Low water, I know unbelievable after the summer we have had, means that restrictions are in place on most of the canal locks, so we chugged down to Watford Flight Monday afternoon expecting to have to hold off until Tuesday morning only to be told to go straight through. One hour top to bottom, and in sunshine, never done it so quick before. Moored up a couple of hundred yards after the lock.
Tuesday was a chug down to Gayton Marina area, we moored up near Bridge 41. On the way down we saw nb Dee Jay. They were very helpful to me (Flo) on our very first trip on a hire boat 2 years ago, which we used as a trial run when deciding whether to buy a boat. It is certainly a very small community this canal village. One thing that kept Ken muttering all day was the £10 charge for the flimsiest of keys to operate the electric locks and water points along the Nene. Originally the plan was to buy two, in the expectation that I would almost certainly drop one in the river, but decided at £10 my love of snorkelling could well be used in that event.
Wednesday we went down through the Northampton Flight. We picked up friends Tony and Jean at the bottom for a short ride and a few glasses of wine. Ken did not plan that well as an extra pair of hands would have been a great help down the locks. Still as the saying goes “wear the old ones out first”. After dropping them off we went on to Cogenhoe. We were lucky enough to find a nice meadowside mooring spot about 6pm. Next morning saw us pass Welllingborough, Rushden, Higham and the Addingtons before stopping for the night by St Mary the Virgin church at Woodford.
Whitworth's flour mill Wellingborough
Rushden's railway viaduct
Our mooring at Woodford
Friday the weather finally realised that we are out and about so it hissed down most of the day. Left Woodford for Wadenhoe but only made it as far as Thrapson before giving up for the day. Tomorrow is Fotheringhay and Peterborough the day after.
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