Dunchurch Pools Marina (Oxford Canal) – Monday 21st July
We got back to Mary H yesterday, about 4.30pm, after a long journey as the traffic was bad.
Mary H was very welcoming as usual 🙂. Richard had been up for a week with his son at the end of June so everything was spick and span - well sort of! We unloaded the car and had just finished when there was a thunderstorm!
With everything put away we could make a late dinner and fall into bed.
Rio was only four months old when we were out last summer but he seemed to remember where we were and settled in nicely.
Our trip this year will, hopefully, take us down onto the River Nene, along the Middle Level and then onto the River Cam. This is the third trip we had planned. Firstly we were going to go up to Chester and down onto the River Weaver via the Anderton Boat lift before it closed in September - the only problem was that they closed it in January! Our second proposed trip was up to York, but the water shortage put paid to that, mainly as we should have met Steve and Tracey at Fazeley Junction as they came off the Birmingham Canals but that idea was scuppered by stoppages. As their only way was south we decided on The Fens.
Hardgreaves Bridge - No 99 (Oxford Canal) - Tuesday 22nd July
We had a Sainsburys delivery in the morning. Everything got emptied out of the crates and onto the ground - there was masses of it! 18 bottles of wine and 3 boxes of lager were just a start!! I hasten to add that 6 bottles of wine and 1 box of lager were for S & T! Once everything was put away, Richard took the car to the overflow car park, and we set off via the fuel pontoon.
Out onto the canal with Rio in his bed on the roof again, he obviously remembered from last year which was a blessing.
Down to Braunston and we turned towards Wigrams Turn. At the first winding hole we turned and reversed up to a mooring spot, put the pins in and waited for Steve, Tracey and Ted to arrive. Rio and I walked up the tow path to greet them as they appeared under Hardgreaves Bridge. Rio went berserk when he saw them and I was worried he might jump in the canal to get to them, but he is a sensible boy and actually doesn’t like water and certainly doesn’t want to swim! You wouldn’t believe that he has been brought up by the sea! Once Over the Moon was moored up Ted was allowed off and the dogs went mad chasing each other and rolling about. Ted is 12 now but you really wouldn’t have guessed it!
We sat out on the towpath with a bottle or two of wine until about 8pm, fortunately we were only having a stir fry so dinner was nice and quick.
Strangely enough we met OtM at Hardgreaves Bridge last year too, what a coincidence!
Lord’s Bridge No 8 (Grand Union Canal) - Wednesday 23rd July
We left our mooring at 10am and headed back to Braunston. Steve needed to go to Midland Chandlers so he turned left at the junction and we turned right and moored up outside Braunston Marina. When OtM got to us Tracey wanted a bacon sandwich from the Gongoozler’s Rest café but it was closed, such a disappointment ☹️
As we approached the bottom lock the gates were open and there was one boat in the lock but we pulled over and yelled that we were together so could we please give that locking a miss. As usual Tracey and I were at the helms while the boys did the locking. The lady lockie said how nice it was to see women steering and not doing the hard work!
The flight was quite busy with boats coming down as we were going up. All was going well until two boats in one of the locks, which were tied together, couldn’t get out as one of the gates wouldn’t open. They fiddled about until eventually they managed to untie and move out. The top lock seemed to come quite quickly really and that was the 6 Braunston Locks ticked off!
Braunston Tunnel was Rio’s first tunnel and he couldn’t have cared less! Muffin used to sit with me and shake! Rio really is so chilled and laid back!
We pulled over not far before Norton Junction. It wasn’t a pleasant afternoon, it seemed chilly and grey. If it wasn’t for the fact that the inside of the boat was 21o I would have lit the fire!
We retired to our own boats as it was too chilly to sit out. We joined forces for a glass or two of wine then we had to go back to Mary H as we had a Zoom call we needed to be on.
I threw some swan and duck food into the water for this family, it was chaos!
5 miles
6 locks
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