off our visitors, who'd left a car in the village.

We had lunch, then continued northwards.  Just before Bugbrooke, I spotted Baleine coming towards us.  We both did an emergency stop so we could have a quick chat.  We continued to High House Wharf, where Stanton sticks well out into the canal -- and is apparently a lot less loaded than normal.

We turned at the winding hole and returned half a mile or so to moor overlooking Nether Heyford.  We washed one side of the boat, then had a cup of tea with a couple of the fantasic chocolate cakes that Catherine had brought us. Adrian started a chili which has been cooking all afternoon, so we'll have that tonight.

16 miles, 7 locks.