Sunday 17 June 2012

Finally - we’ve made a decision (I think!)

Sorry about the lack of posts lately - we seem to have spent the last 10 weeks or so waiting, waiting, but all that has now changed and we’re off with a purpose this morning!!

Tuesday 12th saw us leaving Brownsover to make our way back to Braunston ...
... via Hillmorton Locks.  The weather was much better today than when we last came this way but unfortunately there was no lockie on duty and only one set of locks in operation.
Travelling north there were no queues our way but at the top we counted 8 boats waiting to come down and the situation didn’t improve any when Seyella came by a few hours later.
I love how these stables and outbuildings which have been renovated over the years as we’ve cruised by, they look finished now - great work.
Affluent swans with their own swimming pool.
We moored for the night near the stop house at Braunston ...
... and this was the picture at 20 minutes to 5 in the morning!  I couldn’t sleep!
We'd hired a car from Daventry Car Hire instead of Enterprise as they could deliver the car to us and do the paperwork/payment on the spot.  The car was delivered at 8am which gave us an early start for my appointment in Wrexham returning at about 5:30pm and the car was collected at 8am on Thursday morning.

In the meantime Geoff and Mags have arrived in Braunston and are moored just the other side of the marina entrance so after filling with water we pulled in behind them.  Time for a planning meeting!
Options: -
Grand Union to Gayton and wait and see if the Nene comes off the red boards (so no longer in flood)
Continue down the Grand Union and ‘do’ a St Pancras convoy on the tidal Thames
Down the Oxford and take our chance that we can get on the semi/non-tidal Thames
Lots of discussion ensued and the decision was made!
We’ve both purchased Gold Licences this year and are determined to make use of them!

So ... on Friday morning we winded (turned) in the marina entrance and turned left once again mooring between bridges 99/100 where we stayed until this morning.

 Here's Geoff setting off first this morning ... I decided to walk as far as bridge 103
 Waiting for my lift - here comes Seyella ...
 ... two can play at that game!
... and away he goes ... bye Megs!
 It’s raining now and here comes George - Molly is getting impatient and is going to meet him!
 Cattle on the horizon
 It’s this ‘thing' again - bridge ‘oles, bends and oncoming boats!
 It’s a long time since we’ve seen the mobile bicycle repair boat
 Passing Napton Junction - that the Grand Union Canal through there.
 Two extremes of speed!
 The windmill on Napton Hill as we approach the ...
 ... bottom lock - Mags has taken Seyella in first ...
... and I’m waiting for a boat to come down - the top gates ares still open and there is a waterfall over the bottom gates and as I enter the lock there’s a torrent of water coming over the top gates too!
 Looking back from lock 8 towards Napton Hill
And at lock 11 another heavy rain storm has just passed over us - yet another soaking today!
 Put your backs into it boys!

We’ve moored up now for the night between locks 11 and 12 and are hoping that it will stay dry for a couple of hours this afternoon so that we can walk up that hill.

Received this link Rock n Roll at Tattenhall Marina 2010 from Neil this morning in answer to a query that I put on my blog way back in 2010 - if you look carefully you’ll spot RnR.

No comments:

Post a Comment